Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Being such a highly ranked university, I was expecting the workload to be extremely high. But, rather, instead of having a lot of workload the professors expected us to know a lot. I feel that, in my major rather than being able to calculate things or remember dates, they wanted me to have an opinion. My own opinion that was based off of readings, teachings and etc. Not only did they want me to know what I was talking about, but they wanted me to form an opinion based on what I knew, and then discuss it with them so that I may possibly formulate another opinion. Or, based of of the class discussions, believe in my opinion more and have more solid facts about it.

On-site administration of your program

The program I went through was very quick to respond and to me, that is a very high mark. I have dealt with many people, schools, etc that take simply forever to get back to my emails. Not only where they quick to respond, but they were so on things that I never felt uneasy about them getting things done. They were able to answer my questions spot on and then some.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

In the first semester, I lived in the international dorm where EVERYONE spoke English so that was absolutely no help to my Korean at all. But next semester I had to live in a place where there were only Koreans and the landlord only spoke Korean. Although I did not speak to him very much, I had no choice but to speak to him in Korean when I had a question or if something wasn't right. The first semester dorm was amazing. It was so much like a hotel that I almost couldn't believe it. The only fault is that it's on top of a huge hill that can get very tiring to walk up everyday. Also, the rules are VERY strict so it was a bit of a hassle to hang out with friends there. That being said, it was fairly easy to make friends with the people on your floor which is always a good thing.

The food in Korean is not only delicious, but amazingly cheap! I found myself continuously bragging to my friends at home about the kind of meals I was getting, and the price too. Needless to say, now that I am back home, I am craving all kinds of Korean food that I know won't be the same if I got it here. I think I am craving Korean food more than I was craving food from home when I was in Korea.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The Korean culture was so different from what I was expecting and what I knew. Having grown up in Hawaii, I thought I was exposed to quite a lot of different cultures. While that is true, I have realized that nothing will teach you how the culture is unless you go there and experience it hands-on. Korea was beautiful in its own way. Even the way the people acted could be deemed beautiful as it was easy to see the respect they had for one another. One thing that was great about Korea university was the program called KUBA (Korea University Buddy Association). It is a program that designated a local Korean to two exchange students. As each buddy differs in how well they click with another, my buddy was fantastic. He showed us Korea and told us so much about the culture. It even got to the point where we were comparing cultures (and maybe even arguing a bit haha). I feel that experiencing the culture in Korea has actually changed me as a person now that I'm home.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

During the time of the swine flu, the school took so much precaution that at times it did feel a little like high school, but given the circumstances it was a necessity. I never had any experiences with the healthcare there but I had a few friends who did. It was interesting to see how much care they put into being sick. Even if one has a fever, they are told to stay in the hospital until it goes down!

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

The main reason I went to Korea, other than to learn more about the country, was because I was fascinated with the Korean language. I was learning Japanese for a while and I got tired of it. Then I started learning Korean and a whole new interest entered my life. I wanted to get fluent in Korean and I felt the fastest and best way to do it would be to go to Korea. This may or not may be true for some people. Although one is placed in the country, one forgets to realize that although they are in another country that speaks another language, the program they're in will most likely be speaking English. I found it a little difficult simply because most of my good friends spoke English. Even the Koreans I met there spoke some English. But, I tried to make an effort to speak Korean with anyone I could. I won't say I'm happy with where I got because I'm not exactly fluent; but I can say that I am satisfied with where my ability stands now. The only way to actually get better at a language is not only studying, but to go into the world and speak and listen to it everyday.

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• Other
• Dorm

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• International Students