UU Study Abroad Report Form faculty/college Economie level bachelor’s master’s name study programme Economics and Business Economics destination city & country Seoul, South Korea name university abroad SungKyunKwan University start date 01 / 09 / 2019 (dd/mm/yyyy) end date 22 / 12 / 2019 (dd/mm/yyyy)
PREPARATION exchange application process Pretty slow and vague to be honest. I had to wait a long time before I could even apply for housing, and if I wouldn’t get selected, there would almost be no time for alternatives. The process could be more efficient and transparent in my opinion. Being able to let the coordinator know my choice of courses was impossible, since it was almost certain I wouldn’t be able to get these courses due the limited spots offered per class and even more limited amount of English taught courses. counselling & support at Utrecht University There was no counselling needed really, although the communication could have been more clear in my opinion what to expect and when to expect what. academic preparation I took a course called “Beginner Korean” on the intense level, which required 6 hours a week of in class time. It was tough, since every person in class already knew how to read, write and talk a bit. I would only advice to study the Korean language as academic preparation if you are interested In taking a course like this, since it is not possible to academically be pe prepared for other courses. language preparation Like being said already, it is pretty important to know the language slightly before arriving in Korea, but not needed per se. I would argue it is useful, since most communication is in Korean in daily life, but with apps you will manage to overcome the language barriers. finances South Korea is pretty cheap. Housing can be on the expensive side, but it is certainly affordable. Eating out is way cheaper than cooking and buying ingredients in supermarkets. Transportation is reasonable and very convenient and neat.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) I took the courses ‘Beginner Korean (6 credits), AI and management (3 credits), Business analytics and applications (3 credits), and Marketing data analytics (3 credits). academic quality of education activities The academic quality was decent, but I didn’t really like the teaching style that much. Critical thinking and engagement between professor and student are what I missed and what I value at Utrecht University. I didn’t like the memorization aspect either, since I learned how to apply instead how to memorize fast. It can be a
draining process, long hours, and no real challenge that goes hand in hand with memorization out of lecture slides without grasping deeper complexities. counselling & support at receiving university abroad There was a counselling system at place, the international office. This helped me understand how to work with the system of enrolling in courses better, but I didn’t need a lot of counselling apart from that. transfer of credits
I didn’t get my credits transferred yet.
STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme
The welcome & orientation programme was well organised. There was a big accommodation I stayed in a dormitory, which cost me 1700 USD for about 4 months. There are other cheaper options, but I didn’t want to isolate myself from the student life too much. You could also choose to live in an apartment, but it is hard to find something what desirable conditions and the deposit you have to pay is really out of the normal. leisure & culture Seoul is a city that has everything. The culture is very unique, and many of my friends went out to do karaoke at night, go to kpop concerts and attend exchange parties. Besides this, there is a beautiful palace where you can wear traditional Korean clothing and a must-do with friends! suggestions/tips
Don’t stay inside, explore the city, there is so much to see!!
CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I would recommend this destination for sure, since Seoul is an amazing city. There is a lot going on and no boring day. The food is super tasty and eating out is cheap. I am do you have any additional advice or comments? Don’t be discouraged by the complications of applying, in the end it is all worth it and a once in a lifetime experience and opportunity.
UU Study Abroad Report Form faculty/college Faculty of Social Science level X bachelor’s master’s name study programme Exchange
destination city & country Seoul , South-Korea name university abroad Sungkyunkwan University start date 02 / 09 / 2019 (dd/mm/yyyy) end date 23 / 12 / 2019 (dd/mm/yyyy)
PREPARATION exchange application process The application process is quite straight forward. You first send your motivation to the UU and when they approve you apply to Sungkyunkwan (SKKU). SKKU is very slow in processing exchange information, and they will send you your letter of acceptance by post and it will arrive quite late, like in April or May. However, if the UU accepted your exchange, there's a good chance SKKU will do so too. In 2019, they accepted a total of 600 students (a lot), I don't think they decline anyone. counselling & support at Utrecht University The UU sends you a bunch of emails which is nice, and I'm sure that you could get more help if you need it, but honestly most of the information you need is available online. academic preparation I don't think you need a lot of academic preparation if you're a bachelor student. A lot of the courses are less difficult than at the UU. Don't underestimate it though because they still take a lot of time, but you don't need a whole bunch of background information to understand the subject matter. language preparation I highly recommend taking the Exchange Student Course 'Basic Korean' at SKKU. The UU approves it as a course that you get credit for, and it's almost a must to live the full Korea experience. A lot of the older generation and some of the younger people too don't speak English. In Basic Korean, you learn the basics to make conversation in the street and at the markets, which will result in you making more Korean friends. Apart from the social aspect, it's also really convenient to know how to ask for directions and to be able to read certain signs, menu's and titles.
If you're not interested in taking a course of Korean Language, I recommend you learn 'Hangul' the Korean alfabeth. It's surprisingly very similar to ours: sounds that are connected to letters that make words. It might look hard, but it's not like Japanese or Chinese where you have to learn thousands of individual symbols. Learning Hangul might take you 3 hours total and it's very convenient to know: a lot of words in Korean are just English words written in Korean letters. finances The SKKU dormatories cost about 400$ a month. You can also live in a Goshiwon (a 6m2 room house) which are very cheap: 200$ - 400$ a month. You can also rent an appartment near the university, which will be more expensive: 500$ - 700$. So expect something like that for rent. Eating out is quite cheap while supermarkets are expensive. Furthermore prices are similar to Europe, with some things being cheaper than Europe and some
being more expensive. You can probably survive on a budget, but if you want to make trips to Jeju Island, Soaraksan, Busan and other places, expect to spend about 1000$ a month.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) Signing up for the courses online is very hard. The signup opens at 3AM Dutch time and you better be ready behind your computer at that time to select the courses you want. Don't expect to get all of the courses you want to take, because some of them only allow for 3 exchange students to take the course. For some courses it is possible to sign up in the class itself if you can get a signature from the teacher.
SKKU works with semesters, so you will follow the same courses for your entire half year exchange. The difficulty of your courses really depends on the teacher. academic quality of education activities The quality really depends on the teacher. You can drop out of courses in the first week, so it's probably best to sign up for more courses than necessary so you can decide in class which courses you like. There is not a lot of information available before the courses start, so it's nice to base your decision on your experience in the first week and not on the sparse course description. counselling & support at receiving university abroad There is an international office, but they don't really care for you. They are only helpful to a certain extent. Sometimes it's better to ask Korean SKKU students for help than the international office. transfer of credits On the UU website it says that 1 credit at SKKU is 2 credits at the UU for bachelor students. Most courses give you 3 SKKU credits. You'll need to take 5 courses to get 30 UU credits. However, I read that other students got 5 UU credits for their SKKU courses, so look into this. My transference of credits is not done yet.
STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme There is 1 introduction day that is mostly practical but ends with a 'party' (bar) which is nice because there you can chat with other exchange students. You get linked to Korean buddy that will take you out for activities, however I never met my Korean buddy and she was very inactive. Luckily I met some exchange students that had very nice buddies and I ended up meeting with them a lot. Accommodation SKKU has several dormatories that you can look up online: C-house, M-house, G-house, I-house, etc. Here you'll double up in a room with 1 other person. Goshiwon are very small, (look up video's on youtube), but also very cheap. There are several Goshiwon buildings near the Seoul campus of SKKU. All of their adresses will be Sungkyunkwan-ro, you might be able to find some if you google that. I stayed in a studio for 550 euro per month. I rented this from Inside Hostel Seoul, they have about 6 such rooms available. leisure & culture There are so many things to do in Seoul. Hyehwa, the neighbourhood of the Seoul campus is such a nice place to be. Seoul is very big and doesn't really have a city centre, every neighbourhood is it's own city centre. From the Seoul campus it's only a 30 minute walk to some great places like the 'Bukchon Hanok Village', 'Naksan Mountain', 'Gwangjang Market' (from the Netflix streetfood episode), 'Dongmyo fleamarkt' and Changyeonggung and Changdeokgung Palace. There are some great unlimited Korean BBQ places close to the
University and you will see coin 'Norebang' karaoke places everywhere, where you can do karaoke for about 1$ for 4 songs. suggestions/tips Join some of the SKKU clubs. There are quite some clubs that accept foreign students and it's your best shot at making some good Korean friends appart from the buddy system. I joined the Taekwondo club which was very cool. They train every weeknight from 18:00 to 20:00 and you can join whenever you like (no obligations). Joining the Taekwondo club costs you about 80$ for the lessons and a Taekwondo Dobok (suit). I also joined the Buddhism club (even though I'm not religious). Not everyone in the club is a buddhist, but are just students interested in Buddhism. Every other week a monk visits the club and they have a nice chat. This club is very inclusive and nice to foreign students. Through this club is also got to do a templestay: a retreat in on of Korea's beautiful buddist temples. Usually this is very expensive, but through the club I only payed about 20$ for the weekend.
CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain SKKU as a University is not great. During your stay you will long for the organisation and clearity that the UU provides us with. The courses can be very good or very bad depending on your teacher and it's very weird that the sign-up for everything (the courses, the dorms, the gym) is so competitive.
However, your stay in Korea is worth it all. Even though the courses at the UU might be better, the experiences you will have in Korea would not be possible if you don't study at SKKU. I would absolutely recommend going to Korea because it will be worth it no matter how bad your courses are. Just make sure you sign up for loads of them so you can drop out of the ones that suck. do you have any additional advice or comments? SKKU has a campus in Seoul and a campus in Suwon (for natural sciences). Suwon is about an hour away from Seoul, so take that into account when you're going on exchange.
UU Study Abroad Report Form faculty/college Physics level bachelor’s master’s name study programme Physics and Astronomy destination city & country Seoul (Suwon campus), South-Korea name university abroad Sungkyunkwan University start date 03 / 09 / 2018 (dd/mm/yyyy) end date 23 / 12 / 2018 (dd/mm/yyyy)
PREPARATION exchange application process Very easy application process. Gather the documents you need and upload them online. However, watch your spam folde. My emails from SKKU went to the spam folder of my UU email. counselling & support at Utrecht University
The people from the exchange office were very helpful and if you had any questions you could always ask them. academic preparation
Nothing needed really. language preparation I studied some Korea at home. Not super useful, but can come in handy, however the basic Korean class will be very boring. Learning to read hangul is recommended though. finances
4000 euros was required beforehand and it is certainly doable with 4000 euros.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) I took 18 credits. You can select courses online before the semester starts, however, don’t expect all of them to be your final choice. A few of my courses were cancelled because there were not enough people. In the first two weeks you can go to any course, and with a form you can still apply for them. I recommend going to a lot of courses your first two weeks, to find courses that fit you. academic quality of education activities My courses were pretty easy. However, some other people had harder courses. It really depends on which courses you take. counselling & support at receiving university abroad You get a buddy, whom you can ask a lot of stuff. I didn’t talk much to him after the first month though, because I had made other Korean friends and just asked them. transfer of credits 3 SKKU credits is 5 ECTS. Get approval for you courses after the first two weeks, not before you leave, because your courses will almost certainly change. STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme Welcome was great, and the party afterwards was good to get to know some people. Everything you need to do is explained clearly. accommodation Staying in dorm is very easy. I lived in a 2 people in 1 room type situation. However, during the week there is curfew, so you need to be in the dorm by 1 am (or after 5 am). No curfew on Friday and Saturday evening. leisure & culture The leisure culture is different from Europe. I definitely recommend finding some Korean people to hang out with. Noraebang is fun, don’t be scared to sing haha. Just hanging out and drinking at the grocery store is a great way to have fun while it being very cheap. suggestions/tips Be aware that the natural sciences campus is located in Suwon and not in Seoul. Seoul is 1 to 1.5 hours away by subway. I liked Suwon a lot though so for me it was no problem.
CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I would certainly recommend SKKU as an exchange destination. South-Korea is very much like Europe in some way, however still has very distinct differences. do you have any additional advice or comments? Not really, apart from that it really doesn’t matter where you go on exchange. You learn so much and meet so many people that I would really recommend it to anyone! UU Study Abroad Report Form faculty/college Utrecht University level X bachelor’s ☐ master’s name study programme Computer Science destination city & country Seoul ,South Korea name university abroad Sungkyunkwan University start date 04/03/2019 (dd/mm/yyyy) end date 21/06/2019 (dd/mm/yyyy)
PREPARATION exchange application process A friend of mine also wanted to go on an exchange. We helped each other with getting all the necessary files to fill in the application. In the end I had to rush a bit for the deadline. However this turned out to not be a problem at all, because I wanted to go on an exchange in the second half year. The deadline for the first half year and the second half year are different, I was not aware of this, but it did give me a lot of rest by finishing the application earlier. counselling & support at Utrecht University There was a meeting organized by the University of Utrecht, where all the people going to Asia on an exchange could meet. During this meeting you could ask questions and exchange numbers with people going to the same university. This meeting was very practical and it was a good moment to ask questions on things you did not understand or on things you got stuck with. academic preparation The university I wanted to go to had a requirement of a certain GPA. I just had enough to get through, but I made sure that I would get high grades for the courses that I still had left before my exchange. language preparation I already knew some Korean before going to Korea, because I participated in a summer school 2 years ago where we learned some Korean. Sadly enough I forgot most of what I learned, except for the Korean alphabet. I wanted to fresh up my memory before going to Korea, but eventually I ran out of time. finances I knew for a while that I wanted to go to Korea, so I saved up some money before hand. I put my DUO loan on maximum so I would have enough money in Korea.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) I was already warned that signing up for the courses online was quite tricky, but that it did not matter because you could switch courses in the first week of the semester. The signing up for the courses was in the middle of the night, but I did manage to get all my courses that I wanted. However when going to the first lessons, I noticed that I wanted to switch some courses, which was really easy. The reason for my switching was because some courses were not what I expected and I had one course that was given in Korean that I could not handle. academic quality of education activities Some courses were more difficult than others, but overall the courses were quite easy. The teachers were very nice and mostly high skilled. counselling & support at receiving university abroad There was a buddy program set up, so you could ask your Korean buddy for help if you got stuck with certain things. There was also an international office desk where you could go with all your questions. transfer of credits I cannot say anything about this, because my credits are not transferred yet. What I can say about the grades, is that the university has a very practical online system where you could look up your grades.
STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme There was a welcome speech that explained a lot of important details. After that you would meet your Korean buddy (a student that signed up to help exchange students). There was an option to go to a small party in the evening, where you could drink and talk with people. This was very fun and I made a lot of friends during that night. accommodation I was living in a dormitory of the university. The dormitory was very close to the university, but after the semester we did find out that we had the most run down dormitory. This was noticeable in the fact that a lot of things broke during the semester. There was a curfew during the weekdays, but I did not have any trouble with that. I had very nice roommates, who all became very good friends of mine. leisure & culture The area that we lived in was very nice. It had a lot of good and cheap restaurants, some nice cafes and there was also an arcade and cinema. In the whole of Seoul it is very noticeable that the city gets more a life during the evening and night. There are a lot of street performers during the evening, and the shops are open till late. This makes it very nice to walk around during the evening. suggestions/tips You really have to decide for yourself which accommodation is better for you. I myself do not like to go clubbing often, so a dormitory with a curfew was not a problem for me. I liked that I had roommates and that it was close to the university. Others rather have their own place and no curfew, they often lived in a ‘one-room’ place. Those places are very small and often expensive and do not have a kitchen.
CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes, I would definitely recommend this university. The university was very pretty and there were a lot of different courses which you could choose from. The teachers were very nice, and they made sure to help you to pass the course. The university was also located close to the subway station. So if you wanted to go to other places in Seoul, it was very easy to do so. Korea in general is also very cheap and that makes it an easy place to live but still have fun. do you have any additional advice or comments? It is smart to know some Korean (only the alphabet will help you incredibly much already). I also recommend taking a course in learning Korean. It is not necessary, but it does make your stay way more fun, because you get to know more about the culture and what you are seeing around you. Can students contact you for additional info and do you give us permission to put this in the student reports on our website? If yes, please write down how they can get in touch with you (e-mail, Facebook, Instagram etc) UU Study Abroad Report Form faculty/college Faculty of Science level bachelor’s master’s name study programme College of Pharmaceutical Sciences destination city & country Seoul, South Korea name university abroad Sungkyunkwan University start date 03 / 09 / 2018 (dd/mm/yyyy) end date 21 / 12 / 2018 (dd/mm/yyyy)
PREPARATION exchange application process The application process is described on the website of Utrecht University. You have to hand in several documents . The hardest part for me was to choose where I wanted to go. I made a list with universities and the pros and cons. Handing in the documents was described really good on the UU website which made it quite easy. counselling & support at Utrecht University The counselling from the UU international offices is very good. Although I was a bit disappointed by the counselling of the study advisor. Therefore, I would recommend everybody to contact the international office when you want to go abroad. academic preparation I took the intercultural learning course. This was helpful to be more aware of the cultural differences. Furthermore, no academic preparation is needed. language preparation My study in Utrecht is in English. I also didn’t have to do any language tests for the University in Seoul. Therefore, I didn’t do any language preparation. In Korea I took the basic Korean course to be able to communicate the basics in Korean which was quite nice. finances I made an estimation of the costs and calculated how much money I would need for this semester. I used my student loans and I got some money from my mom and dad.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) Each course at SKKU was very different. Most courses are organized pretty well and the communication was good. I had courses that were quite easy bus I also took some courses which were much harder. The professor decides the content of the course. Therefore, it was hard to learn for the exam. Each exam is very different which makes it hard to estimate what to do for the exam. academic quality of education activities The academic quality differs per course since the professor determines the content of the course. In the first week you can add and drop courses to make sure that the courses you take are organized properly. This is very convenient since it is hard to estimate how a course is going to be with only the course description. counselling & support at receiving university abroad At SKKU there is an international office which is open every day and where you can ask all your questions. They can answer all your questions and are very helpful. Furthermore there is an introduction day where everything is explained properly. transfer of credits I didn’t transfer my credits yet. I emailed the board of examiners before going on my exchange and they gave me an indication of the transfer of my credits.
STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme There was an introduction day with a social activity at the end. It was very informative and it helped to organize the thing you had to organize. The social activity was very nice to meet other exchange students. accommodation I stayed in a dorm of the university. The dorm is not very big but the location is perfect. I had to get used to sharing my room but it was a good experience. leisure & culture The university organized several activities for exchange students. I used a lot of my free time for travelling and sightseeing. Furthermore, I did a lot of fun things with my Korean friends I met at the swimming practice and with other exchange students. suggestions/tips Apply for a multiple entry visa if you want to travel during your exchange. The application for the Alien Registration Card takes very long and if you cannot travel during that time if you have a single entry visa.
CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I would recommend SKKU as exchange destination. Everything is very well organized and Seoul is a very fascinating and nice city. Koreans are very friendly and are always willingly to help. It is interesting to be in a country with a totally different culture and I learned a lot here. do you have any additional advice or comments?
- UU Study Abroad Report Form faculty/college Humanities level bachelor’s master’s name study programme Taal- en cultuurstudies / Language and culture studies destination city & country Seoul, South Korea name university abroad Sungkyunkwan (SKKU) start date 28 / 2 / 2019 (dd/mm/yyyy) end date 21 / 6 / 2019 (dd/mm/yyyy)
PREPARATION exchange application process This is quite a lot of work, so make sure you have enough time to plan everything. I had to prepare several documents at the International Office and the Student Desk and of course you need to go to the embassy in Den Haag for your visa, which takes up half a day. It can all seem a little intimidating at first, but once you know what exactly you have to do, it’s not really difficult. counselling & support at Utrecht University The support at UU was fine. I had one question during the application process and I received a quick reply to my email from Clim. I didn’t really have contact with UU during my stay in Korea, because I didn’t need it academic preparation To be honest, the level of the courses was very easy, so no academic preparation is really necessary, especially if you’re taking the International Student Courses. Normal courses can be a little bit more difficult but it is still easily doable when you’re used to studying in The Netherlands. language preparation No language preparation was necessary. The English spoken in the courses is easy to follow. I do recommend you to learn a little Korean before you go. The alphabet (really easy to learn) is very handy to know and some basic phrases like ‘thank you’ or ‘hello’ are also very useful. Lots of people will speak in Korean to you, and although you can manage with just English, it is more convenient to know a little bit of Korean. finances I found that I spent a little more than I would in Utrecht. Housing (I was in a dorm) was the around same amount, but although cheap, you have to pay for transport. Supermarkets are very expensive, so eating out would be the same price as cooking and is more convenient. But although eating out is way cheaper than in The Netherlands, it is still more expensive than doing groceries in The Netherlands. And of course you’re also doing more activities in Korea than you would at home, so keep those expenses in mind too.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) SKKU offers some courses especially for exchange students. These are easily accessible to everyone and are quite interesting, so I recommend you to pick a few of these. The maximum amount of credits per semester is 18, so if you need 30 ECTS in Utrecht, you’ll have to take courses worth of 18 credits in SKKU. The first week of the semester is the so-called drop-off period. During this period you can still change your courses. You have to sign up for your courses online on GLS before the semester starts. This can be a little stressful, but make sure you have everything prepared. I managed to get all my preferred courses right away, but if you’re not, you can always sign up offline with the professor. academic quality of education activities As said before, the level is a little lower than in Utrecht. I barely felt any pressure of stress from the workload. I made sure I was prepared for the seminars, did my occasional homework and studied for the exams and easily finished all my courses with an A+. So don’t worry and try to enjoy the other aspects of being an exchange student in Korea too! counselling & support at receiving university abroad I didn’t need any counselling, but we received an email sometimes with handy information and I think the International Office at SKKU can be very useful if you need them. transfer of credits
My credits still have to get transferred to Utrecht. SKKU sends your grades to UU automatically.
STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme I really enjoyed our orientation day! We started off with a presentation about everything we needed to know. Afterwards we had dinner with our buddy groups and then we went to a bar with that same group (optional). This is a great opportunity to meet people. For example, I never really met my buddy, but I did meet two other buddies that evening who became friends of mine. accommodation I opted to stay in a school dormitory. There are a few different houses. For example, I-House is right next to school and you share your room with one other person. I stayed in M-House, which was about a ten minute walk away from school. This is a shared apartment with 5 other people and you share your bedroom with one other person. We had our own kitchen and study area and I really loved living there! My housemates became my best friends during my exchange semester. leisure & culture Seoul is super big and there is so much to do, but one of my favourite things was going to Hongdae to see street performances (busking). Hongdae is also great for going out. Definitely rent a hanbok (Korean traditional clothing) and visit the palaces in it. Because Seoul is so big, every neighbourhood has it’s own characteristics. Hyehwa, the neighbourhood the school is located in, is very nice and always busy. Go for karaoke (noraebang) here with your friends! And of course a nice thing to do in the weekends is visiting other cities in Korea, like Busan, Gyeongju or Jeonju. Safe Jeju for the end of the semester, as you’ll need a few more days there. Foodwise I recommend going to what we call ‘granny restaurants’ or kimbab restaurants. The food here is cheap, there is lots to choose from and it’s made by friendly old ladies. A good one in Hyehwa is called Mat Bab (Delicious Rice). suggestions/tips I think I already gave all my tips in the fields above. To get the most out of your exchange, pick courses that you can’t do in Utrecht, meet people from all over the world, try to learn Korean, join an after school club (like dancing or star-gazing) and visit many places in Seoul and the rest of Korea. Time flies so enjoy it!
CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain
I would definitely recommend this university. I had a great time here last semester. The university is very nice and there are lots of interesting courses to choose from. The professors were also really kind and knowledgeable. Seoul is a huge city with lots to do and is very easy to navigate. Korea is also very safe. Living in Seoul as an exchange student is a unique experience and in my opinion also the best way to experience Korea! do you have any additional advice or comments? UU Study Abroad Report Form
Family name: xxx
First name: xxx
Student number: xxx
Faculty/college:
Level: X bachelor master PhD
Name degree programme: Scheikunde
Destination city & country Suwon, Zuid Korea
Name host institution Sungkyunkwan University
Purpose of exchange x study/courses other
Departure date 25/02/2018 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 13/06/2018
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The first time I thought about going abroad for a semester was in my first year, so I had already begun looking for what opportunity’s there were. The application process didn’t take too much time, and the forms are not very hard to fill in. Just go for it if you want to, and don’t be scared by the forms you need to fill in. Counselling/support at Utrecht University: With already a plan in mind I began the counselling, and they could answer all the questions I had. The support is okay. Academic preparation:
Language preparation: Since I chose for a University in Korea, I started learning Korean beforehand. I knew some basic sentences before going, and I would really recommend learning this before you go. If not, at least take some time to learn the alphabet. The alphabet is pretty simple, and knowing it will help you in case there are no signs in English. Finances: Didn’t apply for a scholarship. Study abroad period Study programme (concerning content and organisational issues): Before you the semester begins you have to sign up for courses online. I would recommend to be on time, because there are limited places for international students. I would also recommend to sign up for maybe more courses than you would like to follow, since for me and some others on the first day of class we were told that this course might after all not be in English, or that you could only follow the course if you had completed another course at Sungkyunkwan. But don’t worry, during the first week of class you can still change your courses. You can just go to other classes you’re interested in and ask the professor if you can join the course and let him sign the course application. At the end of the week you have to give the administration a course overview, and you’ll be signed up for your new courses. Academic quality of education: Academic quality is okay. Please make sure before you start following a course that both the textbook and the classes will be fully in English. This is not always the case, even though online it says so. Counselling/support at host institution: There is an office for international students you can go to if you have questions and they will help you. Transfer of credits: Not done yet Student life Welcome/orientation programme: I would definitively recommend going to the orientation day before the beginning of the semester. This orientation day is together with both the Seoul and Suwon campus. Not only is it a fun way to meet other internationals, you will also learn all of the important and fun stuff about Sungkyunkwan university Accommodation: I stayed at the dormitory on the Suwon campus, with the meal plan. I recommend, if you go for the dormitory, to also get the meal plan since there is no kitchen in the building. In this dormitory you get a place in a double room. This room has an own toilet and shower. On the floor is a microwave and hot water, but no other facilities to prepare your own meal. Your roommate will either be a Korean student or another international student. You can’t assign this yourself and change is not possible. I would still recommend living in a dormitory if you want to experience how this is, and it is very convenient to be able to walk to class. Signing up for the dormitory was easy to do. If you don’t sign up for the dormitory you could rent your own place around the campus. If you want to rent your own place I recommend to start searching as early as possible. Leisure/culture: The university has a lot of student clubs. On the Suwon campus some clubs were more open to international students than others. Just sign up for as many clubs as you can, and maybe some will be welcoming. Going out eating together is a very regular and common thing, and also the best way to meet new people and socialize. You should definitely try all the amazing kinds of food Korea has to offer. The culture is of course quite different, but if you have an open mind it will be a lot of fun! Suggestions/tips: No extra recommendations. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes I would recommend Sungkyunkwan University. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: No. Can students contact you for additional info? If so, please write down how they can get in touch with you (e-mail, Facebook, Instagram etc) Yes, via student mail is ok. Contact info available at IO. UU Study Abroad Report Form
Family name: xxx
First name: xxx
Student number: xxx
Faculty/college: University of Utrecht
Level: bachelor master PhD
Name degree programme: College of Pharmaceutical sciences
Destination city & country Suwon, South Korea
Name host institution Sungkyonkwan university
Purpose of exchange study/courses other
Departure date 15-08-2017 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 25/01/2018
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: Sign up via Utrecht, they will suggest you to SKKU if you get chosen, then wait for SKKU to confirm your acceptance Counselling/support at Utrecht University: Relatively minimal, no contact when you are abroad, during preparation you only contact them when you need papers from them Academic preparation: Nothing Language preparation: Courses are in English, with minimal Korean preparation required, do make yourself comfortable asking for directions when you first arrive in Korea. Finances: Think 600-1000 euro for tickets both ways, around 1600 USD for dormitory including one meal a day, add another 5-10 euros a day in terms of other meals and transport to and from campus. Make sure to get your public transport fee to replace your OV-card Study abroad period Study programme (concerning content and organisational issues): You choose your courses about two weeks before they start, don’t worry if you can’t get much via the kind of poor online sign-up programme, most courses have plenty of dropouts and you can go to the courses that you think are interesting and you will be able to enrol most of the time. More information on this will be explained in Korea in English, along with visual instructions (at the welcome ceremony) Academic quality of education: The English of the courses is not always as good, but generally it is sufficient. Education is good, at sufficient level to get points at all levels in UU Counselling/support at host institution: Minimal, mostly online, good doctor’s office, and English support is available, but you’ll have to ask for it, don’t wait for them to come to you Transfer of credits: Easy enough, expect 3 credits in Korea to amount to 5 ECTS here in the Netherlands, so do 6 courses (18 credits-30 ECTS) which is also the maximum you can do in SKKU per semester Student life Welcome/orientation programme: Welcome parties, plenty of other new foreigners, easy to make contact with people from both Suwon and Seoul departments of SKKU, try to meet new people, it will make your stay very enjoyable Accommodation: Dormitory or you can hire on your own, dormitory is relatively cheap but two in one room, dormitory itself looks good though, I suggest you go to the self-hired places, as you can stay and leave whenever you feel like it, dormitory has curfew Leisure/culture: Plenty of culture in Korea, they have literally everything you can wish for, try going to K-BBQ and karaoke first, they are so much fun Suggestions/tips: Try to travel, especially when you go to Suwon, you might get tired of the place relatively quickly as it’s not incredibly big (size of Amsterdam, but more for living quarters, less sightseeing possibilities), so try to see Seoul as often as possible and get on a plane to Jeju-do, japan or take a train to Busan Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes, if you like Korean culture, the food is great, the people are nice, and you will have a good time here Do you have any additional advice or comments? Consider going to Seoul department if you are big on going out, you can try to commute between places but that will be relatively hard Can students contact you for additional info? If so, please write down how they can get in touch with you (e-mail, Facebook, Instagram etc) Sure, there is a lot more to know. Contact info available at IO. UU Study Abroad Report Form
Family name:
First name:
Student number:
Faculty/college: Humanities
Level: ☐ bachelor ☐ master ☐ PhD
Name degree programme: Liberal Arts & Sciences
Destination city & country Seoul, Republic of Korea
Name host institution Sungkyunkwan University
Purpose of exchange ☐ study/courses ☐ other
Departure date 24-08-2017 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 24-12-2017
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: South-Korea was not my first destination of choice but I am nevertheless very glad I ended up in Korea. I picked Korea because of two reasons. I did not want to go abroad in Europe because I already visited most European destinations and I wanted to go far away. Secondly, in comparison to the United States, Australia or Canada, most countries in Asia are a lot cheaper. Therefore, Korea is a good destination for studying abroad if you want to travel further away but don’t want to end up with massive student debts. The application process itself it pretty easy but it can take a lot of time. Especially because you have to prepare a lot of documents. Also, getting a visa for Korea takes approximately two weeks, so if you travel to Korea you should definitely not take the preparation part of studying abroad too lightly. Counselling/support at Utrecht University: The counseling support from the university was very decent. Before going abroad the university provides you with most of the information you need to know and the steps you have to take. While abroad there is not much contact with the university but I am sure they will help you if something goes wrong. At the Sungkyunkwan university everything is also prepared very well. They send you an pretty clear application form which you have to fill in online. At last, at the Sungkyunkwan university they have a international student desk. The people who work there are really helpful and their English good. So if you run into any trouble while at the University concerning for instance courses or grades they will be glad to help you.
Academic preparation: I did no particular academic preparation before going abroad apart from all the courses I already taken in Utrecht. I had sufficient knowledge to follow all the courses of my choice. When you go to Korea it might be useful to study the Korean alphabet beforehand. This might help you orientate better when traveling around. Also, it is always useful to study a bit about the culture and or history of Korea. Language preparation: You should be able to talk and write in English. For instance, some courses will ask you to write an essay in English. The University does not ask that you speak excellent English. However, especially in social situation with other international students it is very useful if your level of English is pretty decent. Nevertheless, shouldn’t you worry to much because your level of english increases a lot in the first few weeks of travelling abroad. Finances: As I stated South Korea is not too expensive compared to destinations such as the United States or Canada. However, still prepare to spend a lot of money. The Utrecht University said that studying in South Korea cost around €4000, but I think spend around €7000 in total including my flight ticket. Costs like eating and going on trips can easily add up to much more than you might plan on spending. Also, it is doable to spend not too much money, but since you are travelling abroad this is a perfect opportunity to explore South-Korea and surrounding countries, while never going on trips and stuff might harm your experience, so it’s smart to safe some extra money. Also, concerning finances I would recommend getting a credit card. The Dutch debit card almost never works (not even in most ATM’s), while you can use your credit card to even pay in the smaller convenience stores. Study abroad period Study programme (concerning content and organisational issues): Choosing the right courses can be a tricky process but you can make it really easy and fun for yourself. At the Sungkyunkwan university you have to sign up for courses online as a part of the application process. However, since you also have to sign up for a specific department you can only choose courses from that department. Luckily you can switch every course in the first two weeks at the university. This process can be a bit difficult because you have to enter classes and ask the teacher for permission to follow the course. For me this worked pretty well and I ended up with v Academic quality of education: The academic quality was quite below university level in the Netherlands. This is due to two factors. First, the courses are very repetitive. You are expected to read text and the lectures are all about repeating the text and explaining it to the last detail. Secondly, the courses are pretty easy compared to courses in the Netherlands. I would not recommend taking courses on topics you’re familiar with because you will bore yourself to death. You should rather see this as an opportunity to explore some new areas of knowledge. For instance, I mostly study history but in Korea I also took courses on Korean politics and economics. ALso, I would not recommend taking too many courses designed for international students. Sungkyunkwan has around 8 international courses. Some are pretty good like Politics of Korea but most of them are really badly organised and boring. Also, it it more fun to take some courses with Korean students because at school it is good opportunity to get in contact with Korean students. At last, you should not be fooled that the level of education will provide you with a lot of free time. The workload for most of the courses is still pretty high. It is easy to get grades but prepare to put some effort into it. Counselling/support at host institution: See above Transfer of credits: I took six courses at the Sungkyunkwan university. They were all transferred to 5 ECTS, so I ended up with 30 ECTS at the end of the semester which was pretty nice. Also, I got mostly A+ for the courses which were transferred to 9’s. I got one A which was transferred to a 8.5. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: The orientation programme was very well organised. Every international student was assigned to a Korean buddy. Unfortunately my buddy couldn’t make it. However, I just approached someone else and she offered to be my buddy for the semester and we ended up becoming very good friends over the semester. I would therefore advice just to get in contact with as much Korean persons as possible. They are very friendly and helpful. Accommodation: I stayed in the dormitory which was provided by the university. In the beginning, I was not looking forward to staying in the dormitory because you have to share your 1 bedroom with a roommate. But I you choose to go to Korea I would absolutely recommend staying in the dormitory. the dorms are clean and well organised but there are several other reasons why I would recommend the dorms over finding a place yourself. First, having a shared room is not as bad as it sounds. My roommate was actually a very nice guy and we became friends very quickly. Also, most of the times you’re out anyways so you only see each other when you go to sleep. I got used to having a roommate pretty quick. Secondly, the dormitory is in a very nice location. Most people get dorms next to the university but ours was 1 metro stop away. The dormitory was located in a very nice neighbourhood. 4 months in South Korea was not enough to explore every restaurant or bar or other cool place. If you want to find a room yourself. Most students who I know did ended up a lot further away from the university in a smaller and more expensive place. Lastly, the biggest reason why I would recommend the dormitory over renting a solo apartment is the social aspect of the dormitory. I found that people in the dormitory were all very nice and since almost everyone stays in the dormitory so if you want to make friends it is the quickest and best option. Most people who did not stay in the dormitory found it very hard to get as much in contact with everyone because they had to travel solo all the time. When you’re in the dormitory this is much easier. For instance, when me and one of my friends wanted to do something cool you can literally meet outside the dorm in 5 minutes and 5 minutes later you find yourself in a bar or cinema or whatever, it is just much more social in the dormitory. Leisure/culture: In South Korea you will spend most of your time around international students. There is a lot to do in South Korea. In the capital city Seoul there are a lot of hotspots which you can explore in the weekends. Seoul is a pretty modern city and they spend a lot of money on culture. If you are interested in art or history this city will provide you with a lot of things to do. In the evenings you can go to a bar, do karaoke or go clubbing. Most of the clubs in Seoul are a lot bigger than the ones I have visited anywhere in the Netherlands! Also, I ate outside the door almost every night because it is really cheap. Also, South Korea itself is pretty cool. In the third week we visited Jeju Island, which is a volcanic island on the south of Korea. You can relax on the beach and climb the volcano. Koreans describe Jeju island as the Hawaii of Korea. When your done with Korea you can visit surrounding countries. Korea is located close to Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. Most return flight are around 80-100 euros so traveling is really doable. Suggestions/tips:
Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: I would definitely recommend South Korea and the Sungkyunkwan University as destination for going abroad.Going Abroad to South Korea was by far the best decisions I made during my bachelor. South-Korea is a modern organised asian country. However, it has a very different culture and history which is very interesting. For me four months was actually not even close to getting to know everything about South-Korea. Also, South Korea is a popular destination among other European students but also people from Asia. So you get the chance to meet lots of new people from all over the globe. Lastly, the University was very good. I did not run into any trouble choosing concerning courses etc. Sungkyunkwan is the oldest university in South Korea and it is still considered as prestigious among people living in Seoul. They have a very nice but modern campus. Every once in a while there are events or parties at the campus. So I can say that have enjoyed myself and I would absolutely recommend South Korea and the Sungkyunkwan university. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: I have two additional tips for people travelling to South-Korea. First, when you book your return flight you might want to consider spending some money on extra luggage. I bought a lot of stuff in Korea and it cost me extra money to book for extra luggage at the airport. Second, you might want to bring winter clothes to Korea. The weather is really perfect (25 degrees) until mid-november when the temperature drops far below zero. I had to spend a lot of money on a thick winter coat, but you can also bring one from home. UU Study Abroad Report Form
Family name: xxx
First name: xxx
Student number: xxx
Faculty/college: Social sciences
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Interdisciplinary social sciences
Destination city & country South Korea, Seoul
Name host institution Sungkyunkwan University and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 28/08/2017 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 24/12/2017
Preparation
Exchange/placement application process:
I don’t remember this being too difficult for me. I really wanted to go to Seoul and this university seemed to be the best option. Fortunately I got in! Then you wait for your reply from Sungkyunkwan University, but they keep you up to date very well through e-mail. You get send a lot of documents which you need for example for applying for a visa. The paperwork was quite a hassle but it wasn’t difficult, plus if you are excited about going I don’t think you would mind putting in the work!
Counselling/support at home university:
There were a few meetings at the university but I got most of my information from the website, this was all pretty clear. If you had any questions you could just send an e-mail, so the support was good.
Academic preparation: To get in to SKKU you need a minimum GPA of 4.0 (or 6.7/10), fortunately this wasn’t a problem for me. Further I didn’t do much academic preparation, apart from looking up some information on the courses.
Language preparation:
I did not learn the language beforehand apart from some basic words like hello and thank you (which you will use a lot!). If you want you can take up language courses at SKKU, I know a lot of my exchange friends did this. There is basic Korean class and more advanced courses, so if you are interested in learning the language I would say this is a good way. I wouldn’t say it is necessary to learn the language because in the busier areas of the city everything is in both Korean and English. A lot of younger people speak English, most older people do not. There are some parts of the city where nothing is written in English and not many people speak English, so knowing at least the alphabet/ a few basic phrases would be quite handy (especially in taxi’s).
Finances
I did some saving beforehand and I was lucky enough to have my parents help me pay the flight and some other things. I got around mainly on a student loan though, because you end up spending quite a lot more than you expect..You spend a lot of money on food, transport, leisure activities, clothes and other products. Me and a lot of other people on exchange also wanted to travel around during the holidays or after the exchange so that isn’t cheap either. I feel like if you really want to live on a budget though you can, if you find the right places to eat you can eat for pretty cheap (4/5 euros for a full meal). It’s just that there is so much to do and to see, delicious food and so many fun things like clothes and make-up that it’s hard not to splurge.
Study/placement abroad period
Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): As everyone (I’m guessing) is already saying signing up for courses at SKKU can be confusing and stressful. You get a student ID number and password to sign into GLS, which is not supported by mac so I had to sign in through an app on my phone. Beforehand you get a whole list of courses, which is great for orientation but really isn’t that helpful when signing up, as courses change and sometimes are said to be taught in English but aren’t. Korea has a system that the first to sign up for a course (I’m talking about the first seconds) have the biggest chance to get into that course. So I stayed up until 4 am in the Netherlands to sign up for 4/5 courses, which at the end I only ended up doing 1 of. Most of the actual signing up you do the first week or so when you are actually at the university. It seemed quite stressful but at the end it wasn’t too bad as you get into most classes you sign up for, you just have to ask the teacher for permission. There’s also a long period which you can drop out of classes, so if it doesn’t seem like a good fit after a few weeks you can still drop out. The international office at SKKU was also super helpful, quick to respond but it’s easier to just visit them in the international hall at the university.
Academic quality of education/placement activities:
This differed quite a lot per course for me. Some courses were relatively easy for a couple of reasons: Most students in the class didn’t speak english well, so your english will seem better and the level of the class will also be easier. I feel like they also grade international students less harshly (but i’m not sure about this). I also had 2 courses which were pretty difficult for me. Some professors had really strange teaching methods, which I heard from some other people as well. Overall the quality of education was good though and I feel like I learned a lot about the subjects and the Korean culture and society.
Counselling/support at host institution/organisation:
It was overall good, especially the international office. You were always kept up to date via email or you could find info in the catalogus.
Transfer of credits:
Still has to happen.
Student life
Welcome/orientation programme:
I arrived in Seoul the exact day the orientation day at the uni was, so I missed out on that. You get a package of papers with info and course sign up forms. You also get assigned a buddy, mine was really friendly and helpful but we only had contact the first month or so.
Accommodation: I stayed in the I-house, which was super close to the university (a 5 minute walk, but only because you have to walk up a mountain to get to class). I think this was one of the best dorms because you only get one roommate. Before coming to Korea I was really doubting where to stay - an appartement or the dorms - but finally chose for the dorms for a couple of reasons. First because you can’t just rent a room/apartment a few months before you go, I was told to look for rooms just a few weeks beforehand, since then a lot more would be available. This just seemed too risky. You also meet a lot more people in the dorms - and this was one of the biggest positives. The dorm room was pretty minimal and having a roommate isn’t always great but I already knew this beforehand. I know the curfew (1 to 5 am) was a big downside for a lot of people when choosing for the dorms, but there was no curfew on friday night and saturday you would just stay out till 4/5am (plus the taxi ride back home) anyway.
Leisure/culture:
Seoul is really an amazing city when it comes to this. There is so much to do and to see that it is never boring. There is food literally everywhere. All shops are open till 10/11 pm and there’s many night shops/restaurants as well. There is loud Korean music playing everywhere and there’s always some people out on the street - the city really never sleeps. There is a very rich traditional culture but it’s mixed with the super modern aspects like wifi everywhere and the newest technology. If you like nature and hiking there’s lots of options as well.
Suggestions/tips:
There are a few things that really help you get around Seoul easier. For example the Subway app, it’s in English and you can easily see all the metro lines and how to get to places. You can get a transportation card pretty much anywhere. You can pay everywhere with your credit card but double check you don’t have to pay fees to your bank every time you pay somewhere. You need to get an alien registration card in Korea so take care of that on time otherwise you can not leave the country and come back. There’s also this app Kakaotalk that everyone uses, also for school projects and stuff. Get warm clothes for the winter cause the winters aren’t anything like here!
Conclusions
Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain:
Definitely! Education wise SKKU is one of the top of the country. The location is also great, right in the cultural centre. The exchange was a one in a life time experience. Seoul is an amazing city with lots of things to do and experience.
Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Have an open mind because some things are very different from western culture. Korean people tend to be quite shy towards foreigners (except when going out) so if you want to meet them you should probably initiate. Koreans are very polite and friendly though so don’t worry. Other than that just go on exchange and enjoy it! Family name: xxx
First name: xxx
Student number: xxx
Faculty/college: University College Roosevelt
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Liberal Arts & Sciences (Social Sciences)
Destination city & country Seoul, South Korea
Name host institution and/or Sungkyunkwan University company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 25/2/2017 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 29/7/2017 (after traveling)
Preparation
Exchange/placement application process:
It's a lot of paperwork and it's a long process, but most of it went pretty smoothly. Sometimes as UCR student the communication with Utrecht was a bit off, as I couldn't be at the information event, and there was some confusion regarding papers the host university sent that I needed for my visa. Overall though, it's understandable that there's a lot of paperwork involved and usually it's easy to ask for help or get it figured out. Just be prepared.
Counselling/support at home university:
It was okay, sometimes it was difficult to reach people, especially since the UCR international officer is very busy, but overall it was good and my e-mails to Utrecht IO were always answered.
Academic preparation:
Not really necessary? If you're UCR, just make sure you meet the conditions of having completed certain courses and a sufficient GPA.
Language preparation:
If you're going to South Korea, it's definitely helpful if you know how to read hangul before you go. It's very easy to learn and it would make you feel a lot less lost when you arrive. I studied a bit of Korean and learned how to read hangul before I went, and I'm very glad I did. It's worth the few hours.
Finances:
Prepare to spend a lot more than you're used to; at least this was my experience. There's a lot to explore, there's many new people to meet and hangout with, and it's going to cost money. Korea is actually pretty cheap if you look at transport, food and general stuff; but you'll probably use it a lot more than you would at home. You might also want to travel to places outside Seoul, and that adds up as well. I worked a semester before I went and put my DUO on max, which helped me out.
I guess it can be cheap if you want to, but if you want to get the most of your experience prepare to have some money at hand.
Study/placement abroad period
Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues):
Went pretty okay. Before I went, I read about people crying during previous course sign-ups due to how chaotic it was, so I was prepared for the worst. However, you can register for courses offline pretty easily. Just be sure to keep up with the e-mails and notice at the website. I do know some people who had difficulties with their home university or with some 'international' courses not being English; so perhaps I was an exception. Sungkyunkwan did hire more people than in previous years though, so they have gotten better at dealing with the increasing amount of exchange students.
Academic quality of education/placement activities:
The courses were mostly easier than I'm used to at UCR, a lot less reading. I still feel like I learned a lot though, just in different ways.
Counselling/support at host institution/organisation:
The guy at the international office is very nice; my roommate actually became friends with him and a few others who stayed for a longer time knew him well too. He was always ready to help and quick to answer e-mails, also when I was still at home. The rest of the staff was helpful as well; e-mails were quickly answered and the office is easy to reach and there's usually someone there.
Transfer of credits: hasn't happened yet; I am a bit annoyed that my learning agreement got partially disapproved because of a misunderstanding, and this never got solved. I sent multiple e-mails explaining the misunderstanding but never got something back.
Student life
Welcome/orientation programme:
The buddy programme works pretty well. I saw my Korean buddy three times but I did meet someone in the buddy group who I hung out with a lot throughout the semester. Hi-club also organizes several activities and parties for international students which are really fun.
Accommodation:
I stayed in the dorms, I-house. It was pretty comfortable and not very expensive, considering it's in such a big city and so close to campus. You share your room with someone else, but I think that can be a good experience.
Leisure/culture:
There's a lot to explore in Seoul and South Korea! I can really recommend joining a club or trying to find some organisation or activity outside university. That way you'll learn more about the culture and people and you'll also have a lot of fun! Also, Korean food is very unique and delicious, so be sure to try out some new things.
Suggestions/tips:
Don't worry too much about the practicalities, most of it becomes obvious while you're there (like sim card, bank account, etc.). It can be helpful to check out some blogs before you go (just google around) and be sure to regularly check your e-mail and notices on the website.
And when you're there: just have fun, there's no 'right' way to travel.
Conclusions
Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain:
I personally really liked studying here, but I think every exchange experience is probably amazing in its own way. South Korea is a really interesting and unique country, with very nice and friendly people. Seoul is an exciting city with a lot of history, and the nightlife is awesome. Sungkyunkwan is regarded as a 'good' university and is well known, so that's also a plus. The campus is nice and they offer a variety of courses.
Just think about what you want, and if you think you'll like something different, South Korea is a great choice.
Do you have any additional advice or comments?:
Contact details Student Services / International Office UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Humanities
Level: bachelor x master PhD other
Name degree programme: RMA Media and Performance Studies
Destination city & country Seoul, South Korea
Name host institution Sungkyunkwan University and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 01/09/2016 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 16/12/2016
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: This went all quite well for me. Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) was my first option for studying abroad, and I got it. After getting the approval of Utrecht University, you do have to wait a while for a response from SKKU. My experience with Koreans is that they love paperwork, so you have to wait a while before you get a physique package send to the international office at the Uithof. It is for this reason that you have to wait with applying for a visa, since you need a letter of approval from SKKU to get it. This wasn’t last-minute work for me, but I would advise anyone to apply for a visa as soon as possible after you have received your package. Counselling/support at home university: All the information that you can find on the website of Utrecht University is basically all you need. I didn’t need any extra help from the international office. I do know that they respond quite fast to your emails, and that they are almost always reachable by phone. Academic preparation: I didn’t need to prepare myself for the courses that I was going to take. Of course, it is important that you already have some sort of understanding of the courses that you are planning on taking at SKKU, but you don’t really need to actively prepare yourself. Language preparation: If you are interested in new languages, then I would definitely recommend you to already learn some basics of the Korean language before your arrival. I didn’t prepare myself at all, but taught myself in 1 or 2 hours how to read hangul (Korean) in Seoul. It is very different from any Western language, so I just started to read everything out loud, like a six-year-old who just learned how to read. In the end, I wasn’t able to communicate any Korean with my fellow Koreans, except for ‘hi’, ‘bye’, and ‘thank you’. Not a lot of Koreans speak English, so if you master the language it would definitely help you a lot, although I did survive without any of those skills #longlivesignlanguage. Finances: Okay, well, I did prepare myself with some savings of 5000 euros. And I have to say, Korea is an expensive country. People don’t cook themselves, because it is more expensive to shop in a supermarket than going out for dinner. I thus ate every evening in separate restaurants and paid between 5-10 euros for a meal; just to give you an impression on how much you are probably going to spend on food. 5000 was enough, especially since I also went on a vacation trip to Seoroksan National Park for one weekend, and also a week to Jeju island. Other spendings will probably be on public transport, entrance fees, etc. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): Before I came to Korea, I didn’t know that it was quite uncommon that a master student would go abroad: I was one of the only international students (of the 300) who was a graduate. SKKU tells you with the help of the AMAZING GLS-system that a lot of courses will be taught in English. Nothing could be less true. I sat in around three classes in which the professor just started to speak Korean and refused to speak English, and I was not the only one who experienced this. In the end, the international students had made a list of around 50 courses that were promised to be taught in English but were not. We handed this list to SKKU, who said that they would work on this for the next Fall semester… Eventually, I found three courses that I could take in English, but to let SKKU know of this final decision of courses, you need to print (paperwork <3) a screenshot of your courses in GLS (<3). It all seems quite stupid, but after the first month everything appears to have been settled and you don’t need to contact the international office at SKKU anymore. BTW: there is only one man, Mr. Song, working for the international office who has to do everything for ALL the international students. You will get a lot of emails from this man, and he will send a lot of information last-minute or too late. Before freaking out about this, please respect this man and his job because he is doing the best he can. All love for Mr. Song <3 Academic quality of education/placement activities: Since you will be coming from a Dutch university, you have a very high level of education. I didn’t know this before I went to Korea, but, apparently, the Dutch education has much higher standards than lots of other countries, especially Korea. As a graduate student, I was quite shocked by the level of knowledge of my fellow students in the three classes that I have taken. I was the only one with some theoretical knowledge of concepts and also the only one who questioned things that were written in prescribed articles and books. Koreans don’t really speak in class, and when they do, their argument isn’t theoretically founded in any way. The professors do, however, have a well- established theoretical background, but since they are not used to active student participation, they are often shocked by someone who would like to open up a discussion. I didn’t have to take any exams for my courses, but I did write three papers in the end. These papers were written in the same way that I write them at Utrecht University, and are, apparently, from a very high level to Korean standards; all my papers are graded with an A+. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: As I already said, Mr. Song will be there for all your problems, but since everyone has problems regarding their courses in the first month, Mr. Song might not give you a straight away answer or a quick response to your question. You do get a buddy on your first day, and I know that some people really bonded with their buddy and helped them to get to know SKKU, Seoul, or even other parts of Korea. But for some reason, I lost contact with my buddy after the first week. Hahaha. Transfer of credits: This still needs to happen since I just came back. What is important is that you let the Exam Committee of your program here at Utrecht University know what courses you are going to take at SKKU after you have made your final list there. That way, you are already sure that your program sees these courses as valid courses in your program. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: The welcome was just one day and was more an introduction on how to handle the GLS system (<3) and how to subscribe for courses. You get to know your buddy, and you go out partying with other students. Accommodation: I slept in C-house dormitory: a house with 70 male students sharing one kitchen. You have a roommate, so that means that you share your room and bathroom with someone else. The rooms were provided with a bed, desk, and closet for each person and a washing machine. SKKU has a curfew in their dormitory; that means that you can’t enter or leave the building between 01.00 and 05.00. So, if you’re going out, it’s going to be a long night out, or a short one. Leisure/culture: There is a lot to see and explore in Korea! Buy a Lonely Planet and explore the different parts of the enormous city of Seoul. After a while, you may want to go out of the busy city life. Therefore, I went to a Buddhist monastery for a week, which was an amazing experience! The same goes for hiking in nature at Seoroksan National Park, and the exploration I did on Jeju island. Since the education at SKKU is not going to be very challenging, please do take your time to explore the country, especially everything that the nature of Korea has to offer Suggestions/tips: Bring deodorant with you; Koreans don’t do deodorant. The same goes for bread. I changed my breakfast from bread to rice in the morning, which was much cheaper and something different for a change. Explore the country and don’t try to see everything from a Western perspective, but go along with a different way of life. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes. If you, just like me, seek to get a culture shock which will give you a new perspective on everything you think you know, go to Korea. Studying abroad in a country which is very different from your own will make you rethink unconscious Western behaviours and attitudes, which is something amazing. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Just go with the flow and don’t try to plan everything beforehand