Exchange Report Seoul National University , Korea WONG, Cheuk Yan Information system and accounting, Year 3 Fall 2018 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Part I Monthly Activity Log 3 Part II General Exchange Information 7 Part III Items to Bring 10 Part IV Useful Links and Contacts 11 2 Monthly Activity Log September 2018 On the first day I arrived at Seoul National University, I first went to the dormitory building to finish the move-in procedures and meet my roommates. My dormitory looked like an apartment with a beautiful view and a comfortable space. All furniture, closet and laundry machine were provided. My roommates included two local students, and other exchange students from Japan, Taiwan and Poland. Since all of us came from different countries, we shared our food and culture to each other enthusiastically. The university had organized two city tours before the start of the semester, which were Seoul city tour and Busan city tour. In the Seoul City tour, we went to Gyeongbokgung Palace, Insa Dong, N Seoul Tower, Myeong Dong etc. As these places were famous tourist spots, it is not necessary to join this tour if you have been to Korea before. However, during the Busan city tour, we had chances to visit more attractions related to Korean history and culture. For example, Gamcheon Culture Village, which was destroyed during the Korean War, has significant cultural and historical value. Its territorial features, the hillside roads ad unique stairs-shape house arrangement, is one of the Korean cultural tradition. Moreover, the Nurimaru APEC House was the venue of 13th The APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. 3 October 2018 After one month of getting along with my classmates and roommates, our relationship became closer. Since most Korean students would choose lecture using Korean Language, most of my classmates were exchange students. Although I did not have too many opportunities to communicate with locals, it was a great chance to know friends from other parts of the world. In one of the courses, Two Koreas: Modern Korean History and Society, we always have a deep and thought-provoking discussion on the Korean history, for instance we discussed whether the first Korean President Synman Rhee was a good president. The SNU Buddy programme organized some activities to improve the connection between exchange students. One of the impressive activities was International Food Festival. I joined a Norwegian team and we planned to make a Norwegian soup. However, during the food sharing session, we found that our dishes was not attractive compared to other teams. We then changed our menu to scrambled egg sandwich with smoked salmon and won the champion. 4 November 2018 The weather was getting colder and the leaves were turning into golden orange, which was a good time to go hiking and travelling. With several friends from Korea University, we went to the Nami Island, Petite Prince Village in Gapyeong. In order to prepare for the final exam and projects, I always go to café to do revision with my roommates. During the project presentation, I observed that tutors and Korean students focused more on the content rather than the way to present. They are allowed to follow their script during presentation. 5 December 2018 In the last month before I left, I had a four-day short trip in the Southern part of Korea. I visited Gyeongju, Daegu and Busan, where I could find lots of historical heritage. Some of the famous tourist spots in Gyeongju included Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond, Cheomseongdae Observatory. Donggung Palace served as the living quarters of the crown prince of Silla, and Cheomseongdae Observatory is also an astronomical observatory was built in the Silla Dynasty. Yangnyeongsi Market in Daegu is another interesting place to visit. It reveals the Korean medicinal culture, such as using herbal medicine to prevent illness through tea. 6 General Exchange Information 1) Visa Procedures Korean Student Visa(D-2) could be applied through the Korean Embassy at Central. Passport, visa application form with photo, certificate of admission from SNU and certificate of business registration needed to be submitted. After 1 week, you can go to the Korean Embassy again and get your visa. Within 90 days after arrival in Korea, you have to apply the Alien Registration Card. You need to register a timeslot through the online booking system. As its timeslot is always full, it is better to register one month before the deadline. One thing you need to be aware is that you cannot leave Korea before you get the Alien Registration Card. 2) Orientation Activities The school held an orientation talk on 30th August, which would explain all the important information and actions needed to take, such as how to apply the student card, course add-drop period, emergency number, shuttle bus schedule and how to open bank account. 3) International Services & Activities There is an International Community Center behind the undergraduate dormitory, which is for exchange students only. You could go there to take a rest, do revision or anything you like. All the snacks and drinks are free. Sometimes, they would organize activities such as singing competition. 4) Accommodations The dormitory can be applied through the MySNU Portal or Gwanak Reseidence Hall homepage while it is not guaranteed. The first round results would be announced two weeks later. After I accepted the dormitory offer, I had to submit the required documents immediately, including a copy of passport, health form signed by the doctor, the medical certificate included Chest-X ray result issued within 6 months and Vaccination Report for Measles. Also, the dormitory fee with the bank charge (around HKD5000 in total) should be paid before the deadline. The official move-in date was 1st September. All furniture, closet and laundry machine were provided. Since the each house has their own toilet, you have to clean it each week according to the rules set by your roommates. However, wi-fi are not provided in the dormitory so you could buy a cable to connect your computer. If your roommate had installed a wi-fi router in the room, you might ask him/her to share the wi-fi password. 7 5) Courses Registration The course registration started at the end of July. One thing you need to be aware is that some of the courses are prior to students with corresponding majors. Even if you cannot enroll to the courses you want to take, you can submit the override form with professor’s signature. However, only the first lesson are allowed to ask for signature and it greatly depends on professor’s decision. 6) Teaching & Assessment Methods Some of the courses are taught in English, which would be clearly stated on the course registration website. Even though most professors are Korean, they came back from overseas and were able to communicate in English. The workload in SNU was quite heavy, including midterms, finals and presentations. Students did not need to be in formal or smart casual dressing and could follow the script during the presentation. Also, professors would take attendance at the beginning of each class. Students were allowed to skipped more than 3 class, otherwise the professor would give a F grade. 7) Sports & Recreation Facilities There are two fitness center near the dormitory building. One near the postgraduate dormitory is a private gym room costed around 40,000 KDW one month. Another fitness center at the G/F of undergraduate dormitory belongs to the university, which costs around 20000 KDW one month. However, we have to first register an account and do the enrollment on its webpage. 8) Finance & Banking (including currency / expenses) On the orientation day, some staff bank came and helped us to do the registration. If you miss it and want to open a bank account later, you can go to the bank branches in the campus with the Alien Registration Card. Global ATMs could be found in the campus. However, it was a lot more convenient to open a bank account and get the debit card, since all restaurants, supermarket and most of the store accept using debit card. 9) Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities “SNU Buddy Programme” is a good opportunity to know other exchange students, as they would organize various activities through the semester, including the International Food Festival, Membership training, Temple Stay. Some clubs are welcomed exchange students to join, but it would be better if you can speak Korean. 10) Health & Safety Students could visit the clinic in the student center building for medical treatment. The 8 campus was safe and staffs were willing to help if you need. 11) Food There were several cafeterias in the campus. All the meals were sold at a reasonable price from 3000 to 5000 KDW (HKD 21-35). There were also lots of catering choices near the Seoul University station and Nakseongdae station. 12) Transportation The university provided free shuttle bus services. One connected to the Seoul University Station and the other one connected to the Sillim Station. There were also several bus running around the campus and connecting main metro stations. It costed 1250 KDW per ride and special offer would be given to those passengers transferring to metro. Only additional 100-300 KDW would be charged. The most important thing was that the time of the last trains in different metro lines were different. Some metro lines stopped services at 10.30pm, maybe even earlier at weekends. 13) Climate The daily temperature range could be quite large in Korea. In September, the weather was very hot and the sun was strong. In Winter, the lowest daytime temperature could be - 10°C and the wind was extremely strong.