Ya-Wei Chao
C ’28
Cognitive Science and Computer Science
SA: Summer Term at Seoul National University
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- Taking extracurricular classes/professional trainings outside of school: While studying in Korea, I was also taking street dance classes at studios around Seoul. I am familiar with their system and environment. I could provide insights, knowledge, and suggestions for students who are trying to pursue their extracurricular activities as a foreign student.
- Studying Korean before going, and practicing Korean in daily life: I bought books to study Korea a bit before going. Although I only understand a few frequently used phrases, but I was able to navigate and communicate with people. I did not understand it sometimes actually, but the practical and realistic learning experience is really helpful and interesting to me. I could encourage students to be brave, and teach them how to learn from the natives.
- Traveling to places outside of the main city alone: Traveling to other cities outside of Seoul takes a long time and it is not an easy trip to navigate. I went out to Suwon to visiting historical sites and small villages connected to Korean pop culture and drama. I can help students with tips for planning and safety reminders.
- Being aware and staying safe as a woman abroad.
My Experience Abroad
My experience at SNU connected my academic interested in Cognitive, Computer, and Data Science with new perspectives and insights. I took Intro to Game Theory and Development of Young Children. These two courses involve knowledge and important analysis methods for human behavior.
In Game Theory, the professor provided various interactive games and scenarios that allow us to understand why different games and conditions would result in the particular outcomes. I was especially interested in the mathematical models derived, and conclusion about strategic choices. The course made me ponder upon how and why other students in my class react this way, which connects closely to my intersection of computation and cognition. This course gave me a new perspective and a new method to think about decision-making in a more technical way that I can apply to future conclusion and decision-making involving AI and data.
Development of Young Children allow us to explore how cognition, behavior, and social environments are intertwined and develop in early years. This course narrowed the focus to how early life stage shape who we are throughout our lives. This course encouraged me to pay attention on how adults nurture the babies and the significant influence from different cultural and academic environment. With intense in-class discussions and project presentations, I was able to learn new insights and thoughts from students all over the world who I would not encounter at Penn.
In conclusion, these courses reinforced my interdisciplinary interest, and provided a more narrow focus in the field of development and business strategy. This study abroad experience helped me think and care about our world. I hope that as I pursue my technical work, these technologies could be designed to target and resolve issues in human behavior and society.
Other Highlights
- Taking dance classes taught by masters: I was in a class with more than 200 people dancing to the instructor’s choreography. Not only did I gain some new dance moves and a selfie with the instructor, I also noticed the competitiveness and pressure that environment created for dancers to work harder to improve. I struggled sometimes, but I believe this learning environment forced me and pushed me to work harder. I gained so much passion, determination, and momentum to continue my dancing endeavor even after leaving Korea.
- A field trip to Gyeongbokgung Palace (former royal palace of the Joseon dynasty est. 1395): We saw the parade with people dressing up in Joseon style hanbok, hitting the large drums, and marching out with the “king.” I loved all the trips to cultural and historical sites, because they widened my world-view and knowledge about people from different backgrounds and history.
- Visiting the famous Hangang River in Seoul: Hangang River is the most famous place where people gather and chill at night. With a cup of instant noodle and the banana milk, I could sit there for the entire night — just to enjoy the breeze and the vibe. It was a nice place to hang out. Some people were chatting with friends about the unfortunate things that happened on that day, while some people were falling in love. You can see and hear anything that ordinarily happen in our lives. It is a place that allow me to forget about everything, and just enjoy the night view.
