Has anyone done any of the Korean universities' summer program/studied abroad in South Korea before?

[sakurahanabira]

I recently got accepted for Seoul National University's International Summer Institute this upcoming summer, and I'm excited. However, this will be my first time out of the U.S. as well as to South Korea, so I'm pretty nervous.

 

Some questions I have for those who've studied abroad there:

 

- Is Korean culture similar to Japanese culture? I'm pretty versed in Japanese mannerisms and etiquette thanks to my Japanese classes and can probably adapt to Korean culture easily if they are similar to one another.

 

- Do Korean universities have a transition period for going from one class to the other? I noticed on SNU ISI's course page that their time slots are 9:00am-12:00pm, 1:00pm-4:00pm, and 4:00pm-6:00pm. I'm planning on taking 3 courses (the max) that pertain to each time slot, but I don't know how I would pull off going to classes in the latter two times, especially when the last class time frame starts exactly as soon as the 1:00-4:00pm course ends. The classes I'm planning on taking are all in different buildings, too.
 

- How hot does it get in South Korea during the summer? Would I look weird carrying around a parasol to shade myself from the sun?

[aaaaaa]

Yea i studied at sopa

[Rosetty]

I wanted to go there this summer but its probably going to be next summer

 

have fun~

[dragonfly0915]

I recently got accepted for Seoul National University's International Summer Institute this upcoming summer, and I'm excited. However, this will be my first time out of the U.S. as well as to South Korea, so I'm pretty nervous.

 

Some questions I have for those who've studied abroad there:

 

- Is Korean culture similar to Japanese culture? I'm pretty versed in Japanese mannerisms and etiquette thanks to my Japanese classes and can probably adapt to Korean culture easily if they are similar to one another.

 

- Do Korean universities have a transition period for going from one class to the other? I noticed on SNU ISI's course page that their time slots are 9:00am-12:00pm, 1:00pm-4:00pm, and 4:00pm-6:00pm. I'm planning on taking 3 courses (the max) that pertain to each time slot, but I don't know how I would pull off going to classes in the latter two times, especially when the last class time frame starts exactly as soon as the 1:00-4:00pm course ends. The classes I'm planning on taking are all in different buildings, too.

 

- How hot does it get in South Korea during the summer? Would I look weird carrying around a parasol to shade myself from the sun?

Congrats! I did a semester at SNU 4 years ago and it was an awesome experience. Wasn't my first time traveling abroad but it was my first time doing it alone. I know it can be kind of intimidating but Seoul is actually a very traveler-friendly city, perfectly travelable even with zero Korean ability.

 

Are they arranging for people to come get you at the airport? Going to live on campus or no? It's kind of far from Incheon Airport but you can get there via subway and there is also a bus that goes to campus.

 

As for your questions:

-Yes and no. Yes in the sense that there's a fairly high expectation of respect, there are lots of values that they share in common. No for the more specific parts of Japanese mannerisms and etiquette though. If you're a foreigner they won't really expect you to know their rules though so don't be nervous about it. If you're not sure just ask, and I'm sure you will be forgiven if you accidentally do anything you didn't know was rude.

 

-Yes, of course they have transition times! I remember the transition period was 15 minutes. Assuming that it's the same for the summer session. Buildings are grouped by college, so e.g. if you're taking all business classes even if they're in different buildings they're right by each other. There's a free shuttle that travels in a loop around the campus in both directions that I would recommend you take advantage of. It's a VERY hilly campus because it's by Mount Gwanak. Not fun to go far distances!

 

-I didn't get there until the end of August so I don't really know what May-July is like, but their latitude is similar to mid-Atlantic U.S. so depending on what you are used to it could be warmer or cooler than what you are accustomed to. You can easily find info on the average temperatures and whatnot if you Google though. And no, it won't be weird if you are trying to keep the sun off with a parasol.

 

If you have more questions I think you should probably PM me, I'll be glad to help where I can 

[sakurahanabira]

Congrats! I did a semester at SNU 4 years ago and it was an awesome experience. Wasn't my first time traveling abroad but it was my first time doing it alone. I know it can be kind of intimidating but Seoul is actually a very traveler-friendly city, perfectly travelable even with zero Korean ability.

 

Are they arranging for people to come get you at the airport? Going to live on campus or no? It's kind of far from Incheon Airport but you can get there via subway and there is also a bus that goes to campus.

 

As for your questions:

-Yes and no. Yes in the sense that there's a fairly high expectation of respect, there are lots of values that they share in common. No for the more specific parts of Japanese mannerisms and etiquette though. If you're a foreigner they won't really expect you to know their rules though so don't be nervous about it. If you're not sure just ask, and I'm sure you will be forgiven if you accidentally do anything you didn't know was rude.

 

-Yes, of course they have transition times! I remember the transition period was 15 minutes. Assuming that it's the same for the summer session. Buildings are grouped by college, so e.g. if you're taking all business classes even if they're in different buildings they're right by each other. There's a free shuttle that travels in a loop around the campus in both directions that I would recommend you take advantage of. It's a VERY hilly campus because it's by Mount Gwanak. Not fun to go far distances!

 

-I didn't get there until the end of August so I don't really know what May-July is like, but their latitude is similar to mid-Atlantic U.S. so depending on what you are used to it could be warmer or cooler than what you are accustomed to. You can easily find info on the average temperatures and whatnot if you Google though. And no, it won't be weird if you are trying to keep the sun off with a parasol.

 

If you have more questions I think you should probably PM me, I'll be glad to help where I can 

 

Thanks for the informative response!

 

Yeah, I'm going to be living on campus in the Gwanaksa dorms. I don't know where else I would stay since being a foreigner, I don't know anyone there lol. And there's going to be a limousine bus that supposedly takes us from the airport directly to the school, so that's nice. 

 

Ah, it's good to know that there's transition times in between classes. I was afraid that I would have to rush from one class to the other if there wasn't! 

 

I know SNU is located in an area that's a few distances away from shopping districts and local eateries, but can those places be reached by foot, or would I need to take a bus if they're too far away (30+ min on foot)? I'm used to walking a 10-15 minute distance since that's generally how long it takes for me to get from one side of my home university campus to the other.

[dragonfly0915]

Thanks for the informative response!

 

Yeah, I'm going to be living on campus in the Gwanaksa dorms. I don't know where else I would stay since being a foreigner, I don't know anyone there lol. And there's going to be a limousine bus that supposedly takes us from the airport directly to the school, so that's nice.

 

Ah, it's good to know that there's transition times in between classes. I was afraid that I would have to rush from one class to the other if there wasn't!

 

I know SNU is located in an area that's a few distances away from shopping districts and local eateries, but can those places be reached by foot, or would I need to take a bus if they're too far away (30+ min on foot)? I'm used to walking a 10-15 minute distance since that's generally how long it takes for me to get from one side of my home university campus to the other.

I would say take the bus, because the main shopping/eating closest to campus are by the subway stations, which are both over 30 minutes away by foot iirc. Luckily the bus is not horribly expensive, should be about $0.50 to $0.75 each way. There are also a number of cafes, restaurants and convenience stores on campus in apron to the dining halls so as far as eating lunch goes, you've got plenty of options right there.

 

BTW I will be in Seoul in June for a week you will likely find me at all of Infinite's performances if you're interested in seeing them

[sakurahanabira]

I would say take the bus, because the main shopping/eating closest to campus are by the subway stations, which are both over 30 minutes away by foot iirc. Luckily the bus is not horribly expensive, should be about $0.50 to $0.75 each way. There are also a number of cafes, restaurants and convenience stores on campus in apron to the dining halls so as far as eating lunch goes, you've got plenty of options right there.

 

BTW I will be in Seoul in June for a week you will likely find me at all of Infinite's performances if you're interested in seeing them

Ah, I see.

 

omg they're having a performance in June? Which dates? I won't be going there until June 24, so I'll probably miss seeing them if they perform there at an earlier date. Then again, the concert will probably be too expensive for me to attend, and I already have to pay a lot for tuition.

[dragonfly0915]

Ah, I see.

 

omg they're having a performance in June? Which dates? I won't be going there until June 24, so I'll probably miss seeing them if they perform there at an earlier date. Then again, the concert will probably be too expensive for me to attend, and I already have to pay a lot for tuition.

They're supposed to come back in May so they'll probably still be promoting. You could see them at music shows or maybe open concerts and other recordings. If they start another tour this summer I suppose you'd still be there for it, and the concert tickets are not that expensive (usually only $80 even for pit)

[suzya]

Yo OP whenever you get to Korea say so, I study at Yonsei

[sakurahanabira]

Yo OP whenever you get to Korea say so, I study at Yonsei

Ah I wanted to study at Yonsei, but they require a 2.5 GPA of all university students, so I was unable to apply. Their campus looks nicer and is more closer to shopping centers/hang-out spots than SNU.

[suzya]

Ah I wanted to study at Yonsei, but they require a 2.5 GPA of all university students, so I was unable to apply. Their campus looks nicer and is more closer to shopping centers/hang-out spots than SNU.

Ah I have a scholarship and I'm doing a bachelor degree over here. I can only tell you my high school average was 90% @.@

[cherry yuuki]

I was going to, this summer actually, but unfortunately something happened occurred and my savings for that are gone. I still want to though, I just need to save again; I was going to be attending Korea University. ;A; *Broken heart*