South Korea: Glad I Went, Probably Not Going Back Past Review
By Mac C (COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES AND SUPPORT SERVICES., Trinity University) for
Yonsei University: Seoul - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I think it was a good experience. I did the long distance relationship thing which then fell apart when I got back so that kind of casts a negative light on a lot of things, but my experiences there were very fun and interesting most of the time.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There was a very helpful organization that was there to help out International Students (Mentor's club). The Study Abroad office was also very helpful when I had problems. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was provided for me, primarily. It was also very small. I lived with a Swiss student who was a good guy. It was a 10 minute walk to the restaurant / bar district and about a 10 minute walk to class. It was ok, but not great. |
| * Food: |
I love Korean food! Especially barbecue, bibimbap, dolsotbap, and ramyeon dishes. However, some American foods that I eat a lot of were missing or strange, such as Mexican food, hamburgers, and pizza, and the servings were a little small compared to the giant meals American restaurants serve. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were several great trips to various sight-seeing spots put on by the University group. I also traveled with friends to Busan and Jeju-do, which were great places. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt very very safe. There was medical staff on campus which I never utilized because I stayed fairly healthy. |
| 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? | Probably about 60-70 dollars a week, eating out and going to bars occasionally. Some people spent a lot more. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There weren't really any financial problems I ran into. Eating out is very cheap. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
A lot of people spoke English but I relied heavily on Korean to get me through everyday situations like ordering food and stuff. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Don't skip on learning Korean! Some friends did and I feel like they missed out a lot. Also, go to jjimjilbangs and barbecue early and often! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Korean 1 |
| Course Department: | I don't know, and can't log in to find this information right now. |
| Instructor: | I don't know their English names |
| Instruction Language: | primarily Korean with a little english. |
| Comments: | It was great! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I don't know, actually. |
