I had a chance to eat lunch with five other guys at Ewha. This was certainly not a typical scene to be observed at the world’s largest women’s university. My company, of course, was composed of exchange students; including, Dong-hun from Canada, Reda and Anthony from France, and David and Ben from the United States. They all came to Ewha this spring to study about Korea for a semester. 

I asked the guys what it was like attending an all-female university.  Reda was the first to speak. He said, “It’s good. I really like it. So many girls, so few males, I’m happy.” The rest of the crew ardently agreed with Reda’s viewpoint. Interestingly, however, they all added at the end of their claims that they were “just kidding.” 

I took this to be either because they felt otherwise on a different level or because they thought the assertion inappropriate. Therefore, I shifted my question slightly and asked whether there were any advantages to attending a women’s university. Ben indicated that Ewha provided a better studying environment compared to his school back home. There were no “wasted guys in class” who disturbed the learning experience. He said the girls at Ewha had a strong academic drive and it had a positive effect on him. 

In addition, Ben claimed that the “special attention” he received from instructors was another incentive to study hard at Ewha. According to him, professors often offered extra care for the lone male student in class. 

The attention, on the other hand, also had a negative aspect for the male students at Ewha. For instance, guys felt uneasy asking questions in class because their classmates would all turn around to “stare at their faces.” Dong-hun added that while studying at Ewha was certainly “a chance to be a good student,” he had to be excessively alert because missing class or falling asleep in class would be very noticeable. 

In the beginning of the interview, I asked the guys their reasons for choosing Ewha. All five guys answered that Ewha was their only option in coming to Korea. At the end of the interview, I asked if they would choose Ewha again having now experienced the school firsthand. Four out of the five said that they would. Evidently Ewha, and moreover Korea, had something to offer to the male international students.

Assistant Reporter Lee Jee-woo

저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지