“Landing in Incheon in the middle of summer felt different from any other trip I’d taken. I wasn’t here to vacation — I was here to study. Coming from my hometown of Heber City, Utah, I had joined the University of Utah Asia Campus with the hope of broadening my perspectives, both academically and personally.
When I heard about the summer semester, I hesitated at first. Summers were always my time to reset — hiking in the mountains, catching up with friends, working part-time. But the tuition was much cheaper, and I was curious about taking a class with a professor from the Salt Lake City campus. Curiosity won.
I signed up for Urban Design & Society and Economy of Cities. For a moment, I ambitiously added Drawing to my schedule, picturing leisurely afternoons sketching in the studio. Reality hit fast. These were three-week intensive courses — what you’d normally learn in a week during the regular semester, you’d tackle in a single day here. My mornings started with lectures, my afternoons with fieldwork or group projects, and my nights with readings that seemed to multiply by the hour. After the first week, I let Drawing go.
With one class at a time, I found a rhythm — morning coffee from the campus café, discussions that stretched beyond class, and conversations with classmates who came from all over the world. I remember sitting with my Urban Design & Society group one evening after class, sharing a simple Korean barbecue dinner with our professor. The conversation drifted from city planning to our hometowns, and I realized that in a way, this was the real lesson: understanding cities starts with understanding the people who live in them.
By the end of the term, I was tired — the kind of tired you feel in your bones — but also energized. I’d learned how to push through a heavy workload without burning out completely, how to ask for help when I needed it, and how to balance discipline with rest.
If you’re thinking about taking summer courses, here’s what I’d tell you: Don’t overload yourself just because the tuition is cheaper. It’s tempting, but these classes demand focus and stamina. Give yourself permission to slow down, take a walk along the Songdo canals, or just breathe. Summer is still summer — even when you’re learning.
Looking back, I’m glad I chose to spend those weeks here. They reminded me why I came to the Utah Asia Campus: to challenge myself, to meet people whose experiences are nothing like mine, and to see the world — and my future — through a wider lens.”
—Austin Moody, sophomore majoring in Urban Ecology at the University of Utah Asia Campus