Past Review
By Vanessa Z (Mathematics, Economics, Wellesley College) for
CIEE: Seoul - Arts and Sciences
I had a lot of time to myself (on the bus/subway, between classes etc) to reflect about my experiences and simply take in the city and its people. The fact that the academic pressure was not so great, also allowed me to fill my free time as I likes, be it partying with friends, shopping at the fashion street, doing volunteering projects, or even to visit parks and historical sites by myself in the weekday mornings when I did not have class. While I cannot point to a specific impact this study abroad has had on my life/world view (perhaps its still too soon after), I feel that I know myself much better and am able to put my interests, passions and character into better perspective.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Yonsei University |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
While the grading system and teaching methods were difficult to get used to, I found the materials covered very interesting and applicable to my own field of interest. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
We did not have much direct interactions with the Yonsei University Administration. No major issues/problems arose. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We were lucky as the dorm we should have lived in was under construction so we got to live in a luxurious 2-bedroom (4 student) service apartment with kitchen and living room, fully equipped with a washing machine, a variety of kitchen utensils, an LCD TV with cable access, free gym and pool access as well as weekly room cleaning. Apparently many foreign ambassadors and celebrities have lived there too, so one can imagine the quality of the facilities and services there. The downside, however was that the apartment was half an hour away from school and so traveling became a minor hassle. <br /><br /> Everything in the service apartment was available and ready-to-go by the time we arrived, so we only had to buy basic items like personal hygiene products. The environment was very good, and classes and nightlife were only a bus ride away. |
| * Food: |
There was all kinds of cuisine everywhere for all sorts of budgets. It helped also that our campus was right next to an entire shopping/eating street. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our program took us on a whole variety of field trips both within and outside of Korea. We went to visit Jeonju and Namwon - both cultural historical centers, and lived in a traditional guest house for the orientation. In the middle of the semester, we also took a trip to Kyoto, Osaka and Nara in Japan to study the korean diaspora there. Finally, we were taken to plays and other cultural actvities throughout the semester. Our program also had a cultural reimbursement program where we could go for an event we were interested in and later get reimbursed for any ticket and travel costs. My friends and I went signed up for a Buddhist Temple Stay thanks to this program. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
Seoul is a very safe city so there is little to worry about besides to refrain from traveling alone late at night near places with a lot of night life. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent about 100,000won (roughly 100USD) each week on food and transportation. Other personal expenses were harder to budget for as some weeks we would go out more often than other weeks. Each meal can range from (the cheapest) 3,000won to anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000won. Usually a simple meal plus dessert would cost around 7,000won. I commuted much more than my fellow program mates due to my volunteer projects, so transportation came up to almost 20,000won per week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It is very helpful to have a bank account where you can safely deposit the cash that you may bring with you, and for your parents to wire money into in case you run low on money |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Korean 101 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Since most koreans are able to speak very basic English, getting around in everyday interactions in the beginning was not a huge difficulty. Over the course of the semester, as I grew more confident in my Korean, I started speaking to people (friends and strangers alike) in as much korean as I could manage, and they were always pretty patient and willing to help me along. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Make careful decision about whether you want to come in the Spring or the Fall semester. Both have their pros and cons and its important to consider your priorities. Otherwise, this is a very well organized program and while you have to be engaged to make the most of it, the resources are always there. |
