Samatbek Osmonov: “This exchange program became an unforgettable chapter of my life”

October 26, 2015

Samatbek Osmonov, a junior majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Software Engineering at AUCA, spent his spring 2015 semester as an exchange student at the Hannam University in South Korea.

“Business and information technologies have always been my strongest passion, particularly in the field of Internet marketing. My long-term goal is to open a high-quality internet marketing company that will enable me to do what I love, while also having an impact on the economy of my country at the same time. To achieve this goal, I need to have a deep understanding of  business and information technologies as well as practical experience. AUCA is one of the few universities in Central Asia that can give this to its students. In addition, AUCA provides students with extensive opportunities like studying abroad, participating in professional conferences in different countries, and many others. At AUCA, most of our professors are graduates from top US and European universities. There are professors from the National bank, the Ministry of Finance and there are those who have their own business. These resources are very helpful for students to getting the best quality education. Most importantly, AUCA is not just about studying, it is about building the atmosphere of a big family and community where everyone supports and takes care of each other. That’s why I chose this wonderful university. It was the only place I wanted to study when I was studying in school. However, I did not believe I’d be able to get in; I studied in a village school and my academic records and financial situation did not leave me any hope of becoming a student at AUCA. Fortunately, I had people around me who helped me to achieve the dream I considered impossible. These were my parents, my sister and my teachers at American Corner in Karakol. Their mentorship, support and motivation helped me to pursue my dream and as a result, I got a full scholarship from US-CAEF program and got a great opportunity to study in this University.

After my first year at AUCA, I decided to apply for an exchange program. I had carefully considered all the exchange opportunities provided by AUCA, and I concluded that Hannam University Exchange Program was the one most suitable for me. I was attracted to the university because it provides both qualitative theoretical knowledge and a vast number of opportunities to use this knowledge in practice. I was very attracted to South Korea because it is one of the most economically and technologically developed countries in the world – a great learning environment for a student dreaming of building his career at the intersection of business and technology. In addition, it is great place to develop new skills and get new experiences as a student, to grow as a person by encountering new cultures, new people and new world views. Therefore, during application process I did my best to leave more of an impression on the selection committee than my competitors. The application process was not too difficult. We had to submit a statement of purpose, two recommendation letters from AUCA professors, a resume, and a copy of our transcript.

I had not been to South Korea before. Actually, it was my first time abroad and I liked it so much. In South Korea, there is a high level of education, and it was valuable experience for me to study in one of the Korean universities among Korean students, who are very hard working and pay a lot of attention to studying. During the exchange program, I lived in a great environment, interacted with many different people, knew their point of view, learned from them and gained new experience. Also, it was great to be involved in student life at Hannam University through participating in different student clubs. This helped me to gain useful experience and expand my horizons.

This exchange program became an unforgettable and important chapter of my life. The most important thing that I learnt from it is to think globally. Before the geography of my thinking was limited by Kyrgyzstan. Studying in a culturally rich and economically developed country opened new perspectives and gave me new opportunities to move toward my goal.

I would strongly recommend that every student participates in an exchange program. It is the best thing you can do for yourself at AUCA. If go on an exchange program, it will accelerate your personal development and completely change your worldview. So do not lose this unique opportunity that the university gives you. I want to tell our students that everything in abroad is different: nothing is better or worse, but everything is different, and it is important to be open to new ways of doing things.”

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