Go To South Korea! Past Review
By genessis o (International Relations, The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 09/01/2015 to 12/18/2015 with
Hanyang University: Seoul - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Studying Abroad is awesome. You realize there is so much more to learn and experience. You meet so many people and become part of a whole new culture that slowly becomes your own. When you come back, you are a new person.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Enrolling in classes was much more competitive than i expected, but i was able to enroll full time as i needed. The courses i took were not difficult but there were a lot of presentations that had to be done. Overall, it was a smooth academic semester in terms of work load. It was stress free! |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Once orientation is over, you are pretty much on your own. It feels like being a freshman all over again trying to figure out where things are and how things work on campus. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had free housing so that was awesome! The only down side is that there is a 1 am curfew which you can technically break but you would have to ask the security guard to unlock the door. |
| * Food: |
There are so many restaurants around campus! There is a small alley way that we called "cheap street" where you can get a good healthy decent meal for under 5$! Do not buy the campus cafeteria meal plan, the food is not that good and you can get a better meal off campus for a dollar or two more. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I am going to have to give this a lower rating because Koreans tend to stick to themselves. There was not much socializing between Koreans and foreigners so making Korean friends can prove to be difficult. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
I felt safe all the time. Streets are all well lit and there are always people walking around at all hours. |
| 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) |
This is a tough one. It depends on who much you eat and shop. Since most dorms do not have a kitchen, you have to go out and buy three meals everyday. Even though you may buy cheap meals, it all adds up. I found myself spending over $600 a month sometimes. Keeping a budget to manage your money is a must. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $150-$200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't go to a cafe to study, you end up spending a lot of money on drinks. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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 |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | There area a lot of European exchange students. |
