Airam (Sem 1, 2023)

My Exchange at Korea University

During my time on exchange, I had spent the semester studying at one of Korea’s most prestige universities, Korea University. I was lucky enough to have gotten a room in the university’s international dormitory. During my time at KU, I stayed in Anam International, one of their newer dorms and lived with another fellow exchange student from Finland. It was super convenient living in the dorms as not only did it provide me with an opportunity to get to know other exchange students from other countries, but the dorms were also super close to the campus making it really easy to go to and from school.

Korea University is located in Anam and is surrounded by many different types of restaurants, cafes, bars and things to do for fun such as photo booths and karaoke rooms. This made it easy to go out with friends once classes were over. Each day was different because there was always something new to do or something new to eat. Additionally, the train station is located right by the campus so it also made it easy to go out and explore other areas of Seoul during the weekend or when I had no classes. The cost of living in Korea is also significantly cheaper than here in New Zealand. This made it even more enjoyable for me when going out as I didn’t have to constantly worry about how much I was spending or going over-budget.

In addition to attending classes, I also took part in extracurricular activities by joining a school club – the Korea University Red Cross Club. By joining a school club, this allowed me to get to know some of the local Korean students and experience what it is like to be a part of a school club. Additionally, as an exchange student, I was also a part of KUBA – Korea University Buddy Assistants. This society is made up of local Korean students who help exchange students settle into Korea University and life in Korea. Through KUBA, I got to know local Korean students as well as other exchange students from other countries through weekly meetups and occasional events.

My time in South Korea and at Korea University was full of fun memories and unforgettable moments. However, if I were to choose a single moment that I consider to be the highlight of my exchange, it would be during Korea University’s festival week. Every year, Korea University holds IPSELENTI, a week-long festival where celebrities are invited everyday for students to watch and enjoy with the final day being the main event. Through IPSELENTI, I was able to personally watch famous K-pop stars such as Sunmi, ITZY, Zico, Jay Park, GIDLE and Psy all for free.

If I were to give one word of advice to any students thinking about coming to South Korea to visit or to go on exchange, it would be to be prepared to get used to Korea’s ppallippalli (빨리빨리) or “quick” culture. Upon my arrival in Seoul, I immediately felt the huge difference with Auckland. Unlike what I was used to, the streets of Seoul were busy and people were constantly on the move. This was of course overwhelming at first as someone who is so used to New Zealand’s ‘slow’ and ‘chill’ environment. This “quick” culture can even be felt through the people as well. For example, during busy times, people will not be afraid to push through you on the subway, bus or even on the sidewalk. However, this isn’t anything personal but because people are simply just always on the rush. As I spent more and more time in Seoul, I soon became accustomed to Korea’s “quick” culture and even found myself picking up some habits such as running for the train even though I know that there would be another one literally a few minutes after.

Nonetheless, South Korea is very accommodating for foreigners and exchange students, even more so as Korean culture continues to rise in popularity overseas. Hence, South Korea is definitely a place I recommend to people to visit and even study abroad in especially because of the fact that there is always something to do in Korea. No day is ever the same. Because of this, I was able to have such an amazing time meeting new people and making unforgettable memories.

Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

It was interesting to see how differently students were assessed at Korea University. I found that team projects were quite an important form of assessment for Korean classes. So much so that when you go to cafes or certain study spaces, you will always see teams working on some sort of team project together. This was fascinating for me personally as I have never had to do a team project during my time as a student at the University of Auckland.

Additionally, mid-term exams and finals are very heavily weighted here hence during mid-terms and finals, the restaurants and bars are usually quiet but rather you will find students studying everywhere. Because of this, I was also able to experience studying at a 24-hour cafe where students study till early morning. It was so interesting to be awake at 3am in the morning at a cafe along with a number of other students all studying for exams.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

Learn the school cheers. School spirit is strong within Korean schools but even more so at Korea University. KU has numerous school cheers all with their own actions. During major events such as IPSELENTI or the Ko-Yon Games, students all sing the school cheers together and do the actions together. It is such a fun experience to be a part of and the energy is absolutely insane.

What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

Firstly, take part in KUBA events. KUBA as a society, is in charge of helping you settle into Korea University and life in Korea. Each week, they hold meetups, such as going out for drinks or doing things like bowling. In addition, they have weekly lunches and dinners for people to go to. These meetups make it really easy to meet so many new people and to also familiarise yourself with hotspots around Anam or Seoul.

Second, don’t be afraid to interact with the local students! While it can be scary at first, the local Korean students are actually quite friendly and are always happy to help if you’re lost or are after some information. You’ll find that many Korean students are more than happy to talk with you, especially as they also consider it an opportunity to practice their English.

Lastly, don’t forget to study. Seoul is fun and there are so many things to do however it is important that you don’t neglect your studies and assignments.

How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?

I was lucky enough to have been awarded the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia and as well as the 360 International Exchange Award. These two scholarships helped immensely in terms of my allocated funds. However in addition to the scholarship funds, I also made sure that I had sufficient savings of my own to cover personal costs such as food or shopping.

South Korea’s cost of living is very cheap in comparison to New Zealand. However, despite everything being so cheap, it does add up in the end. Personally, I don’t cook so I found myself always going out to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I also often bought coffee and went out for drinks with friends. Hence, my advice to future students is to not be fooled by the cheap price in South Korea. If you know that you will be going out for food often or will be shopping for new clothes regularly, then it would be wise to take that into consideration when planning for your budget.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

A significant takeway I got during my experience abroad is to not hesitate when meeting new people. Personally, I am quite introverted and like to keep to myself, but I promised myself that I wouldn’t act like that when I go on exchange. I am happy that I promised myself that because since finishing my time abroad, I have met so many new people from all parts of the world and have met friends that I know I will continue to communicate with despite not being in the same country. I personally feel that the memories I made with the people that I met contributed most to my overseas experience. It wasn’t my time studying but rather the time I spent getting to know people from different countries while also experiencing South Korea together that made my time abroad so memorable.