Experience of a Lifetime Past Review
By Ryan Monaghan (Cabrini University) - abroad from 06/27/2017 to 08/05/2017 with
Korea University: Seoul - International Summer Campus
What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
100% worth it because I met a lot of people from Seoul that I am in contact with still and I realized that my Korean is actually good and almost fluent. I also improved my Korean dramatically with classes offered by the program and got to experience living in Seoul. Moreover, I got to experience the amazing public transportation of Korea (Ex: Subway, Taxi, etc). This program was 100% worthwhile because I now have a better understanding of how Seoul works and what to expect if living there. I was also opened up to the culture more and got to see and learn about Korean history more by visiting places like (창경궁, 창덕궁, 광화문, etc).
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. |
Great! However, I do not recommend to take more than 2 courses as they compile the year long classes into 4-6 weeks depending on your program, so it is a lot of work. Within the first or second week you'll be shocked when you are taking your midterms already! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Very satisfied and the view was incredible, but some other dorms had free gyms included and we did not get that. If we wanted to use a gym we had to sign up for the Tiger Dome which charges you monthly! :( |
| * Food: |
Amazing. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Being right in the center of Seoul and running through the city to get to my classes each day definitely made me feel integrated. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Definitely a safe city and never really felt threatened or in danger even once. My only advice is to be careful when it comes to clubs (especially if you are a girl). |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
*Good food *Good people *Good sightseeing *Amazing public transportation |
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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If the food plans are too expensive you can always go to the GS25's they have amazing food for insanely low prices EVERY DAY. I also don't recommend putting too much in the food plan as you might regret it. I put like $200 into my food plan and only went to the cafeteria like six or seven times maximum, so I wasted about $100 because I put too much into my food plan. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| 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? | If you want to learn Korean, I suggest you venture out and don't be afraid to take risks or ask people. I was hesitant at first to get a haircut in Korea or buy glasses because I thought my Korean was not fluent enough. But in the end it turned out to be a piece of cake and they were very kind to me. |
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?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 10+ |
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? | The laundry machines are not free and you will need to put *bills only* into a machine to put money on a temporary laundry card. It's really humid here even at night. There is a lot of drinking The KUISC buddy program is amazing and without them you will be missing out on parties and all the fun, and the chance to meet real locals who want to learn English and can help you with Korean. Buying glasses in Korea is actually pretty easy and pretty cheap, but don't expect them to speak any English. If you go to Dongdaemun be carful of scammers. Sometimes people who run their own shops and in the malls too like to not give foreigners their change back! This happened to me twice! But the second time I actually caught them. If you don't know Korean this can be a huge problem for you as they will pretend to act like nothing happened, so luckily for me I could call them out on it, but if you cannot speak Korean please be careful. I recommend giving them the exact price only (For example: If a shirt is 5,000 do not give them your 10,000 bill and expect change because sometimes they will try to cheat you). Even in the upper class malls expect a lot of bargaining. And when you enter a store it's also commonplace that someone working there is always trying to recommend stuff and is pressuring you to buy something. Your dorms are in a completely separate location from the classes. If you want to get to your classes you will be walking a long walk across the city. And there is a really steep hill that you will have to climb up and down every day to get to your class and dorms. The food here is really good! but do not invest too much into the meal plan as you'll probably be rushing and using GS25 way more than the cafeteria which has very rigid opening and closing times. The dorms are completely separated by gender and the opposite sex cannot even come up. They must wait in the lobby of your building for you. The library is amazing and there a plenty of study rooms and even a cultural museum on campus. The subway despite being a challenge at first gets really simple with time and soon you will be able to take it anywhere in Seoul to explore. Subway cards can be brought at GS25's and you put money into them at the subway systems with the machines. Outside of Namsan tower (at night, not sure about the day time) there are a lot of flying bugs, so beware of that. If you take a Korean course be expected to give a speech in Korean at the end of the year and an interview. (Also, if you want to take a Korean class you will be interviewed before) Campus doesn't use squat toilets but the subways, some restaurants, and other places do use them so be familiar with that if you cannot use a squat toilet. Download Naver Maps.. don't expect Google Maps to work here... Naver Maps is much better! Also without the Kakao Friends you will be lost! Kakao Map is really good to navigate the subway. Taxi drivers do not speak English (most of them) Definitely explore as much as you can because the time goes so fast. The sooner you can get used to the subway the more you can explore. Also try as many exotic foods as you can there, you won't regret it! There is a GS25 right near the dorms, take advantage of it. Although the GS25 near the dorms was having trouble using my American credit card, so to my understanding they only take local cards or cash FYI. It's difficult to find a television on campus. At least for us living in the Frontier House. If you live in Frontier, on the lowest floor their is a quiet room for studying and reading. Take advantage of it. Frontier House is closest to the stairs that will take you down to your classes. The other houses have benefits like a free gym, but you will have to walk farther. All your classes will probably be in Udang Hall Clubs in Korea are very loud and crazy so be prepared. Some of them also have very specific dress codes mostly regarding shoes and dress length, etc. The subway closes at midnight, so don't get lost! The pink seat on the subway is for pregnant women. Do not sit there!..... Also there is a small section on the train for elderly people to sit.... do not sit there! It's a really great experience this program and I highly recommend it!!! but without the buddy system I wouldn't have met all of the wonderful people I have met before and wouldn't of had as much fun. Definitely recommend using the Buddy System if you want a great experience |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
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