Navigating Cultural Borders: Autoethnography of Chinese Students in a Ko- rean Graduate School

This study investigates Chinese international students' academic and cultural adaptation experiences in Korean graduate programs, focusing on how these experiences shape their identities as researchers. It aims to explore their challenges, such as linguistic and cultural barriers, and the strategies they employ to navigate these obstacles. Key findings are cate-gorized into four themes: adaptation to changes in academic structures and roles, navigating Korean seniority culture, the impact of supervisory styles, and overcoming challenges related to honorifics and active learning practices. The study high-lights the transformative potential of cross-border education in fostering academic and personal growth. It emphasizes the importance of culturally responsive mentorship and institutional support in creating inclusive academic environments that empower international students to thrive as global scholars. These insights contribute to understanding researcher identity formation and advancing policies to support international students in multicultural educational settings.