Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Engineering Exchange program at SNU Past Review

By (Civil Engineering., The University of Texas at Austin) for

Seoul National University: Seoul - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
my study abroad expericen was worthwhile. i enjoyed classes at SNU and im glad that i became friends with local students since i might work in Korea after graduating.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: -
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+
The term and year this program took place: Spring 2010

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

workload was pretty similar with home university and even though lecture was given in Korean, contents in slide was in English. i think the final exam counts a lot more than my experience at UT (more than 50%)

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

-

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

i found housing on my own in Nonhyun-dong b/c SNU did not offer dorms to exchange students this semester. <br /><br />

* Food:

lunch and dinner at SNU is very cheap, only 2500-3000won. and i was satisfied with their food

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

there wasnt any field trips arranged by the program.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

i felt pretty safe throughout my study abroad experience. i didnt have any issues with healthcare or safety-related incidents.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

Finances

* 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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? -

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? i think those who are in international studies major would be likely to have more classes to take at SNU than those in Engineering mojor.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Introduction to Philosophy
Course Department: Philosophy
Instructor: Mark Siderits
Instruction Language: English
Comments: there was quite a lot of reading assignment for this course. there was one essay homework and final exam counted for 70%
Credit Transfer Issues: not yet
Course Name/Rating:

Modern Society and Global Language
Course Department: Linguistic
Instructor: Yong Won Lee
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Korean professor lectured in English and there were a lot of international students in this class. there were many group presentations and discussion.
Credit Transfer Issues: not yet
Course Name/Rating:

Highway Engineering
Course Department: Civil Engineering
Instructor: Seung Young Koh
Instruction Language: Korean
Comments: it was quite a bit challenging because the course was about highway system in Korea and i had some difficulties with the vocabularies.
Credit Transfer Issues: not yet
Course Name/Rating:

Hydrology
Course Department: Civil Engineering
Instructor: Young Oh Kim
Instruction Language: Korean
Comments: the professor was very knowledgeable and well prepared. also TA had prepared good slide notes for the course and very helpful. we had one group presentation at the end of the class. i personally enjoyed this class.
Credit Transfer Issues: not yet