An Enlightening Experience Past Review
By esther.lee.7777019 (Brandeis University) - abroad from 06/26/2013 to 08/11/2013 with
Yonsei University: Yonsei International Summer School
I gained a more complete sense of identity my time abroad. It was eye-opening, to say the least, to explore my Korean roots as a Korean-American college student. It definitely tied up a lot of loose ends while opening up more questions.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Relatively easy courses offered. The program required similar amount of study time as my home university. The classes are a hit or miss. Both of my classes were extremely helpful, but one class was definitely better in quality than the other. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Disorganized administration, but I was able to figure out solutions to problems that arose for me. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The dorm was nice, although it was infested with gnats. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I was born in South Korea so I felt at home, but there are definitely important cultural differences of which one should be aware. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Korea's healthcare system is great. Everything is cheaper and better. |
| * Safety: |
As long as you're with at least two other friends, the city is safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Depended by week. Used 70/week to 300/week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Eating on campus is cheaper than eating off campus, but eating off campus is better because of the authenticity/quality. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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?
Select all that apply |
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| 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? |
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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? | I wish I had known more of the subtle cultural differences. |
