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Kornel (Hungary)
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- Student Voices
Introducing Kornel, a first-year student in our Global BBA program since Fall 2023. Originally from Hungary, Kornel chose Japan for a fresh cultural experience outside the EU. Dive into his journey...
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Mason (S.Korea/America), Dwight School Korea
Today we are joined by Mason, who joined the Global BBA Program in Fall 2019.
Let’s find out more about his reasons for coming to Japan and choosing NUCB for his studies after studying the IB in Dwight School Seoul, a member of The Dwight Schools, a global network of International Baccalaureate schools founded in New York in 1872.
Why did you choose to come to Japan?
I’ve always wanted to go somewhere abroad and I didn't want to stay in Korea and I didn't want to go back to the States. I wanted to try something new, to try to look for different countries. By chance, a representative from NUCB visited our school and it seemed a perfect fit with the case method and the proximity to S.Korea means I can visit my parents anytime I want.
Since I was a kid, I often visited Japan with my family and my dad’s friend lives in Tokyo so when I first came here, they helped me to settle down. Also, because Korean culture is very similar to Japanese culture, I didn’t have many problems with settling in here but I had to get used to being independent and living here alone but the friends you meet at NUCB help you a lot.
What advice would you give to students who arrive in Japan for the first time?
I would recommend trying to interact with a lot of people as much as possible. Locals and foreigners who have lived here for a long time so that they can show you around so you have more ofa sense of what this country is about. Find something that you really like about Japan and focus on that.
Because I miss Korean food, I often visit a Korean restaurant in front of my house. The owner is Korean and she helped me a lot when I first moved in. The small interactions that you have with people from your country can help with homesickness. Also, I try my best to feel like I belong in Japan by leaning the language and I often talk to my colleague in Japanese when I work part-time.
How did the IB help you prepare for the Global BBA Program and university life?
The IBDP helped me to develop my critical thinking skills and ability to write high quality reports which has been essential for the Global BBA Program. Also, as we had the chance to use cases in my high school, I have adapted to university life at NUCB quite quickly, especially as the IB taught me how to present myself in front of other people and clearly explain my points.
Finally, the IB will put you into an international environment which will help you to be open-minded. Growing up with two cultures, I thought that I was open-minded and then when I went to international school, I started meeting people from all over the world. I started to realize that there was so much more that I could understand. That helped me a lot when I came to Japan, I was prepared to be more open about different cultures and interact in the classroom in the Global BBA with students from all over the world.
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