Semester at Korea University Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The academic lessons that they had provided was very difficult. The standard that they hold for their students is higher than the one I am use too, but it was very refreshing to face a new challenge.

On-site administration of your program

Being apart of the program KUBA (Korea University Buddy assistants)was a great program to be apart of because they had many students willing to show you around campus and the city. This program also had many fun events and shows you to many different people.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I stayed at Crimson House. This is a dorm outside of campus right across the street form the campus. It was in a great location easy to get too, and the people that live there are very friendly so it was easy to make friends. This location was very safe because it was really close to the street and there are always restaurants open and many convenient stores around. The room i had was type c and it was a very large room with a tv and mini fridge. This was also very convenient to getting to class on time because it is literally across the street. Also the housing is right next to subway station so it is easy to get to Gangnam or Hongdae, or any party city.

The restaurants I've been to are right next to the housing of Crimson House. They provide a lot of food most of them are buffet, I never paid more than 10,000 won for a meal in those restaurants. I also ate a lot of Indian curry food which was super delicious. This was a couple blocks away in Anam street. A little more expensive than the local Korean restaurants but it was really worth it. The pricing being around 8,000-15,000 won.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Making friends was super easy so we did everything together. We went to Saraksan to climb the mountain for two days. We went to a lot of the public restrooms. We went to go shopping in Myeoung dong and Dongdae moon and many other cities. We went to Anam street a lot to drink at the bars. We also went to Insadong and the palace located near there. We also went to Korean house also a palace on choraksan(korean thanksgiving). Also of these were successful.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

My friend broke her foot and they had cast-ted it and fixed it in about a month. My other friend had split open his head and an ambulance had shown up very fast. My other friend had got hit by a bus and was hospitalized and taken well cared of. Through out the program I surrounded my self with people I could trust and they protected me every time we went out. Every time they saw someone trying to be a creeper they pushed them away to protect us.

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

When I arrived to Korea I only new my basics from my family. I knew some grammatical points but not that many. Learning the language in the country helped me out a lot. I had practice and used it with other foreigners and locals. It was a very rewarding experience