GEO 16 Opening Ceremony: A Beginning for Beginners in College Life 2012

Almost immediately after the level tests, an opening ceremony was conducted for the GEO 16 students yesterday, February 6 in IH 267. This orientation is held in order to brief the students about the house rules, to get acquainted with their professors and teaching assistants (hereonafter T.A.s), and to provide them a glimpse of the fun they are bound to experience in the English immersion program. One could somehow notice the students’ complex dispositions by looking at their eyes; feelings of excitement, curiosity, and even nervousness seem to characterize the general atmosphere of the day. Whatever they may be feeling however, the opening video displaying the fun and exciting highlights of GEO 16 appeared to be successful in stirring up positive emotion among the audience, making them to look forward to experience the program sooner than they previously wished for.

Following the ten minute video were brief introductions of English language professors concerning themselves, the countries they will be handling, the T.A.s whom they will be working with, and the clubs they will be conducting for the students to choose. With the professors’ brief, concise yet informative and effective short presentations about themselves and their clubs, the students seem to be hard-pressed having to decide which path they should choose in realizing their English abilities. Indeed, when it comes to GEO, confidence-building through continuous practice and community fun are the special ingredients for bringing out the English-speaking consciousness hidden deep within the students’ souls.

Afterwards is the short orientation about the rules and regulations that govern the lives of GEO students in the English immersion program. To leave no room for error as a result of misunderstanding, Korean T.A.s took the lead in explaining the prohibitions to students in the Korean language. Feedback comments and responses from the students seem to be enough evidence that everyone has understood the constraints that aim to refine their English speaking proficiency. Free stuff, board games, and beverages in the CUK global lounge are enough incentives for students serious in improving their skill in the language.