Nancy – Hanyang University, South Korea
Semester 2, 2019
Bachelor of Business / Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
Hanyang University is an amazing university, the Seoul Campus is very big with many department buildings, gymnasium, hospital, elementary school etc. The university has its own Plaza where they sell various foods from Korean cafeteria food to pizza, burgers, bubble tea and much more at an affordable price.
There is also a lot of cafes and convenience stores spread throughout the campus. Hanyang University also offers International Students assistance with anything questions or issues regarding the university. The university planned many events for international students to meet and interact with other international and native students. For accommodation I stayed at an apartment that was located only 6 minutes by train ride to the university.
The Korean metro system makes it really convenient and easy to go to university and also everywhere else in Seoul. In terms of classes there were many English courses available especially with the Business courses. To my surprise all of the classes were majority Korean students and only a few International Students so it was a good and fun opportunity interacting with native Korean students as well.
Seoul, South Korea experience
Seoul is a city where there is so much things to explore and do. In my free time I will go and explore different suburbs as each suburb offers something different. My favorite areas would have to be Hongdae and Konkuk, since they are close to universities there are many students who hang out in that area.
There are nice shops, cafes, restaurants and even street buskers which is really entertaining to watch. Seoul is a very busy city so stores and restaurants will open until late night or even 24 hrs. Even at midnight there will still be a lot of people out so there is always something to. I really enjoyed the café /dessert scene in Seoul because of the cute themed cafes and even animal cafes. Not only are there many affordable delicious restaurants around Seoul but there is also street markets like Gwangjang, Namdaemun Market etc.
It was quiet easy getting around Seoul as most people spoke some English but even if they did not speak English google translate was very useful. Since South Korea is a small country travelling to other cities is relatively easy by a train, bus or even plane if you wanted to get there faster. The other cities I visited in South Korea was Busan and Jeju Island which was a much different experience than the busy city feel of Seoul.
My overall experience after a semester exchange in South Korea was amazing! It was great to immerse myself in another culture and stepping out of my comfort zone by living and studying in a different county.
On exchange I was able to meet and bond so many new people from all over the world. I also got to experience the wonderful things Seoul has to offer such as the food, attractions etc.
I would highly recommend for anyone who is interested in exchange to go to South Korea as it was a life changing experience.
Nancy’s exchange semester was funded by the New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant.
