There Is No Place Like Korea January 28, 2022
By A student (Business, Brandeis University) - abroad from 08/10/2021 to 12/17/2021 with
CIEE: Seoul - Arts and Sciences
My time abroad taught me much about myself such as who I was without my academics. It taught me about the cultural experiences and differences I did not know were present and allowed me to expand my friends and close circle to include those in other countries I have never learned about. It is nice meeting and getting to know so many people from around the world and sharing our cultural differences. Going abroad encourages me to explore more countries.
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. |
Given the study abroad courses I chose, it was relatively easier than my semester back home. While the professors are magnificent and engaging, most of the classes are held as lecture-based. It is not my cup of tea to have lecture-based courses, but for the ones I did take, the material was interesting to learn. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
CIEE is a wonderful program! This program plans cultural trips to help students feel immersed in the Korean culture. Many of the activities allowed us to do activities only done in Korea along with a wonderful staff willing to help students. I will say while dealing with cultural shock, it did feel a bit isolating and difficult to reach out to the staff. Though, the program creates a community, so while it felt less approachable to speak to some staff members, the students in the program were extremely wonderful! While applying for my Visa, they help students, offering a step by step guide on how to complete it. Definitely would have been a different experience without CIEE! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
While I was fortunate to get housing (thanks to CIEE!), the bedding was difficult to sleep on along with a harsh white light. There are many perks living in the dorms such as seeing friends and meeting the security guards. It was difficult to get used to the gender separated floors, but I cannot complain. They provide bedding along with special snacks and supplies used during quarantine. |
| * Food: |
South Korea has the most delicious foods! There are many small restaurants which taste like a home cooked meal with every restaurant I ate at. The food is super yummy along with inexpensive. Definitely worth the trip! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt pretty integrated into the culture given CIEE and its planned trips. We were assigned SeoulMates who are buddies who help us navigate Korean culture; though, we did not hang out with my assigned Seoulmate, which was a bummer. Yet, everyone had different SeoulMates. Besides that, I got pretty close to the staff, so I was able to ask them many questions about the culture. I felt pretty lucky. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The healthcare in Korea was definitely more affordable than back at home in the US. In order to get to the healthcare provider, it took a few minutes to call in. Yet, the process to get health insurance definitely did take a while. |
| * Safety: |
South Korea is super safe! I felt I could leave my laptop and go to the bathroom without any worries of people stealing anything. I remember friends who left their airpods or wallet and found it at the local police station. Very safe country! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
This has been a wonderful program with many planned, fun activities! The staff was super helpful when finding places to visit and activities to do! We also had a class that helped us learn intercultural communication offered in person that was extremely vital to learn. While I really enjoyed my time abroad, I did experience cultural shock and homesickness. Having an on-staff program for therapy or someone to speak to who has been abroad would have made some experiences less isolating. |
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) |
In South Korea, items are relatively inexpensive, food especially. Food is not too expensive and $200 can suffice for a week if you purchase food, along with some fun goodies. It depends on personal preference though. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 400 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Definitely budget while abroad. Good tips to think about is asking yourself if this purchase is super worth it such that if this is the only experience you can do in your abroad country. This decision helped me greatly when purchasing items so I get the most value out of each purchase. It is good to do a price comparison with your home country to see which items would be better brought from home or purchased abroad. |
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 |
Brandeis University requires students to take a foreign language abroad which served me greatly! South Korea is a country where while individuals understand English, Korean is still the primary language used. We use it daily in our interactions and even when purchasing food. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| 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? | It is good to try to practice on Duolingo or other language apps. I definitely recommend learning beginner phrases to get around in the beginning. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | I wish I practice my Korean more. Going abroad, I survived without knowing much Korean but it would have made my time way smoother if I knew how to speak at an intermediate level. |
