South Korea : Reviews (Seoul)

I loved how easy and simple it was to travel around all of Korea while I was there. There is so much to do just in Seoul but I loved taking small weekend trips to the countryside and other major cities. With Korea University mainly only having classes Monday through Thursday, the three day weekends left for plenty of time to travel and sightsee.

Experiencing Seoul and South Korea was an amazing journey. Living there has given me a new appreciation for South Korea and Korean culture.

My favorite part of this study abroad program was immersing myself in the language. Studying the language while living in its country of origin was one of the most enriching experiences of my life.

My favorite part of this program was the KUBA buddy system that Korea University uses to connect international students with Korean students and other exchange students. I made friends from all around the world and was able to have so many new experiences with this club.

I really loved the city of Seoul! Everything is super clean and easy to navigate. I got the hang of navigation within the first week of being in Korea, and I had never been out of the country before. There truly is something for everyone, with lots of historical places, hiking, shopping, and night life. Seoul is an extremely safe city, so I was never worried out at night.

Since it was my first time abroad in a completely new country, I was motivated to go out much more than I normally would. From school activities like sports games to hanging out with new friends, the new sense of 'everyday' was a fresh experience.

My favorite part of this program was getting to experience college life in a different country. I know in different programs sometimes exchange students are put in separate classes, but we were able to take classes alongside Korean students which was a cool experience.

The best part of the program was that I was able to feel comfortable knowing that other KU students were also studying abroad at the same time. Allowing me to have friends from home to relate to and feel comfortable around, but also making new friends and having new experiences at the same time.

My favorite part of the program was experiencing a new type of college culture. Korea had different events and social opportunities that helped me dive into a new and engaging community.

The aspect of this program I found most rewarding was becoming more confident and comfortable navigating around in a foreign language.

I think the most rewarding aspect of the program was the amazing location. Korea University is located just slightly on the outskirts of the heart of Seoul which gives the perfect opportunity to go travel around Seoul. The university has its own station and numerous bus stops that make it so easy to hop on an go.

Living and studying in a new country was very difficult. But the process by which I learned and experienced life independently was a challenge I gladly took on.

KUBA and Korea University's dedicated Global Services staff were extremely helpful in ensuring I had a successful, fun, and stress-free semester.

I went to specifically improve my language so I found being able to properly communicate, read, listen, and understand to be the most rewarding part of my study abroad.

I found the language exchange opportunity to be the most rewarding. If you sign up in time, the university will pair you up with a language exchange buddy that you can meet up with throughout the semester to practice languages and explore Korea with.

I found that the most rewarding thing was attempting to speak in the foreign language of the where I was studying at, as people always seemed to enjoy my attempt at speaking their language and attempting to respect their culture, where people seemed to be much happier and more respectful after I showed them respect by communicating in their native language.

South Korea is cold in the winter. It may seem obvious but I wasn't prepared for how cold the weather got once November came around; bring, or buy, lots of warm clothes! Also don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Especially during the beginning of the program I was scared to do things on my own but I found that exploring on my own helped me grow and become more independent as the semester went on.

Even though you may not have your Alien Registration Card (ARC) immediately upon arrival, don't be afraid to still take this time to travel around Korea. I thought I needed the ARC to travel anywhere outside of Seoul but this is not the case. You only need it to travel to other countries. I felt like I wasted a lot of time seeing other cities and would say to make friends and start exploring right away!

Take some time for yourself and explore the country you are visiting. The mountains and architecture in Korea was beautiful and incomparable to anything in the United States. I would imagine by exploring the country any student is visiting would lead to unique experiences for them.

Knowing at least a few phrases of Korean and how to read it will be immensely helpful. Many students at Korea University did not know any Korean, which would have been burdensome for them I imagine.

Be active in KUBA, especially in the beginning. It is the easiest way to make friends and meet new people in a comfortable environment, this is where most people meet the friends they have for the rest of the semester.

For South Korea the culture of studying is very different from here in the US where here we only really study for what is coming in the very immediate future such as upcoming homework, quizes, and test, in South Korea they tend to study less at one time but spread it out across the semester as there is usually only one or two big exams which are impossible to study for in a couple of days. So if you are going to South Korea remember to try to find time each week to study a bit of the material as it will help to greatly improve your test scores.