Adventure! Past Review
By A student (Illinois State University) - abroad from 03/01/2012 to 06/18/2012 with
Dong-Ah Institute of Media and Arts: Ansung - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
People change you. It was worthwhile. I do wish I can go back to Anseong someday.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The difficulty existed, I knew that. The atmosphere and friendliness of the faculty and the school in general made my stay so much easier. It was a little hard to find appropriate notebook paper though. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was well organized. Our international student administrator Min was always there to help us if we needed it. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had never lived in a dorm before so I don't know if I am properly judging the dorms at Dong-Ah. The restrooms need to be more cleanly in my opinion. There is also a mosquito problem that can exist if the lights are not off at night. |
| * Food: |
Some of the food at the dorm did not taste that good to me, but at other times I loved the food. It just depended on the day. I loved that I could walk down the "The Hill" and get Samgyeopsal or Gamjaktang. They were cheap and nice alternatives to the dorm lunchroom food if I did not like what they were serving for the day. The lunch landies who served food were also very very nice. I appreciate all of their hard work. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It took a while, but eventually I started going to Seoul and I felt like a local. Sure we had to read signs in Korean, but that was half of the fun. Everybody at he college made me feel welcomed and accepted. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
If we had minor issues, we took care of them ourselves. I don't think any major issues ever came up at the college with any student. |
| * Safety: |
I could walk anywhere at anytime and I had no fear of running into anybody. Even in Seoul I felt the same way. |
| 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) |
It really depends what you do on how much you spend, but if you plan to go to Seoul every other weekend or better, be prepared to have around 3000 dollars for that and all of the trips that are provided by the school. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100-120 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan your trips accordingly and eat more cafeteria food. |
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 |
I can now read Korean but the vocabulary is still hard to grasp. I want to use more Korean though. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | Go out and get Rosetta Stone for Korean. Also, buy a phrase book and have frequently used phrases at your disposal. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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?
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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? | How much I'd probably end up spending when I went out with students and other teachers. |
