Interview:
An interview with Seoungbyung Park, from South Korea, a junior majoring in Finance and Accounting at Marquette University in Wisconsin.
Why did you decide to study in the U.S.A.?
Diversity is not a popular word in South Korea. The country is filled with pretty much Koreans only. There is nothing wrong with that, but I always thought living with people from different backgrounds might enrich my life. I could not think of a single country that is more diverse than the United States.
Why did you choose this university?
I was not sure if I wanted to major in business or engineering. Marquette was one of the schools that had both a great business program and a highly ranked engineering program. They also offered financial help.
Also, it is located in Milwaukee, a big city. Coming from a big city, I wanted to live in a dynamic place. It has fancy hotels, the Milwaukee Bucks (an NBA team), theaters, and of course, many bars and restaurants.
What do you like best?
Marquette has a program called Applied Investment Management. As a student in this program, you get to actively participate in managing the school’s endowment fund. This is a very competitive program, but I have learned tremendously and greatly enjoyed the program. Not many undergraduate-level schools offer such experiential investment programs.
What do you miss most?
Like anybody else, I miss the food from home. However, I also miss the atmosphere of my city.
What was your biggest surprise?
I was very surprised by the way people express themselves. They seemed a lot more direct and open. At school, this leads to many open discussions, which I enjoy a lot.
How have you handled:
...language differences?
It was very hard speaking English all day long every day, but I tried to learn from friends as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Talk to them! It helps!
...finances?
I have to keep careful track of how much I spend.
What are your activities?
I play a lot of intramural basketball games. It is a lot of fun and I met many friends by getting involved!
How easy or difficult is making friends?
It was somewhat hard at the beginning, but everything started to get better as I started to get used to the culture and get involved in campus activities.
How relevant is your U.S. education to your personal goals and to the needs of your country?
I am interested in working at an investment company when I graduate. Studying abroad in the U.S. helped me to think globally, which is a crucial skill for me to achieve my goal and secure a good job at an investment company.
What is your advice to other students who are considering a U.S. education?
Make sure that you keep your eyes and mind open. Good things will happen!
Marquette University
Ni Long from Beijing, China, is a Freshman Majoring in Psychology at Santa Rosa Junior College in California 
Jinghan Liang from China is on an Exchange Program from the North China University of Technology and is Currently a Junior Studying Accounting at the University of Mississippi 
Maria Savelyeva, from Ukraine, is Studying Music at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina 
Andrea Escobar García from Mexico Studying English at University of Texas at Austin The English Language Center 
Raquel Lopez de Boer, from Spain, is Studying Neuroscience and Chemistry at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 
