An Opportunity Not To Be Missed! Past Review
By Sei Chang L (Nanyang Technological University) - abroad from 06/27/2017 to 08/04/2017 with
Korea University: Seoul - International Summer Campus
Being able to live independently, especially in a foreign country. It will definitely help to develop yourself even further to be a more well-rounded person.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The tutors there indicate which materials you need and plus the school has a good collection of textbooks which you can easily photocopy from for your needs. For me, the intensity during the 6-week program was very manageable and easy to keep up with only a 4-day school week, leaving enough time to travel during the weekends. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I was able to easily contact the program coordinator at the host university if I had any issues. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
If you are travelling alone, it would be a good idea to stay at the on-campus housing but it can be a little expensive. If you are travelling with friends, an Airbnb place near the school would be a better idea. |
| * Food: |
Korea has a huge diversity of food which should meet most of your cravings! But if you do not like spicy food, then watch out as the food there can get really spicy and it would help to learn some Korean to help in ordering food to your liking! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The culture is great if you can really appreciate it and the people are very friendly there. Though again, it would help to learn some Korean beforehand to be better immersed in the culture! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The school does have healthcare services which are adequate to meet most needs. I personally did not use them though. |
| * Safety: |
Keep an eye out when you are walking on the roads if there are no footpaths available. Vehicles can come from behind all of a sudden thus stick to the kerbs as closely as possible. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The teaching content was very easy to keep up plus there will be field trips and cultural programmes every week. You also have your weekends to travel out which makes it all more enjoyable! |
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) |
Food is not exactly cheap plus the initial materials and items you need to get can be quite costly although there are bargain marts around (for personal items). |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About $100-200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cash can burn pretty quickly thus I recommend to bring a debit/credit card to supplement. Also, if you are using your card to pay please pay in the host country's currency to avoid unnecessary interests and conversion fees. |
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 |
90% of the class was taught in Korean although they do know a little English to help you out if you ask. |
| 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? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| 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? | Best to practice with people you know to avoid the possibility of being taken advantage of. But it's also okay to practice through ways like ordering food. However, never attempt to bargain if your grasp of the language is weak. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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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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? | The July period can get really rainy! Plus there are numerous hills to climb as the roads are not always flat... |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
