Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

The best experience ever. Past Review

By (Economics., Middlebury College) - abroad from 03/03/2014 to 05/23/2014 with

Yonsei University: Seoul - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was my home country, so this question is not really relevant to me. However it was good to be with my parents and girlfriend, and work and study at the same time.

Review Photos

Yonsei University: Seoul - Direct Enrollment & Exchange Photo

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.

It was good overall. I happened to take Political science class which I never took in my life and economics class, my major class. Contrary to my expectation that I would learn much about the general economy in South Korea in Economics class, however, I had to succumb to rote mermoization for most of the class, without really developing any economic insights into the korean economy. But in Political Science class, I learned tons and appreciated a new door of perspective that opened up due to my learning from class. The class's name by the way was War and Peace.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

They were really helpful and I am sincerely grateful.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was at home, so it was good.

* Food:

My home country, so it was excellent.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

My country, so it was excellent.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Yes, it was accessible.

* Safety:

Very safe.

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)

NA

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Transportation card. Local foods

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

NA

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Fluent
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? NA
How many hours per day did you use the language? 10+
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Make some Korean friends

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

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

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
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The extent to which it left me alone
* What could be improved?
  • More intensive orientation
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? The class' difficulty.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

War and Peace
Course Department: Political Science
Instructor: Myungseob Lee
Instruction Language: Korean
Comments: It was very challenging but also at the same time very enlightening. So I loved this class so much. The teacher was the authority on the subject - War and Peace in East Asia - and he was not only extremely informed about the subject, but also caring enough to care about each student. We had one final exam and final paper, but not much work in the meantime, so if a student postpones all the studies for final exam and stuff, he or she would be in a trouble.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Economic History of Korea
Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Jeongyeob Kim
Instruction Language: English
Comments: It was challenging, not because the subject matter was hard, but more so because we had many things to memorize. The class discussion times were spent for the instructor to lecture at us more, which I really hated after learning the value of discussion in learning at Middlebury.
Credit Transfer Issues: Not really.