The Challenges of Being a Foreign Student

Jun Ki Kim's international status has been an obstacle in his educational pursuit

When Jun Ki Kim came to America with his mother and brother from Seoul, South Korea, he was only 11 years old and didn't know a word of English.

"I spent most of my first years here in the U.S. trying to figure out the culture and how to communicate with people," Kim explained.

It wasn't until his high school years when he started to really focus on academics, and performed exceptionally well by getting the grades and test scores necessary to get into some of the best schools in the country.

The problem he had with North Carolina was the same difficulty he found most places - he could go there, but he would not receive any scholarship money to do so, despite having the qualifications necessary if he was a citizen.  His brother had similar high school accolades and attended Cornell, but had to pay full price because of his international status.  

It's a problem among many that foreign students encounter all across the country, no matter how long they have been living in the United States.  There are some schools that are very rewarding to students that are not American citizens, but they tend to be among the most prestigious and toughest to get into.

Kim is now set to graduate from the University of South Carolina in May 2014, the school that really gave him a chance.  

"I liked the school a lot, but the fact they offered me a lot of scholarship money is why I ended up at USC," he explained.

Now in the process of applying to dental schools, Kim hasn't run into as many problems when dealing with his international status.  

"I was nervous after dealing with the undergrad application process, but I haven't felt as limited, which is nice," he said.  "I decided I wanted to be a dentist during my last few years in high school.  I just think it's something that matches up well with my personality and academic interests.  It's something I think will be fun."