Cat Nguyen

Ask Me About…

• How to navigate making friends and finding a support system
• How you can progress your language goals abroad
• Avoiding getting sick abroad
• Planning classes to take and using the XCAT system
• Keeping a positive and open mindset to try new things and putting yourself out there

My Experience Abroad

Studying abroad has granted me the opportunity to make meaningful steps down my academic path as a Biology major on the pre-med track with a Korean minor. This semester represented an immersive chance to test my language skills and advance my fluency. Although I’ve been studying Korean for a few years now, I still felt like my speaking and listening skills had room for improvement. To remedy this, I took every opportunity to increase my comfort in thinking in Korean.

At the same time, I couldn’t neglect my other studies. I balanced my time exploring Korea with studying for the MCAT, often finding different areas in Yonsei’s libraries to do my Anki decks and practice problems. It has been rewarding to pursue multiple avenues to reach my professional goals: applying my Korean knowledge while studying for my career and taking courses like my first-ever psychology class, which gave me a more well-rounded understanding of ideas pertinent to healthcare.

Overall, one of the main highlights was the chance to interact with students from across the globe and share our different experiences with each other. These insightful conversations helped to broaden my perspectives and strengthen my appreciation of diverse cultures. Not only are these traits personally important to me, but they are also important to the medical field, which is strengthened through the cultural humility and open-mindedness exercised by its practitioners. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to practice these skills often, enriching my time abroad academically, professionally, and personally.