South Korea: Glad I Went, Probably Not Going Back Past Review

By (COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES AND SUPPORT SERVICES., Trinity University) for

Yonsei University: Seoul - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I think it was a good experience. I did the long distance relationship thing which then fell apart when I got back so that kind of casts a negative light on a lot of things, but my experiences there were very fun and interesting most of the time.

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.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

There was a very helpful organization that was there to help out International Students (Mentor's club). The Study Abroad office was also very helpful when I had problems.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

It was provided for me, primarily. It was also very small. I lived with a Swiss student who was a good guy. It was a 10 minute walk to the restaurant / bar district and about a 10 minute walk to class. It was ok, but not great.

* Food:

I love Korean food! Especially barbecue, bibimbap, dolsotbap, and ramyeon dishes. However, some American foods that I eat a lot of were missing or strange, such as Mexican food, hamburgers, and pizza, and the servings were a little small compared to the giant meals American restaurants serve.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There were several great trips to various sight-seeing spots put on by the University group. I also traveled with friends to Busan and Jeju-do, which were great places.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I felt very very safe. There was medical staff on campus which I never utilized because I stayed fairly healthy.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Probably about 60-70 dollars a week, eating out and going to bars occasionally. Some people spent a lot more.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? There weren't really any financial problems I ran into. Eating out is very cheap.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
Language acquisition improvement?

A lot of people spoke English but I relied heavily on Korean to get me through everyday situations like ordering food and stuff.

If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

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

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Don't skip on learning Korean! Some friends did and I feel like they missed out a lot. Also, go to jjimjilbangs and barbecue early and often!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Korean 1

Course Department: I don't know, and can't log in to find this information right now.
Instructor: I don't know their English names
Instruction Language: primarily Korean with a little english.
Comments: It was great!
Credit Transfer Issues: I don't know, actually.