Past Review

By (Economics., SUNY - Binghamton) for

SUNY Binghamton: Seoul - Exchange & Study Abroad Program at Korea University

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned that Korea is a place to enjoy life with lots of friends; however, I admit that I was not able to balance work and play. I ended up playing more than working (school). Korea is a good place!

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was fine except for Financial Management. Teachers would sometimes speak in Korean to help the locals in courses that are supposed to be taught in English; however, I was fine with it at times since I can understand an adequate amount of Korean.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Woojin Rhee who is in charge of OIP was helpful to all students.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Anam-dong CJ International Dormitory was a nice place to live; however, my only complaint is that there is a long, steep hill to walk over in order to get there. <br /><br /> Everything was fine except that there are lots of strict rules. You cannot bring the opposite sex to your dorm room and you cannot drink alcohol inside the dormitory.

* Food:

You will never find brown rice or whole grain bread.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Welcoming party for exchange students was the best!

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

The health issues weren't exactly addressed although the university provides their own hospital. When I did go to the hospital, they provided an international branch which allowed non-Korean speakers to get treatment.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $140 a week. Transportation per a week (including taxi/bus/subway): $20 Laundry: $6 Food: $20-25 a day
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Laundry.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
Language acquisition improvement?

I practiced my language with my family and others who are not able to speak in Korean. Yes, I had to use Korean everyday although there are a lot who speak conversational English. Most of the students, however, are well prepared to take courses taught in academic English.

If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
* 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? Expect to eat lots of spicy food, drink lots of alcohol, and if you're going to a class with lots of group reports/presentations (in English), the students will give you burden of correcting/writing the whole paper as well as doing the presentation.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Financial Management

Course Department: BUSS20702
Instructor: Cho, Jin Wan
Instruction Language: English
Comments: It was challenging because of the workload that the professor provided. The teacher was very experienced in teaching finance.
Credit Transfer Issues: No issues as of yet. I would suggest this course to other students. The finance professor is also flawless in speaking English.
Course Name/Rating:

Marketing Management

Course Department: BUSS20505
Instructor: Yoo, Wan Sang
Instruction Language: English
Comments: It was fun learning marketing - the teacher was very passionate about this course.
Credit Transfer Issues: No issues as of yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Intermediate Korean I

Course Department: IFLS 11000
Instructor: Lee Yoo Kyoung
Instruction Language: Korean
Comments: The course was a review of what I learned in Intermediate Korean I last Fall 2009 semester.
Credit Transfer Issues: This is a retake.
Course Name/Rating:

Microeconomics (Theory)

Course Department: BUSS20105
Instructor: Kim, Beom Soo
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The class was all right.
Credit Transfer Issues: No issues as of yet.