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Graduating in Korea? What to Do Before You Leave Campus (D-10-2 Edition)

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Graduating in Korea? Here's What to Do Before You Leave Campus (D-10-2 Edition)

If you're planning to stay in Korea to build a start-up on a D-10-2 visa, here's something worth hearing early… your GPA is not the thing that determines whether this transition goes smoothly. Keep your grades up, sure, that's just baseline. But there's a whole set of things nobody really tells you to handle before you leave campus, and by the time you realize you needed them, your professors have moved on, your student email is deactivated, and most of your campus access is gone. Better to take care of this now, while you still can.


Start networking with your professors now, not later

Your professors aren't just the people grading your papers. A lot of them have real connections in whatever industry you're trying to enter, and an introduction from a professor carries more weight than a cold LinkedIn message ever will. If a professor's research or industry ties overlap with your start-up idea, go talk to them directly. Ask if they know anyone who could act as an informal mentor once you're on your own. This is a much easier ask while you're still their student than it is six months after graduation, by then, you may just be another name in their inbox.


Do an internship in the industry you actually want to build in

If your start-up idea is in logistics, try to intern at a logistics company before you graduate. If it's health-tech, get into healthcare or bio-med. This does two things. First, you learn how the industry actually runs, which is worth more than most business coursework. Second, that company could end up being your first client, your first partner, or the connection that gets you your first pilot program. Founders who understand their industry from the inside tend to build things people actually need.


Save up more backup funds than you think you'll need

Here's the part that catches people off guard: the D-10-2 visa doesn't allow any income-generating activity while you're on it. No freelancing, no part-time work, no paid internships. It's strictly for start-up preparation. Before you leave school, calculate your realistic monthly living costs in Korea and build in a real cushion on top of that. You don't want to be three months into building your company and suddenly worried about rent.


Don't assume switching from D-10-1 to D-10-2 will give you extra time

A lot of students assume they can spend a couple years on the general job-seeker visa (D-10-1) and then simply restart the clock with a fresh few years on D-10-2. Don't count on that. Both categories have their own maximum stay limits tied to a points system and specific eligibility criteria, and how much time you actually get, and whether time on one affects the other, comes down to your individual case and current immigration rules, which have been changing recently. Don't build your timeline around an assumption here. Confirm your specific situation with an immigration consultant or HiKorea directly before you finalize any plans.


Run your customer surveys and beta tests while you're still a student

Your student community is one of the easiest, cheapest, most willing test groups you'll ever have access to. Once you graduate, getting people to fill out a survey or test your app usually means paying real money per participant, or begging strangers on the street to do so. While you're still on campus, with easy access to classmates, clubs, and student groups, run your surveys and get your beta testers now. It'll save you a real amount of money and time later. Even better, you can use that data to prove demand and traction for your first IR Pitch for funding.


Sort out IP ownership before you leave, especially for team projects

If your start-up is going to be built on something you developed as a school project, and especially if it was a team effort, don't leave this until later. Say you built a biomed project with three teammates and now want to turn it into your own start-up as the sole founder. You may need signed documentation from your teammates waiving their rights to that idea. Tracking down former classmates for a signature after graduation, once everyone's scattered to different cities or countries, is a lot harder than getting it handled while you're all still around. Alternatively, if your intent is to be a founder by yourself, plan early and use an idea that was not conceived with random schoolmates begrudgingly grouped together for the course credits.


Get your recommendation letters locked in early

Word on campus has it that it is not customary in Korea to ask your professors for a recommendation letter. (I know, big culture shock if you’re from other countries such as USA, Canada, Australia, etc) But please don’t blindly follow the crowd and ignore this step. Because this may be one of the few pillars that young fresh graduates have to convince investors that they know what they are doing, without ‘real world working experience’.


Once your student email is deactivated and your professors move on to the next batch of students, they get a lot harder to reach for a letter. Ask early, be specific about what the letter is for, and keep a copy for yourself. You'll likely need references for visa applications, mentor introductions, or future investors, and a letter written while your work is still fresh in your professor's mind will always be a stronger one.


And don’t just run off with that recommendation letter. Send seasonal greetings and keep in touch. That’s how we build lasting professional networks.


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