{"id":9846,"date":"2023-06-16T13:15:32","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T03:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qut.edu.au\/gone-global\/?p=9846"},"modified":"2023-06-16T13:16:31","modified_gmt":"2023-06-16T03:16:31","slug":"enjoying-my-most-eventful-semester-in-seoul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qut.edu.au\/gone-global\/2023\/06\/16\/enjoying-my-most-eventful-semester-in-seoul\/","title":{"rendered":"Enjoying My Most Eventful Semester in Seoul"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shan-Ying \u2013 Korea University – Korea<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Semester 2, 2022<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Bachelor of Business (International Business)\/Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In semester 2 2022, I was lucky enough to do a one-semester exchange at Korea University (KU) in Seoul, South Korea. I have been to Seoul previously in 2019 on a holiday, and really enjoyed the food and culture and wanted to experience it again, and I knew the exchange would allow me to do that and explore even further.<\/p>\n

Accommodation<\/h4>\n

After being accepted I had to complete pre-departure requirements, which for me consisted of sending my passport to Sydney to obtain my visa as there is no Korean consulate in Brisbane and needing a PCR test 24 to 48 hours before I got on my plane and 24 hours after I arrived. Next came the issue of housing, and I applied for the student dormitory and luckily got a spot at Anam International House, one of the two international student dorms at KU. I will say however that is it super competitive much like any uni sign-on, and making sure you\u2019re logging in right on the dot is crucial. It took some weeks to announce whether or not you\u2019ve been accepted to the dorm, so looking around for other housing (share houses, goshiwons, etc) would be beneficial during this time. In my dorm I was allocated a double room, meaning I would have a roommate.<\/p>\n

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I was quite nervous about this, as the rooms were quite small in comparison to what we typically had in Australia and we\u2019ve all heard roommate horror stories. Luckily, my roommate and I clicked and we became really close friends throughout the duration of our stay. Although there is the chance of ending up with someone you don\u2019t like, I would recommend living with someone, whether it be in dorms or share houses, as it\u2019s a great way to meet people in a totally new country.<\/p>\n

Campus and classes<\/h4>\n

The campus is located in Anam in the northeast of Seoul, and it was somewhere I had never been before. The suburb is packed with great restaurants and bars, and because it is a student area, all stores are cheap, much cheaper than anything you\u2019d find in Australia. I ended up really loving the place by the end of the exchange as it really felt like home.<\/p>\n

When it came to uni life itself, there were actually a lot of things that surprised me. First was the actual diversity of the classes and teachers. As I was taking English classes at a Korean University, the classes consisted of mostly international students with some native Koreans (this was my experience in the business faculty), and it was a nice environment to make friends and learn about so many different cultures and backgrounds. A lot of the English-speaking teachers were also surprisingly international, and out of my 3 classes, I had a German, New Zealand, and Korean professor! The teaching style is also vastly different, consisting of mandatory weekly classes that took attendance instead of the format of lectures and tutorials. The campus is also huge, so make sure you make time to get to classes. I lived on campus and it still took me a 23-minute walk to get to the business buildings!<\/p>\n

Social life in Seoul<\/h4>\n

KU also has events throughout the year, and I would strongly suggest going as it was some of the most fun I had. During the second semester, we had the Korea University vs Yonsei games, which are two of the biggest unis in Korea versing in 5 different sports over 2 days. The cheering and atmosphere for these games were insane, and there were after-parties in the streets of Anam after both days.<\/p>\n

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An important point to mention is to make sure you have a variety of courses available for you to take if you are coming to KU. Originally I was enrolled in one science course and two business courses, however, I was informed at the beginning of the semester that the practicals for my science course were going to be conducted in Korean, and it would be difficult to complete this course if you weren\u2019t fluent. Even though it was listed as an English course, I had to unenroll and luckily had a business course that I was able to do instead.<\/p>\n

Tips to enjoy yourself most<\/h4>\n

I had an absolute blast in Korea, and this exchange was for sure one of the best experiences of my life. For the last bit, I\u2019ll leave some extra tips that I think will come in handy from my time abroad.<\/p>\n