As mentioned in my last post, final exams are done a little differently at Yonsei than they are at UH Manoa. While each class has a selected date and time based on when the class occurs during the regular semester, just like UH, the yonsei final exam period extends over two weeks. UH Manoa's is only one week. However, I did not have any final exams my second week, which allowed me for a little break after classes were over. In this post, I will cover what my final exam weeks were like as well as what I did in my final week in Korea. Final ExamsFinal Exams at Yonsei were hard. While I only had four classes, I have my finals over the span of two days, meaning that I was having to take multiple finals a day. I have only had to do that once at UH and I can't say that it is the most enjoyable thing in the world. However, I survived it and gave everything my best effort. A tip to getting through finals is to make sure that you meet with your teachers ahead of time to discuss any questions that you have on the material and do the study guides if the teacher provide them, which not all of them will do. I think only one of my classes gave me a study guide, so don't feel afraid to ask your teachers for help when you need it. Also, make sure to know when your finals are, and if you have a big gap, make sure to utilize all the time possible for studying. I know it is tempting to want to travel in between finals, but remember that you are there for school and your grades should always come first. My Last WeekWell, here it is. My last week in Korea. As it turned out, two of my best friends from Hawaii were free this week as well and came and visited me. Together we got to explore Korea and I got to show them all the places that I loved as well as go places that I hadn't been to yet in the semester. We went out every single day and even got to enjoy a concert together! I couldn't have asked for a better last week. It gave me time to reflect on my time in Korea as well as realize that, while there were parts of Korea that I really didn't like, I will miss being there and I hope I get to come back again in the future. 대한민국, 우리 다시 만나는 그 날까지 안녕히계세요.PS I will be updating and finishing off every page on this blog as well as reediting my past posts for mistakes that I didn't catch the first time over the next few weeks. I will also be writing a long reflection on this past semester and what it has meant for me. Please look forward to it!
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We have made it to the last week of classes! I have listed my experience with the last week of school as well as some basic information about how finals are conducted at Yonsei. Hope these help you out! ClassesThe last week of classes is very important. This is the last time you will have to ask teachers questions outside of office hours, so make sure to be prepared. Typically the last week will have review sessions, so try and review the material beforehand and come prepared if you have any questions. My last week of classes had one of my classes canceled and review sessions for everything else. Although this seems easy, these classes are very important for your success, so make sure to attend class and pay attention! Basic Information on Finals at YonseiFinals at Yonsei are a little different than at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. While there is time that is dedicated to only finals, UH has all finals taking place in one week while Yonsei gives two. This will either allow for more time to study and avoid having too many finals together together, or give extra time after finals to explore Korea and pack. For me, my finals all take place within two days, meaning I have two finals on one day and then two the next. While I know this will be a stressful time, because I made my flights for after the finals period I can look forward to a break and time to pack without the worry of studying. I do know some people who have finals a long ways apart during these two weeks, so make sure to schedule your flight accordingly. Either make extra time after the dorm checkout to avoid conflict with finals or check with all your teachers if you intend to leave early.
Here is my findings based on what I've experienced over the past month, including my 12th week here! ClassesClasses are the whole reason that we are here. May is one of the most important months in terms of material. It is the last full month of classes, so a significant amount of material will be covered. On top of this, its one of the first months that you will experience your friends back home being out of school while you still have over a month left. You might even miss peoples graduations. My best friend graduated in the spring of this year, and it was a little hard since I didn't get to be there for her. However, make sure to double down and focus on your classes. Dedicate yourself and make sure to understand the material as you go along! Once you hit May, you are in the latter half of the semester, so make sure you do everything necessary for your classes. Social Activities & TravelingI've decided to combine these two sections because I feel that they are very closely related to each other. I tend to only travel with my friends, as I feel it is more fun to make memories together and safer in general. Therefore, a lot of my social activities are based around traveling. This week I stuck close to Yonsei as I wanted to focus on classes. I would recommend that you look for fun things to do near Yonsei, like in Sinchon or Hongdae, if you feel that classes are overwhelming you or are very stressful. ReflectionMay was a really hard month to get through. Many of my friends agreed they were ready to go back to the United States by the end of this month. I think that one big struggle we face is the language barrier. It is very isolating for people to no be able to communicate at a basic level with those around them. However, I still feel that I have more to accomplish in my classes and more to see while here. I look forward with both hope and stress towards June and finals here at Yonsei.
These past few weeks, two main events stood out to me in the midst of working on essays and group projects. First, my Language Exchange buddy took me to her hometown about 40 minutes by bus away from the university. Then the next week, I went to the first concert that I have ever gone to in my life and learned some vital information about school spirit and pride in Yonsei as well as had fun watching Korean artists perform. Goyang (고양)Seoul is a massive city. Skyscrapers can be seen easily every single day, and everything that you expect would be in a city is here- clubs, high rises, apartments, subways, etc. However, sometimes this might be a little isolating and quite stale. One thing that I love about Hawaii, or Oahu more specifically, is the mixture of nature and suburbia. In Hawaii, the beach is never far away and the forests provide for great hikes. In Seoul, while nature is probably more common than in New York City or Los Angeles, its still very much a city atmosphere. This can be great, but sometimes I feel that an escape is great. Hearing this, my language exchange buddy took me to a park in Goyang. Goyang is about 40 minutes by bus away from Yonsei University. It does still have a bit of Suburban aspects, but it in general was a lot more peaceful and it was nice to get away and just relax for a while. I will be uploading images here so be sure to check that out! I would highly recommend going to Goyang if you feel like taking a nice afternoon for relaxation. There is also a Flower Festival in May typically, so if you are in Seoul around that time I would advice you to go! Akaraka (아카라카)Akaraka is a music festival held by Yonsei University. It typically takes place in May and is held on either a Friday, as was done in the past, or on Saturday, like it was this year. Yonsei will invite several artists to come and perform. If you enjoy Kpop, this festival is a great opportunity to see some artists for a cheap price. While a concert like this would typically cost over $100, Akaraka only costs around $13 and you have the potential of being right on the stage is you can get one of those tickets. This festival is also great for non kpop fans as well. This festival provides a huge insight into the pride that Koreans take in their school and is a great way to not only bond with other students, but become more prideful in Yonsei as well. In Korea, school is taken extremely seriously. Students in middle in high school will get up and be in school at around 8 am and stay there until 5 pm. Then they will go to extra tutoring and schooling until around 10pm and then go home and do their schoolwork. Yonsei is one of the top schools in the country, so if a Korean student gets into Yonsei they are extremely proud and excited, like if someone in the United States gets into Princeton or Harvard. Because of this, school chants and songs were sung throughout the festival, and it made me really proud to get to be a part of that experience. Although I have face some difficulties during my time here, this festival was something that I think I will cherish forever. I hope that every foreign exchange student at Yonsei considers attending this festival, even if they aren't into Kpop. As I said before, I will be updating the photos tab soon with videos and pictures of things I have been doing! Thanks so much for reading, and I hope I helped! ~Ashley
Since this week was a pivotal week in my experience in Korea, I wanted to list some persisting challenges that I have faced as well as some less touristy things to keep an eye out for while exploring. Not that there is anything wrong with doing touristy things, but for those points where you want to relax but still explore, I've listed things that should be fun and still provide for a great memory to look back on. Things I've had to get used toHuge disclaimer: I am not saying that these things are inherently negative, but they can be quite a problem before one learns how to handle them. The first thing that I have had to get used to seems simple, but it can feel quite isolating when going around by yourself: the language barrier. I have taken 5 semesters worth of Korean before this trip and I still felt very lacking. It isolates you from the people around you, because even if you need help or were lost and needed to talk to someone, chances are that they aren't going to be able to understand you. Tip for adjusting to this is to make sure to brush up on the words that you think would be very necessary and make sure to download dictionary or translate apps on your phone just in case. This could come in handy.The next thing that I have had to get used to is people staring. It isn't really annoying, but it does take some getting used to as people will look at me simply because I am a foreigner. Older people will normally Many sales people wont try and speak to me, but instead just stare or point at things because they assume I know no Korean whatsoever, which is a fair assumption but it does take some getting used to.The final problem that I have had to face here is the lack of size diversity. What i mean by this is that many of the clothing stores, even the foreign brands, either do not carry my size clothing or the sizes are completely off. My friend, who is a size 6, when into a H&M and tried on a size 12 equivalent in their sizes and it barely fit. This is very hard, as I see many cute clothes but I avoid them because none of them fit me. It is also hard because this means that as the seasons change I may not have the right clothing and may have to get clothes from back home shipped to me, which is extremely expensive. Fun ActivitiesNow that we have talked about some negatives, here are some things that I did within the past week that I think would be very helpful when looking for inexpensive things to do that aren't too touristy. First, I think going to art museums, especially ones off the beaten path, are a great way to avoid too many tourists as well as experience something unique. My friend took me to an art museum and, while there were many Korean people there making it crowded, there were not many foreigners. This was nice, as it allowed me to feel like I was a part of the country and that I was more adjusted rather than just an outsider. Another thing I would highly recommend doing is going to Cheonggyesan Stream. It is a peaceful break where you can walk by the water and have a little bit of nature in your day rather than only city all the time. I found it quite relaxing to walk there, and there aren't that many tourists (although there will be a lot of people taking photos.) I hope these things help you out and that you are more prepared for what is to come! ~Ashley
Not too much exploring happened this month, since there were midterms going on. I did get some time in with my friends while doing some studying, but overall here is how my month went. ClassesClasses this month were harder than last month since we are moving along in the material. In addition, things were harder because of midterms. As I explained previously, midterms are a little different here, so that took a little adjustment. Overall, I would say that class life is much easier overall with the schedule, especially coming off of that long break, but the material is definitely harder than last month. Social ActivitiesSince this month contained Midterms that make up a large portion of our grades, I didn't really do anything social besides study with some of my classmates, visit cafes with friends so we all could study or go for dinner together. I think this a great way to still hang with friends while also staying on top of your studies. I would highly recommend going to 딸기골 near the dorms, as it provides Korean food that is relatively inexpensive or 독수리다방 in Sinchon, as it overlooks the city and also has a great atmosphere for studying. ReflectionThis month has taught me a lot about dealing with pressure. I tend to get stressed very easily, so this month did provide some challenges for me in that regard. However, what I taught me is that I need to keep my head on my shoulders and take a step back when I feel overwhelmed. Once assessing the situation and looking at it with fresh eyes or a clear head, it may be easier to find the answer. Although I do stress myself out sometimes, I tend to do better when I have responsibilities and activities to take care of. However, sometimes the line between too much and just right can become very blurred. Make sure to only take on responsibilities or make plans if you are absolutely certain you can handle it. People understand if you have too much on your plate so you can't do something, but it is not appreciated if you agree and then cancel. Don't be worried about doing so much stuff and focus on studying; after midterms you will have time to go more places. But still find ways to relax during such stressful time!
Midterms are a very stressful time for students. There are several key differences between how midterms go at UH and how they were conducted at Yonsei. I feel that some people could definitely prefer the way the midterms are structured here in Korea. Below I have listed the difference and my opinions on them as well as some things to keep in mind. Midterms WeekBoth Yonsei University and University of Hawaii have finals weeks, where all the classes will give their final exams and students can devote time to studying for only their finals and not worry about having other classes. However, Yonsei also conducts this process for their school during midterms while University of Hawaii does not. While this does lead to time to devote directly for studying for midterms, it also causes some conflict because some classes still conduct class on the day that other classes may have midterms. I have never had more than two midterms on one day at UH, and even when I did I didn't have any other classes on those days. However, this semester, I had two midterms the same day and another class. I did enjoy the concept of having the midterms all in one week to make it easier to just settle down and study, but some teachers changed their midterms to different weeks so it kind of defeated the purpose. The other weird thing is that it wasn't situated all in one week, but midterm week started on a Wednesday and continued until Tuesday. This meant that some people did have to take midterms on Saturdays as well, so keep that in mind. All in all, please keep this in mind if you do decide to study at Yonsei and prepare accordingly; study hard and make sure to check if you have classes on certain dates or not. Keep this in mind...Typically classes taught at Yonsei, at least the ones that I am taking this semester, only use your test grades or report grades towards your final grade. There is not a lot of homework assigned, so you have to keep on top of your material. This can be hard when you focus on going around and seeing the entire country, which there is nothing wrong with- you are in a foreign country and you should definitely explore! Just try to put studying first. Maybe go to a cafe with a scenic view of the city, or dedicate one day of the weekend to exploring and another for schoolwork. This may seem overwhelming at times but you have done it before and you can again! Plus, you will have a more enjoyable time at whatever you are doing if you have gotten studying or other assignments taken care of beforehand because the stress of needing to complete something won't be there. I hope this gave you a better insight into midterms here at Yonsei and how to deal with them, especially since they're going on in a foreign country. Thanks so much for reading! ~Ashley
This week kicked off a lot of club activities! Since joining clubs are a large part of any college experience, I wanted to take this post to talk about the meetings that I did this week and how they went. Language ExchangeThe language exchange, or LE for short, is about Korean students learning a language of their choice and exchange students meeting Korean people and potentially practicing Korean if they so wish. (However you don't have to be learning Korean in order to join the club). You are given a buddy which you have one on one meetings with, and learn more about Korean culture as well as make friends and connections. MeetingsYou set the meetings for this club. You are your LE Buddy will get together and do whatever you feel fit for your meetings. Some people will just cary on conversations in english and get to know there buddies, others will debate and have discussions in both Korean and English to improve your language. Overall, these meetings are up to you and can provide a good time to get to know about Korean culture from someone who has spent a large amount, if not all, or their life in the country. Walk & TalkThis has been one of my most fun memories so far. For this activity, each LE group had to make it through a selection process. After the five final groups were selected, the Yonsei Global crew and the groups all headed to the Han River. There, we played games, had conversations and enjoyed the view. We also ate pizza and chicken, which was delicious. It was a great time and really relaxed me from the stress of the semester as well as helped bring me closer with my buddy. Mentors ClubThe Mentors Club is another campus that connects Koreans and exchange students. This club doesn't give you an individual mentor, but instead there are small groups with about a 3:1 or 4:1 foreigner to mentor ratios. This provides more connections with people as well as larger groups for when groups meet. MeetingsThe meetings for mentors club are designed by the mentor of your cell. So far I have only been to one meeting with the entire cell, but there are smaller sub cells in each cell. Each cell contains about three to four mentors who each have three to five mentees, so the cells can be quite large. The meeting was over chicken, and was delicious as well as entertaining. I was able to talk and make connections with both foreign students and the Korean mentors, so it was a fun time over all and definitely worth it. Membership TrainingThis event was not really my scene, but if you're into drinking games and korean barbecue, then you will love it. However, if you don't drink like I do, then this even will not be fun. I went, even though I knew there would be drinking, because going to a membership training, or MT (엠티) is a part of Korean culture and I have heard about them in the past. However, from the ones that I had heard about, drinking was involved but wasn't the center of the event. Here that was not the case. Virtually everything that the event was educating foreigners on drinking games and that aspect of Korean culture. It was a lot of fun to watch the games being played as well as play while using water instead of alcohol. As the night progressed and more people became incoherent, it was a lot less fun as I was virtually the only sober person there and the activities were not inclusive of me. This, combined with many of the Korean mentors hanging out with each other towards the end of the night rather than the exchange students contributed to a so-so outing. However, if you enjoy drinking games and such, this would be great for you and I'm sure you'll have fun. One thing to keep in mind is that MTs are overnight trips, so you could either take a taxi back after the subway closes or get very little sleep and wake up at 5:30 to catch the first bus. Hope these give you deeper insights into some of the clubs that are available at Yonsei University. Hope this helps you decide on if you want to join any of these clubs too. See you next time! ~Ashley
At the end of the first month of school, I wanted to recap what I've done within my first month in Korea, both in and out of school, and some struggles that have occurred whilst I've been in Korea. ClassesThis month provided some challenges for me regarding my schedule. I have never had to change a schedule in the middle of a semester before, as I tend to either not be able to switch classes around due to time constraints or requirements. When I got here, I had the shock of not being placed in the equivalent to the next semester of Korean that I needed. This was hard for me to deal with at first, as I've always done well in Korean classes, but I realized that me sitting around and feeling bad wasn't going to get me further along. And although it made me sad, I had to drop Korean for the first time since my freshman year. However, I feel that this has made me more dedicated to learning the language and culture and improving myself in upcoming months. Just make sure that if you fall into a situation where you feel that you can't do anything, that you keep pushing forward towards what you need to get done instead of stopping and feeling sorry for yourself. Social ActivitiesI have joined two clubs while I have been here and I personally think that this is a great way to meet people. There are tons of clubs all over campus for foreign exchange students to join and meet people in. The two clubs that I have joined are the Mentor's Club and the Language Exchange. No Korean is required for these clubs, but it would be a great way to practice as you can meet many Korean students here. However, something important to remember is to put yourself out there and talk to people. Don't be afraid to talk to others! I met one of my friends here by simply talking to her in the elevator one day, so you never know where you'll find someone to be friends with. Travel DestinationsI have also travelled all over the place this month! I went to Namsan tower, Hongdae, Coex, Everland, and so many cool places. They really showed me some interesting things about Korean culture and Korea. I think it was great that I have the opportunity to travel to these places and I am extremely grateful to be here. I will be uploading short descriptions of the places I go here, so be sure to keep checking out this page for ideas of where to go! ReflectionAll in All, this month did bring me a lot of challenges. Adapting to a new culture can be very tiring, especially when it also involves getting back into the swing of school after a 2.5 month break. I also ran into problems with registration and financial aid. Because of the later registration from Korea, my financial aid was cancelled. So while I was beginning school and dealing the very common stress from being back in classes, I was also contacting the school multiple times and working to get my aid back. Thanks to some wonderful help from my mom, we finally were able to find the proper way to reinstate my loans. That being said, I am really enjoying my classes this semester, and the teachers seem to be greatly interested in the subject matters. I also am really enjoying that I get to explore on my days off and practice my Korean little by little and improve. This month has had some challenges, but I'm going to roll with them and improve myself from what I have learned! Hope this month has provided some insight into school life here. Here's to next month and more exploration and education! ~Ashley
Since weeks 2 and 3 were primarily filled with classes for me, I thought I would use this time to detail some differences between the U.S. and Korea that I've noticed since I have been here. These things are just some differences that I noticed from exploring and going different places. This doesn't mean that I hate these things, just that they are different than what I am used to. People Help Each OtherThe first thing that I noticed is people take time to help each other when they have problems. In the U.S, especially in big cities, I think many people have an attitude of "It doesn't affect me, so its not my problem". However, even in the middle of Seoul, I have watched people go out of their way to help older people or even someone who had fallen down. As stated in a previous blog post, I also had lost a wheel on my suitcase and needed help crossing the street. People stopped work to offer a helping hand, and I truly appreciated that. Many Foreign Exchange clubsI think something that I noticed in comparison to UH is the amount of Exchange clubs for students studying abroad. There are three common ones through Yonsei, but there are so many events and other things especially tailored to english speaking exchange students. Since I am not an exchange student at UH, I was unaware if we had these kinds of clubs at UH. I do know that the International Business Organization (IBO) does welcome all students into their club, including exchange students. However, I am unaware about if there are more at UH, so I was really happy to see the amount of clubs that they offered here because it made me feel more comfortable knowing that I could connect with people. School SpiritYonsei exhibits a school pride that I feel isn't as common at UH. People are proud to go to UH and sport merchandise all the time. However, people here take it to a new level. They buy letterman's jackets that you see all around. You also see the same from other universities. Everything is Yonsei branded and the store comes with so much merchandise that I don't see at UH. I think it's a part of the whole University experience in Korea, whereas in the United States people are into their college, but on a more downplayed level. Drinking CultureDrinking is no big deal here. People will go to the bar or a club on a Tuesday evening and have drinks. Alcohol is simply something fun to do with friends here, not something to be ashamed of. However, I do not drink alcohol and don't plan on doing so even when I am legal in my home country. It is a bit hard finding fun things to do with Koreans at night because of this, as drinking is such a large part of night culture here. If you go out for club events, there could be drinking. Clubbing and Bar-hopping are popular here. Don't let these things stop you from going out and having fun though! If you don't ming being out with people who are drinking, even though you won't partake, make sure to join the groups going out! And if you don't make sure to find people who are also down to do other things. There are plenty of places to explore during the day. Hiking is also very popular in Korea, so join a hiking club. All in all, there are still things to do if you don't plan on drinking, but just make sure to make an effort to find them. Dorm AmenitiesAs an out of state student at UH, I have lived in the dorms since the beginning of my college career. While here, I have noticed some differences in amenities between Frear Hall and the Freshman towers and SK Global, the dorm where I am staying. The first thing is the study rooms on the floors. Each floor in SK Global has two different lounges on the floor. However, in Frear Hall size of the study room may vary based on the floor you are on, and some floors have laundry rooms rather than lounges. In the freshman towers, there is a joint lounge and lanai between every two floors. Within the SK lounges, there is a sink and water cooler as well as several tables and a TV to watch. Both UH dorms only have tables in them for studying and possibly a whiteboard. All dorms also have separate kitchen floors, although the SK global kitchen is much larger since people cook a lot more due to the lack of a meal plan. There common spaces in the dorms are also cleaned multiple times a week here, which is more than at UH. All in All, the dorms do have very convenient things that help students out while there. Dorm RestrictionsEven though the dorm has some amenities that UH doesn't have, one thing that is a bit of a struggle getting used to is the restrictions here. First things first, the dorm is separated by gender, even in the co-ed dorm. There are separate female and male floors in SK Global, and in the International house males are not permitted to enter at all. When someone visits a dorm, they are only allowed to stay for two hours maximum and must sign in at the front desk before entering. The guests are also not allowed to enter the rooms of the residents; their entire visit is restricted to the common area. On top of this, students must sign out when they are staying someplace overnight. They are also not allowed to bring alcohol into the dorms. These are things that are not against the rules if you are of legal age in Hawaii, so it is just something to keep in mind so you don't accidentally break the rules. No "Free" TransportAt the University of Hawaii, every student has a bus pass included into the cost of attending school so they can take the bus for "free" whenever they deem necessary by showing the driver their identification. However, students at Yonsei must pay for their own transportation. This is for both the subway and the busses. And while you do have to pay, public transportation is very smooth and quite nice here, so it is pretty worth it. Just keep in mind to budget for transportation when doing activities on top of what you buy for food and souvenirs. No Meal PlanThis is one thing that I dislike. There are a lot of food options on campus here at Yonsei, with many different kinds of food to suit your mood. However, there is no point system or meal plan at Yonsei, meaning that you either have to make your food every week or you need to budget for eating out. On top of this, some dorm rooms don't even have fridges. And while this is fairly easy to overcome, it still is one more thing that you have to do when you come back from classes. Rather than being able to easily pick up food using meals that are included in costs, you have to pay every single time. It is easily fixed and I am being picky, but just keep in mind to budget for food every week. People StareIn Korea, if you look like a foreigner, people may stare. This is something that my friends from Korea had told me about, but I didn't think it would be a thing since Seoul is a city with a large amount of foreigners. While in Itaewon, which has a huge amount of foreigners, people don't typically stare. On campus people also don't stare. However, when in town either very young kids or older people will stare at you. For me, it is typically only when people see my face, as I have darker hair. However, two of my friends here are blonde and I have noticed that we get more stares when we are out than when I am by myself. People also will come up and say "Hello!" in english and then run away, or other english phrases they know. I even had some older woman come and say "I love you!" to me when walking on the street. However, on the reverse side, if you look Korean at all people will assume you are Korean. One of my friends is Chinese-American and knows no Korean at all, but every local person assumes that she speaks Korean because of her appearance. Prepare for either of these when coming here! People don't say excuse meThis seems like a very small difference in the grand scheme of things. However, it really does take some getting used to. Occasionally, people might say "잠시만요" (jamshimanyo) or "잠깐만요."(jamkkanmanyo) which translate to "Wait a moment." However, I have only heard these phrases uttered maybe three times over my entire month stay here so far. Be prepared for people all around just expecting you to move or shoving past you. Keep in mind that it is not their culture to say excuse me and that they aren't being rude for the society they live in. It does take getting used to and I don't think I'll ever be entirely adjusted but at least at this point I don't get upset when someone nudges past me. I hope all of these help prepare you for what you might face while in Korea! My next post will include what I have done over this past month and how the first month of being here has treated me. Thanks again for reading!
~Ashley |
AShley
A student studying abroad in Korea. Looking forward to all the adventures that are in store. Hoping to meet new people, learn new things, and improve myself for a better future. Archives
June 2018
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