Amazing semester in Korea! Past Review
By Fernanda D (Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 02/26/2015 to 06/21/2015 with
Korea University: Seoul - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Honestly it was extremely worth while, I met incredibly people, made amazing friends, traveled all over Seoul and Korea (Including Busan and Jeju Island), and really got immersed in the culture. There were some tough days since it was completely new and foreign but because I had great friends and a great support system it made it that much better
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes weren't bad but they were not really challenging, but still had to study and make sure i went to class. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Super quick and fast about making sure all the exchange students got all their questions answered and needs met |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Dorms were super clean, had a kitchen, and wasn't far from the school |
| * Food: |
THE FOOD WAS AMAZING ITS ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF KOREA HONESTLY SO MUCH TO TRY! especially around campus since its a city setting there are so many little places to try |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
KUBA really helped integrate us into school traditions and into other local traditions and local events for us to go to. Especially individually the buddies were great and helpful and there for us whenever we needed anything! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Easily but thats because im Military. If you are Military you can easily access the emergency room on base, a little weird getting in cause they are not used to seeing college students on foot trying to pass through the gate. |
| * Safety: |
Korea is a super safe place. even at night I only felt threatened a few times coming back from clubbing but the only thing is to be aware of anything because if something does happen the locals are not used to jumping in and helping people they dont know. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
Living in Korea is relatively cheap but the more expensive things like traveling, shows, going out at night, etc. required more money but just a train ticket to busan was about 25 american dollars to give an estimate of how much cheaper it was. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100 or so because i never went and got a meal plan for the dorm cafeteria. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | make sure you still have money for the remaining months because its super easy to get carried away buying things the first two months then realizing you barely have money for food or souvenirs for you family. |
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 |
The KUBA buddies really encouraged it and had language exchange and taught us different phrases. But just being in the area forces you to because of ordering at restaurants or going to the markets, and being in clubs at KU since not everyone outside of KUBA speaks good english. |
| 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? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate I |
| 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? | Get friends who wont speak english to you! the more you speak the faster you get at responding and thinking about answers! |
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?
Select all that apply |
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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? | That its easy and cheap to find on campus student housing that was not the dorms |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
