As short as they may be, the summer holidays at KDI School is a great chance for our students to create some invaluable memories. The Korea Field Research and Study (KFRS) and the International Field Research and Study (IFRS) are two great examples of what students can do during their summer break. Both designed to give KDI School students some first-hand experience regarding the best practices in various organizations, KFRS is offered to international students while IFRS is offered to the School''s domestic students.

Korea Field Research and Study (KFRS)

76 international students applied for the 2016 KFRS which was held between August 2 (Tuesday) and 5 (Friday). The group visited destinations including the Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Government Complex, Hahoe Village in Andong, POSCO Steel Mill, Bulguksa Temple, Hyundai Heavy Industries, and the Samsung Smart Center. It was an opportunity to experience both the working environment and historical/cultural aspects of Korea, two things that our international students don’t get to experience on a day-to-day basis in school. Overall data from the satisfaction survey conducted for KFRS suggested that the 2016 KFRS was highly successful, scoring a 4.84 out of 5.00 points. Students highly recommended the tour to prospective students giving a score of 4.87 out of 5.00 points to the question asking whether or not they would recommend the trip to others. Such sentiment was also apparent in the survey''s comment section where one respondent answered, "Please provide this tour for more students."

International Field Research and Study (IFRS)

Meanwhile, the 2016 IFRS got under way between August 23 (Tuesday) and September 1 (Thursday). Students were instructed to read the information packet in advance and take part in a group project. By the end of the study trip, students were required to submit a ‘research and team consulting report'' outlining their experience during their visit.

Students flew into London to visit organizations such as the Bank of England and The Lloyd''s Company in the United Kingdom. After their visit to the UK, students moved onto Geneva to visit the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). Here, students were able to meet an official from UNOG and learn the differences between four UN offices around the world (New York, Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi). Thereafter, students travelled to Berlin to visit the Berlin City Hall and then onto Leipzig for a special lecture by Dr. Iris Hausladen on "Logistics in the Age of Industry 4.0". Their stay in Leipzig also included a campus tour at the HHL Business School. The group’s final destination was Prague from where they flew back to Korea. Much like its sister program (KFRS), reviews were positive for IFRS. One participating student said, "I think that this training is very helpful in my preparation for the Global Master''s Program (GMP) that I will join next year."

KFRS and IFRS programs are held annually during the summer break period. KFRS is open to all international students and IRFS is open to all domestic students at KDI School. Given the positive reviews of both programs, KDI School intends to bolster its contents next year and offer an even more meaningful program for participating students.

By Arifenie FITRI NUR [2016 MPP, Indonesia]