An unforgettable experience! Past Review
By Jane (The University of New South Wales) - abroad from 06/28/2017 to 07/20/2017 with
Korea University: Seoul - International Summer Campus
I learned a lot more about Seoul, how the subway worked, what each suburb is like in Seoul and the food standards as opposed to Korean food in Sydney. I've also discovered that intestines and chicken feet are great on Korean BBQ's!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I really liked the option of having both 4-weeks and 6-weeks for flexibility and appreciated the amount of work the lecturers put in to make the short-course intensive program a success. 2-and-a-half-hour classes are not easy but sufficient breaks were given and a good level of engagement was provided. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The ISC program itself seemed to be a success. E-mail response times were varied, sometimes taking a few days or sometimes being an instant response. The Korean buddy system needs improvement as there was a huge disparity between certain buddy groups. However, there was a good amount of help in terms of dropping and adding courses, and with general administration tasks such as student ID cards. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The Frontier was comfortable and very close to classes, as well as convenience stores and restaurants. The rooms were very simple and the desks and desk lights were very helpful for the occasional all-nighter. |
| * Food: |
I have always loved Korean food, both in convenience stores and in the local restaurants, and the food available around KU did not disappoint. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Because I do not speak much Korean, it was difficult to talk to shop owners at times, but most people in Seoul can speak at least some English. However, most people both in and outside of KU were welcoming and friendly. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Hard to say since I did not run into any health issues. Overall, health issues seemed to be good since I did not hear about any problems in my cohort. However, access to the gym in CJ was blocked off to non-CJ students one week into the program despite the website stating that the Frontier students would also gain access. |
| * Safety: |
Seoul is probably the city that I feel most safe in and Koreans generally have the mindset of looking out for each other. However, people should keep in mind that Seoul is a hotspot for tourists so it is still better to be careful with valuables. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I would either choose this program or the Winter program (which I assume to be similar) so I also have to option of snowboarding as a cultural activity. |
Finances
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* 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) |
Very easily, cheaper options for food were available (kimbap for example) and access to convenience stores made it even easier. Most expenses went towards going out and shopping. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | AUD$150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I recommend downloading an app that allows you to track your spending, keeping receipts from all purchases and writing it down at the end of the day or week, or using and excel spreadsheet to calculate and plan your budget. Just doing something as simple as tracking will make you more aware of your spending. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Because I took Korean Beginners II, the class was all in Korean which encouraged more use of a foreign language. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | Beginners |
| 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? | Write a journal in that language describing your day; watch videos your enjoy in that language (with and without subtitles); go out of your comfort zone to talk to people such as taxi drivers or restaurant owners. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I would have realised that Korea's summer season is also rainy season so I would have brought clothes that would be appropriate for any sudden rain. |
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 UrbaniteA 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. |
