South Korea, a medicine that I hated but was good for me. Past Review
By Glen G (Linguistics, The University of Texas at Austin) for
Seoul National University: Seoul - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Yes, but I hated it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Depending on the class, you can have massive workload. Be careful, Koreans don't mess around. They have A+, A, A-, etc grading system. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Don't expect too much help from the administration. They cover maybe all the essentials. But the admiinstration is certainly not convenient. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Cheapest living situation ever. I hated my roommate, and I couldn't do anything to switch rooming assignments. |
| * Food: |
Cheap food on campus. Eating out is awesome. As for quality, I'm not sure if I get all the nutrients I needed, but the food tasted awesome. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 4th semester Korean |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Classmates, teachers. Most people did not speak English. |
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?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Language and Man |
| Course Department: | 003.026 |
| Instructor: | Dr. Junkyu Lee |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | 2 tests, 1 presentation, weekly homework assignments. If you did the work, it was an easy class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Introduction to Spanish 1 |
| Course Department: | 010.043 |
| Instructor: | Violeta Choi |
| Instruction Language: | Korean |
| Comments: | I'm fluent in Spanish. And this was the hardest Spanish 1 class I've ever taken, and I've taken 2 Spanish 1 classes in my entire academic career. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Korean Level 2 |
| Course Department: | It's a separate program |
| Instructor: | Professor Lee |
| Instruction Language: | Korean |
| Comments: | You have to take placement test, and they place in the appropriate level. It has speaking, writing, reading, and listening components. They are the basis of your grading criteria. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Beginner Volleyball |
| Course Department: | 008.005 |
| Instructor: | Hwan Shin Seong |
| Instruction Language: | Korean |
| Comments: | 3 small papers, 1 skills test, and attendance were all taken into account to equal the final grade. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
