Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Depending on the classes that you choose, the teachers are sometimes hard to understand. At the same time, they try to be understanding knowing that you only have less than a month to learn the materials and with you being busy with activities.

On-site administration of your program

The main Advisor for this program is really good. She replies back to emails quite fast and is very helpful for every question that you have. During the program she also participates in the activities and interacts with the students very often.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I felt very safe in the dorms at University of Seoul. There is a security guard at the entrance of the dorm 24/7. The living facilities is also seperated for men and women. The dorms were really clean, and bathrooms were cleaned on the weekdays. There are also lounges, a computer lab, conference rooms, study rooms and a convenient store all in the dorm building.

There are alot of food stores just outside the school gates. The food in school were all very cheap. Just be reminded that most korean food are spicy.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Through this program you'll be able to meet people from all over the world. This is also a good way to learn other cutlures aside from Korean. I went on a 4 day trip to two southern cities in South Korea. This was really fun and an enjoyable way to learn about part of Korea's history. We visited alot of temples and museums, but at the same time we also did physical activities such as Sunmudo at the monks temple, river rafting(really fun!), spending some time at Aqua World(small waterpark). The best part was that all of these are already paid for(what you paid for the trip). The accomodations were also one of the best aspects. For the first two nights we stayed at a very fancy hotel, and on our last night we stayed at a traditional Korean house and even had a barbecue. Every meal was also provided.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I felt safe throughout my program. Although there was the spread of the Swine Flu, the program administrator's took care of the problem pretty well. For the first few days, they had a nurse come around the dorms in the morning checking everyone's temperature making sure no one was above the normal temperature. Safety within the school grounds was pretty good. If you are heading out, you're responsible for your own safety. But Seoul is a pretty safe city as long as you know the right places to go.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Although I was learning korean in class, my interaction outside of class really helped me more. I was able to speak korean everyday and everywhere I went people were nice enough to try to understand my Korean. Shopping and venturing out on your own or with others who dont speak much Korean is also helpful in improving your korean skills.