A Year in Korea Past Review
By A student (Berea College) - abroad from 09/01/2017 to 06/22/2018 with
Keimyung University: Daegu - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I became much more confident in my language skills and hope to build upon them more. I learned how many things in the country work, such as the subway, phone service, postal system, etc.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The Korean education system focuses on testing, so most courses do not give homework and instead you are expected to study and prep for the exam. As such, many students don't even know how to write a research paper and thus teachers have very low expectations |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff were wonderful, very friendly and willing to assist me, however they are incredibly slow with sending out new information and always do it at the very last minute possible |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I stayed in the cheapest dorm but it was perfectly fine! AC in the summer, heated floors in the winter. |
| * Food: |
The dorm cafeteria is horrible, but you are able to opt-out of the meal plan and there are many food options on and around campus |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I was more integrated in the second semester because I made the effort to meet more locals and interact with them |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not need to utilize the healthcare system, but my friends did and they always had an easy time getting what they needed, and it was never very expensive |
| * Safety: |
I never once felt that I was in danger while in Korea, even when walking outside at 2am |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
Keimyung is the only university we have a direct exchange with so I chose it for money reasons, but I think I would have liked to study at a school with a better language program for exchange students. Keimyung has a language school, but that is a separate program. I was stuck in a class below my level with students below my level for the entire year |
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) |
I tend to not hold back on spending money when it comes to food, first because I really enjoy food but also because I am an athlete and need to eat a lot of calories, so i am always hungry and wanting to eat. There is a lot of cheap food in the city, so if you don't need to buy snacks or extra food then it should be easier to spend less on food |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Around $75 on average |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't go out for pork belly barbecue every week, try to limit it to once or twice a month. Eat at many places to find both good prices and good 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 |
We had a language class, but it would be very easy to go the entire semester without speaking any Korean because of the amount of foreign students and English speaking Koreans we met. The program did little in the way of encouraging language study |
| 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? | Intermediate |
| 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? | Join a club on campus! I finally started using my Korean more after joining a club with no foreign students and few English speaking Korean students. Most often i had to try and communicate with my members in Korean, so i was able to practice a lot, especially on my listening skills |
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? | I wish i had known how little i was going to learn in the language classes so i could have signed up for different classes during those times and taken Korean at an outside facility |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
