Would Do It Again August 18, 2023

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The educational experience that I had at Korea University was eye opening. Though a little challenging, it pushed me to new heights and understandings of my studies. My professors were always happy to help and were accepting of the fact that I was still adjusting while being in a new country.

On-site administration of your program

The Administration was extremely helpful. We had different people to go to in times of need and they were always available.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I rarely stayed in my dorm, but when I was there housing was a bit disappointing. Multiple people, including me were getting sick due to mold infestation that continued throughout the semester. Other than hat, dorms were kept extremely clean and tidy.

The food of Korea was pretty good. I would say that coming from America, it was hard to adjust to the lack of diversity within the food (for example cuisines of different cultures). Itaewon is the only place that I could think of that had a huge foreign food market, but most times, only Korean food was available (if not counting the convince store or places like Paris Baguette).

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Though it was difficult being intwined with the locals (as friends), it was fairly easy for me to integrate into the culture. Personally, I lived part-time with my friends which was located in a neighborhood that had very little foreigners, thus the locals did not speak much English. This helped me practice my language skills and have less of a diluted interaction with Korean culture. Also I took many trips outside of Seoul, even going into the countryside, and was exposed to wonderful people and different cuisines. I would suggest that if wanting to get more into the culture, venturing out of Seoul should be a main priority.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Prior to receiving my ARC, getting access to healthcare was bit difficult. Rather than going to the hospital, you would have to find clinics (but it was often spread out through the city). After receiving the ARC, it was fairly easy to have access to healthcare.

Seoul has been one of the safest cities that I have been to thus far. I never had to fear for my well-bing and even felt comfortable going on late night strolls.

I feel that TEAN made the experience of settling in Korea very comfortable. In the beginning they would throw events and having that TEAN community was also something nice to fall back on.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I would say that Korea was fairly cheap on the food end (especially with the conversion rates). I found that it was much cheaper to eat out rather than getting groceries and the sizes were huge so I was able to take home leftovers. Transportation by train/bus was also cheap, a one way was less than 1 dollar. I barely shopped (which I know drained most of my friends expenses) but most of my money was lost due to traveling.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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• Dorm
• Apartment

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• Americans
• International Students

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Travel Experiences

• More Events Throughout Semester

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer