An Unforgettable Experience Past Review

By Chow Man To (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) - abroad from 06/25/2018 to 08/03/2018 with

Korea University: Seoul - International Summer Campus

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

I know more about Korea culture, the food culture, how the buildings look like, how the cities look like, how the people live in Korea, what people eat in Korea etc. It feels vivid and satisfying to really get yourself into the place to enjoy what it has. Also, I know more about myself. I become more independent and willing to talk to people. The experience abroad helps me develop my personalities and makes me more willing to try new things.

Review Photos

Korea University: Seoul - International Summer Campus Photo

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.	Comparing the courses offered in the summer exchange period in KU to other foreign universities, KU offers more range of courses while most foreign universities only have history and language, which the range of courses in KU favours more students. However, some science courses are rather introductory like physics, math and chemistry etc. I hope KU can offer some advanced topics in science courses.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	The housing is very nice. It is big, well-equipped, good privacy. The location of the dormitories is convenient, which is very near to Anam street and buy stuffs and dine.
* Food:	The eateries around the campus are already nice and multinational. I love most of the Korean dishes, gimbap, bibimbap, ramene, udon, bibimguksu etc, except Kimchi as the flavour is too heavy.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	It is nice to live in Korea. The transportation system is quite well-established. The manner of Koreans is nice, especially the elderly. But I feel like some teens in Korea are quite unmanned that do things in a way they want and not really care about others. I like the PC culture in Korea, full of PC cafes in the streets with well-equipped computers and facilities at a fair price. KU offers a lot of cultural activities for exchange students. However, most of the minor events are held during class time, which is quite disappointing. Sometimes I am interested to join the minor events, but because of time crash, I just can't join.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes I miss how the day goes in Korea, walking down to Anam Street just a few minutes to have lunch, the restaurant, the living environment in the dormitory. Everything just goes so well.

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)	The price in Korea is similar to that in Hong Kong, so it is manageable to live on a student's budget.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	KRW 100,000-150,000

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	Not really necessary to use Korean often though. As not many Koreans know English, it is better to know some Korean especially when dining.
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?	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?	Try to use the language every day everywhere, it helps a lot.

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	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?	0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	dormitory food living style
* What could be improved?	advancement of science course the days for cultural activities
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Before going on this program, I was worried about how am I going to reach the university from the airport, how am I going to live there without knowing any Korean, are the people nice, almost having anxiety. But KU has done a lot of preparation work for the arrival of exchange students, they have shuttle buses straight to the university, detailed guidelines for exchange students to go to the university by every means of transportation. Now I know it is actually easy to go to KU from the airport as the subway system in Korea is easy to use. Generally, the Koreans are very nice, they are happy to talk to you and help you if you have any problems. And, you don't really necessary to know Korean to live in Korea, but knowing some helps a lot.

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:	Beginning Korean I-D
Course Department:
Instructor:	Jiwoo Choi
Instruction Language:	English and Korean
Comments:	It's a bit challenging at the beginning as not get used to a new language. With the help of the instructor, i can catch up the progress and feel less stressful. The instructor is kind and passionate. She had created a good learning atmosphere in class, chatting with students, sharing stories, giving snacks to students etc.선생님은 예뻐요!❤
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	statistics
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	In my opinion, this is an easy course. The teacher is well-prepared, which he explains the concepts very clear with up-to-date examples. The teacher marks the quizzes and exams efficiently that we can know our scores very soon.
Credit Transfer Issues: