Study program
Hi, I am Demian and I have studied a semester at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea.
Yonsei is one of the top three so called ‘SKY’ universities in Korea. The level of education is high, and in general the university works very efficiently. In terms for exchange students, Yonsei distinguishes itself because of its proximity to the main party areas in Seoul, namely Hongdae and Itaewon. It was my first time in Asia, and I could not have wished for a better experience in a big part thanks to the university.
Language
Language was a big barrier. Not too many Koreans speak English to an extent that you can have a proper conversation with them. In combination with Koreans not being very open to foreigners it is hard to connect with some Koreans or make friends with them, However it is not impossible of course. The level of English of professors is (in general) sufficient enough to follow the course without too many problems. One can also take a basic or intensive Korean course as part of their exchange program. Personally, I did not enjoy this too much but it was definitely helpful in communicating in restaurants or reading street signs.
Finance and other conditions
Pricewise Korea is not too bad, and similar to the Netherlands. The major differences are that fruit and vegetables are relatively way more expensive than in the Netherlands while going out for dinner is way cheaper than in the Netherlands. Personally I never cooked myself. Part of Korean culture is to go out and eat altogether. It also is not necessarily more expensive than cooking yourself while the food you get is 99% of the time absolutely amazing.
Preparation and contacts with the faculty before, during and after your stay
I thought this was a rather dreadful process to get it all figured out with the RUG. I guess it is necessary and it is best to find it out on your own. Communication with Yonsei was easy, they were very helpful and always replied within 24h.
Housing
I stayed in an off campus dorm. I did not manage to get a room on campus. Make sure to be on time with the sign up. Also I’d recommend to go for a shared and not a private room. The latter are usually given to University of California students which receive special treatment. I stayed at ‘StayForU’ (google it). It was absolutely the best possible location for a student to stay while in Korea. 10 minute walk from campus, 10 minute walk from the main party area and a 2 minute walk to the nearest metro station that brings you everywhere, including a direct line to the airport. Also rules are way less strict than in the dorms on campus, and people living in the dorms on campus need at least 30 minutes to make it to a bar.
Culture
No clue what is asked of me here. There is so much to say about Korean culture but you all want to figure it out yourself, and you will. Not a day passed for me without being absolutely stunned by something.
Free time
In your free time you’ll mainly want to go sightseeing with friends. You kind of have to make your own free time, but you’ll figure this out also. Personally I got sick of sightseeing at one point and felt that there was some social pressure that I needed to discover Korea now that I was there. Doing this every day is very tiresome so I have also had my weeks in which I just watched Netflix in bed every afternoon.
It is in the free time and while travelling that your dearest memories will be made. I personally look back at these times with great satisfaction.
Travel
There are a lot of opportunities to travel within Korea and East-Asia. In Korea I traveled to the famous Jeju-Island, and to Korea’s second biggest city Busan. Both were very different form Seoul, and I had great experiences there. Outside of Korea I only travelled to Tokyo which was a lifelong dream. Many of my friends went to Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Phillipines. I did not join since I had already travelled a lot at the beginning of the year Other
I went in totally unprepared, with very little knowledge of the country or the culture and had an absolutely amazing time. Just life the exchange life and you’ll figure it all out. I think doing your exchange semester is very distinct from doing an exchange semester anywhere else simply because Korea is such a peculiar country. When I share my experiences with other exchange students that went other places, they usually cannot relate, which makes my experience all the more special.
For further questions feel free to contact me:
Mail: demianvdberg@gmail.com Tel: +31681940777
Facebook: Demian van den Berg Instagram: DemiannB
