Lestari
Faculty of Computer Science 2013
Fall Semester ACUCA-SMS’ Scholar at Handong Global University, Korea
I’m Lestari, 21 years old. I was an exchange student at Handong Global University, South Korea. I spent my 4 months there. I took Global Leadership School, everyone whose exchange took that major. My major was Computer Science, and I took mobile programming subject there.
Besides mobile programming, I also took English Communication, Marriage and Enrichment, English Chapel, and Korean 1. I just took 13 credits. I felt the different between Korea and Indonesia, not just in culture but in how they teach us in class. Korea was very theoretic; I never had practicum class there in my mobile programming class. I mean, I never practiced in lab with the teacher. In the class, the teacher just explained the theory then he gave us homework about programming.
After that, we had midterm, final term and also team project. In team project we should made one mobile apps. It is different with the method applied in Indonesia. In Indonesia, I had practiced in lab with teacher and also teacher’s assistant. Then after lab, we went to class to clarify what we did in the lab, as well as the theory explanation given by the teacher. I think, when we learned theory and after that we had the practice, it is more easily to understand. I was not reaching a good score in mobile programming class, because I felt like it is really hard to understand. Even I didn’t reach a good score; I really had a new journey there, a new experience that I never got before.
Academics in Korea were so hard, the highest GPA is 4.5 and in Indonesia just 4.0 that’s the reason why Korean people love to study. They like spent their time only for studying. I have 3 roommates, and 2 of them are Korean. They always spent their time much more at library, even sometimes they wasted their time for watching Korean drama. Korea had a high religious thought.
Everyone there is really blessed; they like to pray for one another and gave strength to one another. Every Wednesday, I had English Chapel class; We worship and pray together. Such an amazing class that I never had before. This is just a little story about my exchange experience, and I hope you can have another experience like I had.
