Can't wait to go back! July 05, 2022

By (Anthopology, Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/12/2022 to 06/21/2022 with

CIEE: Seoul - Arts and Sciences

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned so much about Korean culture and also about myself. I'm a queer, non-binary person, so I was incredibly worried about my identity making my experience more difficult, so I sought out queer spaces. While many of them were fairly segregated (queer spaces for men and for women are often separate, and often discriminate against trans people), I found one bar (Rabbithole Arcade Pub in HBC) that was incredibly accepting. I began to perform at the drag shows there, and the sense of community that came from that was something I'll never forget, and is one of the biggest things I miss. I met so many incredible people in Seoul and gained so much confidence in myself, even though as a plus-sized, foreign, queer person I definitely faced issues feeling welcome by some local people.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Yonsei is one of the top 50 Universities in the world, and the second-best in Korea. Some courses are more difficult than others, but generally classes are rigorous yet rewarding.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Staff were very nice, and almost always available to help with anything that arose

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Dorm rooms are a bit small and separate from Korean students, but are clean and have good facilities such as a private shower and bathroom for each room.

* Food:

The dining hall has no meal plan and is very inconvenient to get to, but that doesn't matter because there are many restaurants and convenience stores with easy access to cheap, nutritious food within a couple of blocks of the dorm, and even some in the building itself. Delivery is also an option, but is limited without a Korean credit card.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I adjusted fairly well, though I mostly spent time with other foreigners as the college largely separates international and domestic students. The culture is very homogenous, as well, so any person who is visibly foreign will feel somewhat out of place at times, but I never faced any serious issues because of it.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have to use any health care, but it was difficult to handle the health insurance, because the Korean government makes it very difficult to opt-out of national insurance.

* Safety:

The only safety-related incidents I heard about were some female students either being taken advantage of while drunk or drugged at clubs or bars, and those incidents were fairly rare. Seoul generally is safer than any American city I've ever been to, and I never heard about any incidents of stealing, verbal harassment, or physical violence against any of the students in my program. There are certain basic safety protocols people still need to follow, but generally speaking Seoul is very safe, and I even felt comfortable walking places alone during the day as a female-presenting person, and in some areas at night as well.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Having that established structure made everything easier, and having people advocating for me meant I could get help more easily when I needed it

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)

Like with anything, it depends on how you decide to spend your money. If you wanted to save, you could fairly easily get by spending $70 a week on food, public transportation is very cheap and convenient, and most dorm necessities can be found very inexpensively as well (daiso is your best friend!). However, most people may want to go to historical sites, splurge a little bit more on food (like going to kbbq occasionally), and shop, in which case you may spend quite a bit more.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I spent, on average, about $100 a week on food and necessary expenses like transportation (not including other expenses like shopping or night life)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Daiso and G Market are your best friends for dorm necessities. Also, small Korean restaurants often serve hearty meals for very cheap (there was one restaurant about 2 blocks away from my dorm where everything on their menu was under $6, and portions were fairly large). In many markets you can get a discount for paying with cash instead of card. Don't go into any bar or club that tries to charge you a cover fee.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I mostly used it at restaurants and shops, because most of my friends spoke English.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? I took a brief summer course
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Try and watch Korean TV and variety shows with English subtitles, you can pick up a surprising number of vocab words that way (even though it may not help for grammar as much)

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The people I met
  • The food
  • The cultural experiences
* What could be improved?
  • Better integration with korean students
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Everyone says this but it's really true: get rid of whatever preconceived notions you have. You can read about the place as much as you want, it still doesn't compare to actually being there, and in all likelihood, something very unexpected will happen at some point. There are a lot of small adjustments you'll have to make, as well, so be flexible and just roll with it. It's not your country, don't be that person who refuses to adjust. Also definitely don't be the obnoxious person who makes a scene if you don't like something.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Understanding K-Pop

Course Department:
Instructor: Jungwon Kim
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Great for someone who is interested in K-pop and is fairly new to it. As someone who has been a long-time fan, I felt I knew most of what was taught, but it was still a fascinating course.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Korean I

Course Department: Korean Language Institute
Instructor: Eunji Lee
Instruction Language: Korean
Comments: A very good introductory course to Korean reading, writing, and speaking, that spends about equal time on each skill.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Koreanness in Space and Time

Course Department:
Instructor: Irene Yung Park
Instruction Language: English
Comments: A fascinating look at Korean identity and what it means to be Korean. Heavily discussion-based, and I learned a lot from my peers, many of whom were ethnically Korean but had grown up in other countries.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Concepts of Human Being

Course Department:
Instructor: Irene Yung Park
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I've never been much of a philosophy person, but this class was fascinating. It analyzes different cultural approaches to different elements of humanness, and I see people very differently now.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Korean Traditional Society and Modernization

Course Department:
Instructor: Leighanne Yuh
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Professor Yuh is probably one of the smartest people I have ever met. Her lectures spanned an incredibly broad time period (from even before the Three Kingdoms Period to the end of the Korean War - almost 3,000 years), but I was able to understand how different structures and issues in the different time periods fit together and built on each other to paint a full picture of Korean history rather than learning a series of major events. Be warned, though: this class is very intensive and expects a lot of you, and Professor Yuh is not an easy grader (though I didn't find her to be unreasonably harsh, either). I learned an incredible amount from this class, but I had to put in an equal amount of effort to do so.
Credit Transfer Issues: