An Experience I Will Never Forget October 04, 2022
By Isela R (Digital Media, University of Nevada, Reno) - abroad from 07/14/2022 to 08/09/2022 with
USAC Korea: Kookmin University in Seoul - Korean and East Asian Studies
I learned how much I can do on my own. I learned a lot about the Korean culture. It was definitely worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
This program allowed myself and my peers to learn a great amount of Korean in such a short amount of time. The teacher was also very supportive and help us understand the language very well. The only reason the score is not a perfect 5 is because I would've liked to have more opportunities to speak to native Korean speakers as part of the class or at least part of the program. Also just very all there could've been a couple more resources available for us to use during our time abroad. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing for this program is like a normal dorm room. We originally were told we were going to stay at an off campus housing but before the program started we got informed we would be staying on campus at the Guest House. This made the experience overall a lot better and more enjoyable. |
| * Food: |
Korea has AMAZING food. There was never a meal were I was not impressed. There's also lots of places that have food from other ethnicities, so if you feel like you're missing a part of home there's always something around to keep you connected. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Living on campus definitely helped me feel integrated with the local culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The only thing I experienced was the mandatory COVID testing and this was a very smooth process that only took about 5 minutes on the actual site. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe but nonetheless, I always stayed in area's I knew and if I was going to explore somewhere alone I would go once with someone I knew so that I could be familiarized with the area. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
This was an amazing experience with lots of cultural activities and it made me fall in love with studying abroad. |
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) |
I would say that I definetly spent more per week than I thought I would. This is also because my peers and I always ate out and did a lot of shopping. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $450 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I think save more than you expect. You are going to spend a lot more than you expect because once there you are going to want to buy a lot of fun items. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Try to think in that language. Always try to read the language when out an about and practice with your peers they are in the same boat as you. |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I knew that it wasn't going to all be sunshine and rainbows. Also to charish my time with my peers because I miss them more than anything. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
