Mihyeong
Yu

Hello Mihyeong! Please could you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where are you from, what course did you study and when did you graduate?

Hi. My name is Mihyeong Yu from South Korea. When I first arrived in Nottingham I studied an English language course (which NTU offered at that time). It was such a fun and valuable course. Then I studied Pre-Sessional English (PEAP) and finally, BA (Hons) Photography. I graduated in 2007.

What made you decide to study at NTU?

Actually, I didn’t know much information about UK universities at that time. I was an Art and Design college student in Korea. When I decided to study abroad, I met my professor, then he showed me the list of universities in the world that had a relationship with my college. Then there was NTU and I said, ‘oh, I want to go here!’ The university had a photography course and it looked nice! Then I just flew!

Did you enjoy your course? What was your favourite thing about it?

Of course!!! I loved it. That’s why I came to Nottingham! However, initially, I didn’t adapt to Nottingham life and university. But! Slowly, I realised Nottingham is lovely and NTU is so helpful to students. After I went to my MA course in London, their student support was not as good. NTU staff were always willing to help resolve problems that students had. After the initial period I adapted and I felt stable with the course. I became a lover of the photography course. When I was a first-year student, all the photography students went to Slovakia to see a photo festival. In the beginning, I had no friends so I couldn’t decide to go there, but then I was thinking, ‘If I were in Korea, could I go there?’ Then I submitted the application to Bratislava! It was a fantastic experience for me in Eastern Europe. I made friends there and visited so many exhibitions. I could only have these experiences because I was a NTU student.

What was your highlight of your time at NTU?

All the time! But especially, I can remember I organised a Korean food festival at the student union canteen. At that time, I was the president of the Korean student association. We had a crew for the festival. Then we decided the menu to sell and taught the head chef how to cook Bibimbap and bulgogi and fried Mandoo. It was so successful and I was so happy to share the delicious Korean foods with other NTU students!

You lived with a host family during your time in Nottingham. Please could you tell us about this experience?

Oh, yes! When I arrived in Nottingham first time, I lived with my host family - two grand mothers and a cat and me! It was in a beautiful town. For me the area is UK’s image. Most international students think about the UK as London’s landmarks, but not for me. It was a warm and lovely family, and I am still in contact with them and visit them. I am planning to visit their home soon, because before the pandemic, I visited them once a year during my business trips to UK. However, during the pandemic, I couldn’t go to see them, so now I am so excited to visit my family in Nottingham. When my host mum saw my IELTS result first time, she was a bit shocked. She thought my English improved but she wasn’t satisfied with my score, so from the next day she waited for me with a newspaper article at dinner time - for a few weeks she helped my English studies. I also miss her foods and desserts. I didn’t like dessert before, but after I lived with them I love dessert with meals!

What do you miss most about Nottingham?

I miss everything. The university looks more beautiful and I miss the parks in Nottingham and the Lace Market, where I lived. Oh, the pubs in Nottingham! I became a beer lover just before I left Nottingham so I couldn’t try all the local beer. So I’d love to visit the pubs next time. I love Waterstones (a book shop) in Nottingham especially - it’s a warm and cosy place. I can say I miss all the shops, cafés and restaurants that I went to before. Even the gym at the university!

You’re living in Seoul now and you’re very involved in our Korean Alumni community. Please could you tell us a bit more about this?

NTU Korean Alumni community is so active. I can make new friends there and meet business partners as well. Some of our alumni, they run business together and are so successful. We all have a lovely memories of Nottingham and NTU. We miss NTU. We share information of Korean industries where our alumni work. This is so helpful. If someone has exhibitions, we go there and support them! Power of NTU!! We normally have an end of the year party. So, if you graduate, please come and join with us! If you don’t know where to contact, just email me!

After you returned to Korea, you embarked on a career in education counselling and now own your own business, Creative Scholars! What do you like most about your job?

I expected to work in the Art industry, but at that time, the salary was so low, so I thought I can earn money first then I can come to the art world later. Then I tried to find a job where I could use my experience in the UK for 10 years. Then I found the role of education counsellor! I studied in the UK from my English course to my Master’s course, so I know the process of education and I can share my experience in the UK with my students. No other counsellor can do this job. It’s my own area. Then I fell in love with my job. It’s so fun and when my students become successful, I feel so happy. Sometimes I still take photographs and have exhibitions. For the future I will have more exhibitions.

Finally, what would your message be to a Korean student that is contemplating studying at NTU?

I can tell you why NTU is good for you! NTU is in a good location. It’s so helpful for your life and for job seeking. It’s easy to travel domestically and internationally. Moreover, there are so many opportunities for your careers. There are lots of workplaces near Nottingham. Also, NTU has good relationships with companies. It’s up to you to seize that opportunity. You can experience things here that you would not be able to do if you were in Korea. And there are no people as warm as the people of Nottingham. I always felt welcome in Nottingham.