The Best Two Summers of My Life Past Review
By Sophia Nguyen (Nova Southeastern University) - abroad from 06/25/2018 to 08/03/2018 with
Korea University: Seoul - International Summer Campus
I gained a lifetime's worth of experiences from my two summers at KU. I gained a vast knowledge of the Korean culture and language, friends from all over the globe, and memories that I'll never forget. Studying at KU was hands down the best decision I have ever made to date, and I have absolutely no regrets on choosing the program.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The courses I took were appropriately paced for the 6-week period and were enjoyable! |
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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? |
I stayed at Frontier House both summers that I was at KU and had an excellent experience both times! The dorm was regularly cleaned and had security at all hours. |
| * Food: |
The offerings for food around KU are delicious and super affordable! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I will say that though there are Korean KU students in the program, from my experiences, you tend to interact with international students more. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The International Health Clinic at the KU Hospital was very easily accessible and efficient! |
| * Safety: |
Seoul is a city that I feel very safe in, even more so than my hometown. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
If I could do it all over again, I would definitely choose ISC (As I have already done so, evidently)! I made friends that I'm sure I'll keep in touch with for a long time, and was able to learn more about not only Korean culture, but also about the culture of the friends I made from all over the world. The Cultural Activities are definitely one of the highlights of ISC. It is amazing that there is no additional fee for them, and they allowed me to experience things that I'd always wanted to -- taekwondo, a Korean cooking class, and teaching English to Korean middle schoolers. Out of all the cultural activities, Nanta is a must-see and I had the pleasure of seeing it both years! The Korean courses were extremely enjoyable, super immersive as they only speak Korean, and I loved my professors. The ISC Buddy Program is great in that you can ask KU students for tips on everything Korea-related throughout the program. It's also great that they offer airport-pickup service and are also in the Anam subway station during the start of the program to help you get to the dorms! Anam is a lovely college area, and I miss it every single day. The food available in front of the dorms is delicious and super affordable, homesickness was not something that ever crossed my mind. Leaving was extremely hard both times, as by the time I left, Anam felt like home to me. I hope to return once again in the future! |
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) |
Food and shopping are very easily affordable in Seoul |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $150 |
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? | Intermediate |
| 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? |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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 knew how easy it would be to make friends so that I wouldn't worry about it beforehand! |
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. |
