Can't wait to go back! July 05, 2022

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Yonsei is one of the top 50 Universities in the world, and the second-best in Korea. Some courses are more difficult than others, but generally classes are rigorous yet rewarding.

On-site administration of your program

Staff were very nice, and almost always available to help with anything that arose

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Dorm rooms are a bit small and separate from Korean students, but are clean and have good facilities such as a private shower and bathroom for each room.

The dining hall has no meal plan and is very inconvenient to get to, but that doesn't matter because there are many restaurants and convenience stores with easy access to cheap, nutritious food within a couple of blocks of the dorm, and even some in the building itself. Delivery is also an option, but is limited without a Korean credit card.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I adjusted fairly well, though I mostly spent time with other foreigners as the college largely separates international and domestic students. The culture is very homogenous, as well, so any person who is visibly foreign will feel somewhat out of place at times, but I never faced any serious issues because of it.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have to use any health care, but it was difficult to handle the health insurance, because the Korean government makes it very difficult to opt-out of national insurance.

The only safety-related incidents I heard about were some female students either being taken advantage of while drunk or drugged at clubs or bars, and those incidents were fairly rare. Seoul generally is safer than any American city I've ever been to, and I never heard about any incidents of stealing, verbal harassment, or physical violence against any of the students in my program. There are certain basic safety protocols people still need to follow, but generally speaking Seoul is very safe, and I even felt comfortable walking places alone during the day as a female-presenting person, and in some areas at night as well.

Having that established structure made everything easier, and having people advocating for me meant I could get help more easily when I needed it

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

Like with anything, it depends on how you decide to spend your money. If you wanted to save, you could fairly easily get by spending $70 a week on food, public transportation is very cheap and convenient, and most dorm necessities can be found very inexpensively as well (daiso is your best friend!). However, most people may want to go to historical sites, splurge a little bit more on food (like going to kbbq occasionally), and shop, in which case you may spend quite a bit more.

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

I mostly used it at restaurants and shops, because most of my friends spoke English.

Select all that apply

• Dorm

Select all that apply

• Americans
• International Students

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• The people I met
• The food
• The cultural experiences

• Better integration with korean students

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