Anne (Sem 1, 2023)

My Exchange at Yonsei University

• How I found out about the 360 International exchange programme:
  • I always wanted to leave New Zealand for an extended period of time, and it seemed like a semester abroad would be the best way to do it.
  • Also, in my first year at the university, I went to a 360 event, so I’ve known about the programme for a while.
• My feelings/first impressions when I arrived at my host university/city/country:
  • My first thought was that it was freezing – I’ve never been in such cold weather (I swear it was 0 degrees) before.
  • After settling into my hotel, I then went out to explore Seoul! It was my first time being completely and was it exhilarating. I’ve read beforehand that South Korea is generally safe, and I can agree – I didn’t feel scared during that first week in a completely new environment nor throughout the rest of my semester.
• What my accommodation was like:
  • I stayed at SK Global House in a double room. You can request a roommate, but I didn’t know anyone so I left it to Yonsei to decide. There was also an issue with my application (it got deleted somehow), but after emailing them it was sorted out.
  • I can’t compare it to the dorms at Auckland, but I thought it was fine. I had enough storage for all my clothes, including my coats. There’s also space under the beds to put your luggage if you bring one large and one carry on.
  • The rooms in SK also have private bathrooms, which is nice. However, the kitchen is on B3. I lived on floor 7, which means I have to go down 10 flights of stairs or take one of two elevators. But there is a lounge on each floor which had a microwave and cold/hot water dispenser.
• Orientation at the host university:
  • There was a three-hour orientation the week before school started. It went through standard stuff like credits and general tips on how to travel around Seoul and how to pay for things.
• What I thought of the courses/teaching at the host university:
  • The courses weren’t too hard. However, the assignments were typically tests and exams rather than essays, which is different to most of my classes here.
  • Also, because I took classes from the International school they were designed to be easier so exchange students can go explore the country.
  • The only notable difficulty was in enrolling. This year Yonsei restricted a bunch of classes to domestic students only, which left a lot of people scrambling to find new classes.
• What the host city/country was like:
  • Seoul is a LOT bigger than Auckland, and I felt it every time I stepping into the city. There’s more people everyone (who will nudge you aside without apologising, because that’s the norm here), the “city” is massive compared to our CBD, and the transport is much better than ours.
• What the cost of living was like compared to Auckland:
  • Food was a lot cheaper but groceries were presumably similar. I don’t actually know because I didn’t cook.
  • Transport was half the price of Auckland’s transport.
  • I can’t really comment on the price of housing because I stayed in the dorms.
• Extracurricular activities I took part in:
  • Yonsei offers a couple clubs specifically designed for exchange students so I signed up for some of those. The events typically involved domestic students showing us an area in Seoul.
  • I did travel with some friends to Gyeongju and Busan! It was easy to plan and organise transport and accommodation.
• Life on campus:
  • The Sinchon campus has a couple libraries, lots of cafeterias, and a really nice and peaceful forest. There were also lots of events held throughout the semester that exchange students could join in.
• Food:
  • In general, food was cheaper than in Auckland, especially Korean food. However cafes (which are really popular in South Korea) were similarly priced.
  • Also, I swear every single meal I had was incredible!
• Highlights of my exchange:
  • There was a sense of community among the exchange students which I never had in Auckland. That was really nice.
  • Lots of activities to do at Yonsei, in Seoul, and in South Korea in general. Whatever you enjoyed you could find a place or community for it.
• Challenges of my exchange:
  • Honestly, I got hit pretty hard with imposter syndrome. Listening to everyone’s experiences and what they were doing in life made me question what I was doing in my life and whether I deserved to be there. Thankfully I was able to focus on thoughts on better things.
• Any advice you would give to students thinking about the exchange programme:
  • Try to select/transfer elective courses if possible. It makes planning your degree a lot easier if you don’t have any hard restrictions and the host university decides to change what courses are available to exchange students.

Q&A

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

The courses I did were very laidback because they were designed for exchange students. Also, my teachers were happy to share their recommendations on what to do in Korea.

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

The obligatory DMZ visit – it is truly an experience unique to South Korea. If you book a tour, your tour guide may also provide their own perspective on the conflict and current events.

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

1. Do your research beforehand and make a list of everywhere you wanna go (both in South Korea and overseas)! I didn’t finish my list by the time I arrived, so I felt like I didn’t get to go everywhere I wanted to.
2. The language barrier wasn’t that bad! Lots of restaurants offer kiosks, with most including English menus. But make sure to get Papago for translations.
3. Chingu Mobile provides the cheapest phone plans! You can even order one before you arrive and pick it up at Incheon airport.

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 budgeted roughly $7,000 for Korea, with an extra $3,000 for trips or any emergency expenses (which came in handy). I didn’t budget for NHIS (Korea’s mandatory health insurance) because I thought my StudentLife policy would be sufficient for the exemption, but it wasn’t. It’s roughly 75,000 KRW a month, and I thankfully had a general emergency amount to use.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

Say yes to opportunities! I’m a very anxious and cautious person, so this experience was very daunting but overall worthwhile. If I had kept doubting myself, I would have never applied to the 360 programme, and if I never said yes, I wouldn’t have had great experiences and met new friends.