Exchange program in Korea's at Ewha Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I was a little disappointed with the quality of English classes because the teachers were not as well trained or experienced than the ones at UH. The classes were more like a lecture and there were not a lot of chances to participate in it. However, the Korean language classes were intense and I was able to learn more Korean in a year than I imagined! I became really close to my language class mates and that was the best part of my experience in Korea.

On-site administration of your program

The institution for exchange students at Ewha was helpful because their office was always open to help the students and they tried to make our lives there as comfortable as possible. It seemed though that there were way too many exchange students for them to handle and I felt sorry for the administrator of the program to have to take care of every single student. I think Ewha should accommodate less exchange students which will enable them to spend more time to care for each student.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The student dormitories were new and clean. There were people who cleaned the showers and bathrooms every day which made living easier. The rooms were small and there was not much to do other than sit in front of the computer so I tried to avoid staying indoors as much as possible. I am glad that I stayed at the women's dormitory because it was quiet at night. It was good that there was no curfew at the dorms because it allowed us to go around the city or travel around the country without much limitation.

There was no kitchen other than a room with a microwave; so it was difficult to decide what to eat everyday. The food at the cafeteria was not bad but the menu was always the same and it did not seem nutritious. I wanted to eat fresh fruit and vegetables but those were not available.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I went to visit my friend in Chonju, a historical city in the South side of Korea. I took the high way bus by my self and that was an exciting trip! I stayed with my friend, touring around the city and experiencing Korean culture. Staying with her family also allowed me to experience and appreciate warm and generous Korean people.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Our health expenses were covered with a small amount of fee that we pay at the beginning of the semester. The health center was available for all students and I felt very safe.

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

There were Korean language classes from 8:00am to 11:00am, Monday to Friday and students in the class were from different countries. We were divided into our appropriate levels and distributed into classes of 10~15 people. We were told to only speak in Korean during class hours and that allowed us to feel comfortable and confident about speaking Korean. I spoke Korean with my Japanese friends even when we could have spoken Japanese to each other. We were that eager and motivated to learn the language! The Korean classes were so fun because the teachers really encouraged us and were so supportive for the language improvement. Once class was over, people spoke English most of the time.

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• Dorm

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• International Students