Study Abroad in South Korea

Hi, my name is David Johnson. (Spelled David but pronounced Dah-veed).
I am a 21-year-old senior at the University of North Florida, majoring in Business Management and minoring in Computer Science with a GPA of 3.55.

The Coggin College of Business is my home and my academic journey at UNF has been rewarding. I have received honors on the Dean’s List and membership from several leadership societies on campus (The National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the National Society of Leadership and Success). The awesome experiences I’ve had at UNF so far inspired me to pursue studying abroad to teach me the things I need to know to achieve my career goal of bringing positive change through business and art.

Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) is the university that I will attend this summer. (A link to their website here: https://summer.skku.edu/summer/index.do) SKKU is a historic school in South Korea, with its founding dating back to the year 1398. The course I will be taking at SKKU is “An In-depth Look at the Role of Culture in Global Marketing,” which teaches the importance of understanding the culture of a business’s customer base. Here is a short description from the school’s course catalog:

“This course will take an in-depth look at culture and its role in global marketing. Global companies need to understand the culture of their customers and also understand their customers in context. There is also a push for global companies to market to the ‘global consumer’ with a standardized product. The class will cover the basics of Global Marketing and also look the cultural process, cross-cultural consumer behavior, local consumers and global consumers, and the advantages and disadvantages of using culture in global marketing strategy. The class will also address cross-cultural market research and cultural based advertising and media.”

Understanding how to do business in different country cultures is vital to the success of international business. Studying abroad at SKKU will give me the knowledge I need to pursue my goals.

This course helps me fulfill my business elective requirement (3 credits) and my summer course requirement (3 credits) as well. I will be taking 6 total credits over the summer, with 3 being at SKKU and the other 3 in an online course at UNF.

I’ve broken down the cost of the trip to individual components.

Breakdown of Cost:

·         Airfare - $2,050

·         Housing - $1,420

·         Local Transportation - $200

·         Meal Plan - $1,000

·         Health Insurance - $75

·         3 Credit Course at SKKU (An In-depth Look at the Role of Culture in Global Marketing) - $639.39 [Cost is $213.13 per credit]

Total $5384.39

I’m applying for UNF International Center’s SAILS scholarship, which can help cover $1,500 of the cost, and Coggin College of Business’s Study Abroad scholarships.

I would like to ask for your help. It is a big number, but it would only take 108 people each donating $50 to reach it. I have until April 1 to raise the funds I need to begin the preparation process.

Would you share this with a friend? Thank you so much for your help.

I will share photos and videos and update you all once I arrive.