Unlike high school, university students find information useful for their career by themselves. But the word ‘5 sets for employment’ suggests that every university student does standardized activities. They have to study for TOEIC, go abroad for learning English, do volunteer activity in developing country, be awarded in contests……. In this situation, we become troubled and are worried about out career, personal relationships and ourselves. The times are so fast during conversation with the problems and there is no end. We already know that a counseling center exists in our university. But we don't feel comfortable visiting there.

The Dankook Herald asked their thoughts about their troubles and counseling with someone to Hye-Jeong Hwang, Guen-Young Choi and Yeon-Gyu Jung (Sophomore, Dept. of International Trade)

Q. Have you ever been to a professional organization for counseling?

Hye-Jeong Hwang: I had counseling offered by the class I took last semester.

Geun-Young Choi, Yeon-Gyu Jung: No

Q. You said that you have not received counseling offered by a professional counseling center. When you have problems, mainly who do you talk to?

Choi: I usually talk to my friend. But most of those counseling sessions are easy to turn to a lamentation of my life. Friends and I have similar troubles so there is a lack of help from a conversation with them.

Jung: I am worried about my career and talk to friends or seniors. And I have a mentor so I often talk to him.

Q. If you are going to get a counseling center's advice, what worries do you want to counsel?

Hwang: I want to have counseling about my character and my loneliness. I have thought that I could meet various people who have different experiences in their life, I can learn from them. But actually I just hang out with my friends and I just maintain the shallow friendship without any improvement in the relationship. So I wanted to get advice about human relationships and loneliness.

Choi: I wanted to look at myself objectively from the other's side. Jung: I want to get career counseling.

Q. You seemed that you usually counsel with your friends. Then your friends use counseling center frequently? Hwang, Choi, Jung: No

Q. What do you think of the reason?

Jung: To go to a counseling center is uncomfortable. People might think of me as a strange person when I go to a counseling center. I am concerned about that. In addition, there are few centers near us.

Through the interview, we can know that each student has their own problems but the counseling center is far from their state and their mind. But there are some institutions to solve students' problems.

Dankook Counseling and Mediation Center - The center offers counseling related with career, study, relationships with the opposite sex, personal and family relationships. Also they offer some tests like MBTI, Holland and MMPI-2. In addition, they conduct group counseling every semester.

Dankook Accreditation Center for Educational Development ‘Learning consulting’ - You can test your way of studying by yourself and receive help with custom consulting. It is recommended to students who have a problem with the way of studying.

Job Cafe ‘Career Couching’ - It is not career counseling but career 'couching.' Career couching does not offer only your career way or sweet words. You can talk about your aim, your endeavors for the aim and the obstacles on your aim. Through talking about those things, you could think your career objectively and actually.

Counseling by the chairman of your major - If you are worried about your career, it could be a useful way to visit the chairman of your major. He is an expert in your major. He could let you know what and how you prepare about your career related with the major.

 Hye-Sang Ahn (Assistant, Dept. of Family Counseling) said, "Counseling is not common culture in Korea actually. Advanced countries' people have their counselor like having a family doctor. Corporations’ top executives also have their counselor. It is because counseling could help to relax their mind. But common Koreans think that the people who go to a counseling center might have a mental illness and they might be crazy. But it is the wrong concept. Most people visit counseling centers with worries and so that they can pour out their troubles to counselor. Through counseling, they can feel free from their problems.

Do you feel counseling centers are distant from you? You might be shy to talk to strange people. But through telling your worries and feelings, you could look at yourself objectively. You could realize your problems by yourself and it will be a chance to change yourself. There is a phrase, 'A healthy mind in a healthy body.' But if your mind is unhealthy, a healthy body is useless. Do not suffer from your own worries. Why don't you visit a counseling center? Though you do not have an expectation when you go in, you could come out with a bright smile.