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2011 Spring Korea Post-Fair Report
Report Contents:
Pre-Fair Orientation
This spring’s AIEF Education Fair
activities in Seoul began on March 26, 2011 at the Oakwood
Premier Hotel, located next to COEX. All U.S. school
representatives were invited to join AIEF for an orientation
in the morning to receive a briefing on current
international education and visa trends in Korea, as well as
helpful fair details.
U.S. Embassy staff member Mr. Erik Finch
started off the orientation, discussing international visa
trends in recent years. According to the SEVIS 2010 Quarterly
Report, Korea ranks second among countries with the most active
F & M visa students in the U.S., totaling 105,696, he said.
U.S. Embassy staff
member, Mr. Erick Finch,
speaking on student visa trends at AIEF’s orientation
Mr. Finch added that more and more
younger-aged students are studying in the U.S. According to a
National Office Statistical survey, almost half of Korean
parents would send their children to study overseas. With more
and more families interested in sending their children to study
internationally, this increasingly widens the market for
U.S.-based schools to recruit in Korea.
AIEF Program Coordinator from the AIEF Los Angeles, California
office, Ms. Brittany Aguilar also spoke about the current
statistics of Korean international students studying in America.
During her presentation, she stated that Korea is ranked third
among countries sending higher education level students to the
U.S., after India and China (from the 2010 Open Doors report).
AIEF presented Korean
market updates during the orientation
Another topic she addressed
was that Korean students are not only seeking traditional degree
programs, but also seeking language programs. In 2010, an
estimated 11,493 Korean students enrolled in English language
training programs in the United States, according to the Korean
Embassy in Washington, DC. Aguilar also mentioned that an
emphasis on education in Korea will only continue to rise – as
it is predicted that by 2025 about 80% of South Koreans ranging
from 25 to 44 years of age will have participated in higher
education, the highest rate in the world.
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Pre-Fair
Publicity
Students of all ages
and educational goals were encouraged to attend the spring
education fairs. The Busan and Seoul events were promoted
through various channels, including:
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TV and radio advertisements
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Advertisements in major newspapers including: Joongang
Daily, Chosun Daily, and The Daily Focus
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Online-bookstore Yes24.com (posted as a main event and sent
via email)
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Publishing website Nexus (posted under events section)
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Major foreign language institute PAGODA
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Universities in both Seoul and Busan
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Banner postings in Busan subways
Fair visitors in the
American Pavilion
 
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Statistics and Highlights
Despite the tragedy in
Japan, the AIEF fair in Seoul was well-attended by
prospective international students and their families. The
event took place at the COEX on March 26th-27th, with
approximately 3,250 people visiting the AIEF American
Pavilion. Fair attendees were interested in a wide range of
programs and regions to study within the U.S.
Welcoming banners at
the American Pavilion
People stopped by the
AIEF booth to obtain information on participating schools
matching their interests. Over 395 students registered and
received one-on-one counseling at the AIEF booth. Upon
authentication by AIEF, the student registration list will be
forwarded to all schools that participated at the fair in Seoul.
This list will provide valuable information to schools,
providing student contact information and educational goals.
AIEF booth, where
students obtain information on participating schools
 
Fair attendees found a great
selection of U.S. institutions at AIEF’s American Pavilion.
Whether students were interested in design, engineering,
language, or high school programs – the fair had something to
offer everyone. Some school representatives commented that the
flow of students was busy at times and slow at others, which
allowed the opportunity to spend quality time with students.
State University of New
York College at Oneonta (left)
and Missouri University of Science and Technology (right)
representatives speaking with prospective students
 
The Fulbright Commission and
the U.S. Embassy stationed representatives in the American
Pavilion, assisting students on a variety of study-abroad
topics. The Fulbright Commission provided details on
scholarships and awards, and gave general advice to students –
while the U.S. Embassy provided essential information on the
visa application process and eligibility guidelines. Students
were grateful to have these organizations available to speak
with face-to-face in order to be fully prepared to study in the
U.S.
U.S. Embassy and
Fulbright Commission
booths provide valuable information to students
Interpreters were provided
at each booth to assist US school representatives to communicate
with the fair visitors. They are all current students and are
interested in studying in the U.S. Many representatives
complimented the excellent service their interpreters provided.
Trained interpreters at
work
in American Pavilion booths
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UScampus Guide
AIEF’s highly-popular
UScampus Campus Guide was distributed to fair attendees
throughout the event. Published semi-annually, each
full-color issue is distributed at all AIEF events as well
as EducationUSA centers, study abroad centers, schools, and
seminars – in 16 countries. All issues are also available on
AIEF’s student-services website www.UScampus.com for maximum
accessibility.
The Spring 2011 Edition features helpful tips on applying to
schools, information on auto insurance and finding the right
company for you, personal stories from international
students’ U.S. education experiences, and much more!
Front cover of the
Spring 2011 UScampus Guide
(Click to view issue)
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Seminars
Many informative
seminars took place during the exhibition at the COEX.
Conveniently located across the hall from the education
fair, large presentation rooms were utilized by various
schools and organizations to offer students even more
in-depth details about studying in America.
Helpful seminars were given by the U.S. Embassy on the
student visa application process and also by ApplyESL.com on
how to find the best ESL school.
U.S. Embassy seminar,
titled
“The Student Visa Application Process”
Several U.S. schools also
took advantage of the opportunity to hold a seminar during the
fair. This allowed them to speak on a comprehensive level to
many prospective students at one time. Schools that held
seminars at this event were: Arkansas State University, Missouri
University of Science and Technology, University of Dallas, and
Wisconsin ESL Institute.
Arkansas State
University representatives
during Q&A portion of their presentation
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Social
Event
As a special social
event for American school representatives, AIEF and Korea
Trade Fair (KTF) jointly hosted a dinner reception on March
26th. The event was a buffet-style dinner at Todai
Restaurant, located in the COEX Mall.
AIEF and KTF offer toast to American Pavilion participants
The evening began with a toast from AIEF Executive Director, Dr.
Patrick Fong, and KTF President, Mr. Hongyu Lee. They spoke
briefly on the success of the fair and wished all the
representatives a successful recruitment trip. After the toast
everyone helped themselves to the vast selection of delicious
dishes. This provided a wonderful opportunity for the
representatives to socialize with one another as well as the
fair staff. Back
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Upcoming Fairs in Asia
Registration for Summer
and Fall 2011 Education Fairs are now open! If you wish to have
your U.S. or Canadian school participate with AIEF, we invite
you to sign-up today!
CHINA
Shenyang – July 9-10
Anshan – July 13
Dalian – July 16-17
KOREA
Seoul – September 17-18
Busan – September 20
TAIWAN
Taipei – September 24-25
Kaohsiung – September 26
Taichung – September 27
SINGAPORE
Singapore – September 29
Online registration is available at:
http://www.aief-usa.org/services/signup_fairus.htm .
If you would like additional
information on AIEF fairs, please visit:
http://www.aief-usa.org/services/fairs/fair_index.htm
Or, you may call the AIEF
California office at (714) 985-1995.
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