Wednesday, October 9, 2013

A Year in Seoul

Hi Asia on E Street Readers!

This is Selina. I've done a few blogs this past summer about my summer program at Sogang University in Seoul. I will be continuing blogging here throughout the year as I spend the academic year abroad as an exchange student at Korea University.

If your curious about studying abroad or have any questions about living in South Korea, please feel free to comment on my blog posts or contact me personally at slara@gwu.edu
What is it like being an exchange student at Korea University?
I love being an exchange student! Korea University has some very good resources for exchange students such as the Korea University Student Buddy Program (KUBA). Through this program, I was paired up with full-time Korea University Student who I can go to for anything I need related to living in Seoul and attending classes. Each KUBA buddy is then put into a group-I'm in Group 3. The KUBA group then organizes some really great events for exchange students and Korean Students to interact. One of my favorite events was water sports!


The photo above and below is from my water sports trip. The big colorful balloon in both pictures is a giant inflatable ballon for blob jumping. One person sits at one end of the blob and is propelled into teh air by two other people who jump from a platform. The picture below also shows the ice berg float some other friends challenged. 


How are the classes and teachers like at Korea University?
Like any school, I think the classes are how you take them. As an International Affairs major concentrating in Asian Studies, I'm currently taking a range of political science, economics, and international business classes. All of my classes, except for my Beginning Korean Writing Course, is taught in English. The professors are, for the most part, easy to understand. I do not think any of my professors have thick, incomprehensible accents. Other exchange students may disagree with me though. Most classes will also require group projects. For me this is a really big change, I haven't had many group projects at GW, but this is a really good opportunity to interact with other korean students. I have been told by my Korean friends to really try and participate in group projects. Korean students sometimes have a bad impression of exchange students because exchange students do not always participate since the classes do not affect their GPA. 


The photo above is from my International Business class where my professor used a korean randomization game called 사다리타기 (sadari tagi: literally ladder climbing) to assign topics for group projects.


Are there any quirky differences about going to school in South Korea?
At Korea University, I feel like any other college student in the United States. Just some quirky differences is the many coffee shops and copy/print stores surrounding the front and back gates of Korea University. It seems like I can't walk anywhere without seeing a line at the closest coffee shop. There are also many copy/print stores where students can go to print their reading assignments. This is really different from the US where students will usually have their own printer or print at the school library. Many professors will also have the students buy the textbook at these copy stores. This is because most textbooks are actually just readers, where the professor has gathered different readings and had it binded through the copy store. 


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