A SEOULful adventure! Past Review

By A student (Pre-college ) - abroad from 06/26/2018 to 07/19/2018 with

Korea University: Seoul - International Summer Campus

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

Not surprisingly, I learned so much about the Korean culture however, along with that, I got to learn about myself. I had loads of alone time where I could make independent choices. As a high school student who lives off her parents, this was a step into adulthood for me. When you are abroad, you get to travle way more than you ever do in your own country. You get to experience new food, music, people, fashion and even technology. I got to abserve my own reactions to situations which made me self aware. Every moment was enjoyable.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Academic wise, KU ISC offered more than I imagined from a programme. We were supported by each and every staff and team of KU. The campus was very grand and beautiful. As a pre-college student, I felt very moved to be in a campus like that. The offered courses were all great and were taught by highly educated teachers who also had great senses of communication and humor. It was clear that the program was intended not just for fun and culture but also had great educational values. Participation, assignments and exams were taken very seriously by the professors and students. The books we got for our courses were highly useful. The campus offered good places to study, my favorite being the Media Hall. I took Korean Language course and our lessons started around 4PM which was inconvenient in some ways. The cultural activites offered by the program mostly overlapped with our class, thus me and my friends had to choose between either missing a day of class for an activity or to not attend the activity. Missing classes affected the grades, thus I chose to not miss classes but also disappointed for not attending some cool events. Other than timing, everything went smoothly and satisfied my expectations.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The administrative staff of the program were very interactive and clearly cared for the program. This was a well managed summer program.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I was extremely happy with my assigned roommate. However we stayed in the Frontier House which is originally for native Korean students of Korea University. It didn't have the same facilities other dorms had. We didn't have a kitchen which was a big deficiency we had. To speak behalf of my non-Korean speaking friends who didn't even took Korean language course had a very hard time communicating with the security/information desk staff. We had very nice elderly security who tried their best to help but couldn't due to language barrier. Other than that the staff were always nice and caring. The cleaning staff on our floor was a super nice lady that smiled everytime she saw me and bid me hello. I felt very welcomed. And our rooms were cleaned regularly. The worst thing was the stairs and the long long hills around the dormitories which were so challenging to walk everyday. Overall, I was very satisfied with the housing.
* Food:	We didn't eat from the cafeteria because we went out instead so I cannot comment on that but the food we had in our orientation as well as graduation were amazing. High quality food that I am craving right now. The campus had some nice convenient stores, cafes and restaurants. We had no issues with food
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	This was my 3rd but definitely not the last time in South Korea. I feel extremely welcomed and adapted to the culture that, I would love to attend college in Korea after graduating high school this year. I felt like the social structure in many ways, resembled my home country Turkey. There are many differences too but overall the number 1 country that I feel as comfortable as my own. KU ISC never failed to introduce us to the Korean culture. We had so many opportunities to learn and interact with Korean culture. My experience in KU ISC made me love South Korea even more.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	Probably the safest country in the world. I could walk with my phone inside my pockets without thinking or worrying which never happened in a different country. Korea is such a peaceful place that I don't think one would have many issues regarding safety.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes Korea University is one of the most respected Universities in South Korea and the world. They are highly experienced as a host which makes your experience as an international student go smoothly. I felt like I have made a new family and now I am connected to KU. I would be honored to go again.

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)	It was alright I guess. Seoul is pretty reasonably priced when compared to other big cities in the world but still was not the cheapest for a student. If you are not planning on doing any shopping or extra activities, then you would be just fine with a reasonable amout of cash. A very student friendly city.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	Probably more than $200 including other expenses
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Plan the eating locations before you come to Korea. It would not only save you time but you could also make sure that you are paying a reasonable amount of money for the food you get from the specific locstions. Tourists are easliy tricked to pay more in all Asian countries so make sure to do some good research on what you will buy. Be careful in taxis, some of them will try to raise the price. Look out for free events. I attended a music event held by Seoul cuty which was outdoors and free. There were famous stars who attended. After the event, foreigners who signed up beforehand via email got a chance to watch the football match for world cup. We also got free t-shirts for attending. So try to look out for some good deals like that.

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
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program?	Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	Intermediate
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?	Always push yourself to speak Korean. Even though a lot of the times people will know you are a foreigner so they will speak English with you and only respond English, you should not give up and respond in Korean. Try to read newspapers and random shop names. There is one trick I did which was telling people that I am not a native English speaker (which is 100% true). That kind of gave people the message of "I don't want to speak English". Learn how to say "I'd prefer speaking in Korean " also you might say "I understand more than I speak so please explain to me in Korean". These were phrases that got me a lot of practice time. If you have friends who keep on ruining your chance to practice, you can try hanging out alone sometimes which I found the MOST helpful. That way you can interact with people however you want. Good luck on your adventure and have a great time :D

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

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?	10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	High- level education Cultural activities and socialising opportunities Campus life
* What could be improved?	The staff could be more informed on changes or overall the program There could be shuttles more often from the dormitories Better planing on timing the events and daily classes
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I knew to not bring so many things from my country inmy luggage. You will do a lot of shopping so I did not need most of the things I brought. Bring a lot of cash, do not rely on a credit card. Plan every single day so that you can spend every second fully engaged in the experience of an experience like this.

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 Networker An active student leader, it was important for you to network abroad as well. Once overseas, you sought out student clubs, volunteered with local organizations, or attended community events. You encouraged your friends join you, and often considered how you could reflect your international experiences in a resume.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Korean Intermediate
Course Department:
Instructor:	Choi Myeong Seon 최명선
Instruction Language:	Korean
Comments:	The best part of my KU experience was my highly educational class that had tremendously changed my level of Korean. Our teacher was extremely nice, cute, warm, kind, motivating, educated, funny and smart. She helped us with every step of our learning. We were given assignments and homeworks for practicing. Our teacher was very nice to help me with the extra work I did outside of class and taught me so much. The atmosphere in the class was very chill and positive. Us students all got to be very close and by the end, we were so comfortable around each other and we all became close friends. We keep in touch till this day. I was fully satisfied with the course.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I do not recall any problems