Korea: Unknown and Unbelievably Amazing Past Review
By Caitlin R (Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication., Illinois State University) for
Study Abroad Programs in South Korea
YES! I have learned a tremendous amount about the history and culture of Korea. Not to mention, I have broaden my taste buds!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes were easy. I learned so much about how to make and edit videos. I previously had no experience, so it was difficult, but easy to handle. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Strengths- Classes were interesting and what I learned about video, I am now using at my current internship. I loved the fact that they provided us with trips to see teh REAL KOREA. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I wish the city the school is located in was closer to Seoul, but we were able to spend 2 weeks with our roommates (who could have lived anywhere in Korea) and 2 weeks in Seoul for our internship. |
| * Food: |
I thought I would hate it all, but I love Korean food and its a great place to go for Thai, Indian, and Vietnamese, as well! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I LOVED EVERY FIELD TRIP. Being able to go and explore for the weekend on my own was amazing. I feel in love with Seoul, what an amazing city! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Obviously, there are some issues between North and South Korea, but we were told that we were safe and if anything were to happen, we would leave right away. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $20-200 It depends on what you are doing. Food is cheap and DIMA provides a job where you can make $30 a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Traveling gets costly because you need enough money to travel between cities and within cities. When ordering food, you don't split the bill individually, but you divide the total amount by the amount of people eating. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Go for it. This is a culture completely out of our comfort zones, but you will be welcomed and I have no regrets! |
