E-mail: f.c.m.kregting@tilburguniversity.edu
Study Program: Human Resources Studies
Exchange semester: Fall
Academic year: 2015/2016
Host University: Sogang University
Country: South-Korea
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Because Seoul is such a big city, there are a lot of different universities. Sogang University is
located in the student neighborhood of Seoul. The campus is comparable with the campus of
Tilburg University. The first week you will be so tired of walking all the time, since the campus
is located on a big hill. There are hills in Seoul everywhere. It’s a really nice city with a lot of
beautiful mountains. The combination of a city that never sleeps and peaceful mountains and
nationals parks is great. For almost every study program there is a building, like we have in
Tilburg. On the campus there are several places to go for food and coffee/juices. Especially
coffee places. When you live in Seoul you will be surprised about the amount of coffee
places. Also everywhere on the streets there are lots of possibilities to find places to have
dinner/lunch, fruit or something like that. In the building I lived, there was no kitchen, so I went
out for dinner almost every day. It’s the culture, you don’t go for long dinners, but it’s really
efficient. Just order, in a few minutes there is your meal and when you’re done they expect
you to leave. There are a lot of interesting and impressive things to see and do Seoul. I really
enjoyed to hike the beautiful landscapes of the mountains in and surrounding Seoul.
Sometimes it is hard to reach the peak, but when you are there, the view is amazing.
Because the city is so crowded, it’s nice to escape sometimes. Besides, there are a lot of
nice, special cafes. For example there is a dog, cat and goat cafe. Another impressive thing is
the border with North-Korea. Seoul is only 50 kilometer away from the border with NorthKorea. There are soldiers from North- and South-Korea. The main difference with Tilburg is
that this city is so huge. There are so many neighborhoods and wherever you will go during
night or day, shops are open always. There are 11.516 Undergraduate students and 3.921
Graduate students. Two times a week you will have class, this counts for all of the courses.
The duration of one class is 1 hour and 15 minutes. There are midterm exams and finals and
these will take place at the same time you have class.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
I received the pre-arrival information in the beginning of July. During the application you had
to send different documents about housing and stuff. In the beginning of July I knew for sure
that I had a room. Everything was clear, because they already mentioned that if you apply for
a room on time, you will have a room for sure. The rest of the information was especially
about the introduction day and when we had to check in into our rooms. In July I also had to
apply for all my courses. This was confusing, since it was unclear how to do and sometimes
in 10 seconds a course was full, so you could not participate anymore. So my advice would
be to sort all the courses before and look for more available courses, in case they reach the
limit of registrations.
Visa procedure and arrival
It took me one week to get my visa. You have to go to the embassy in The Hague to apply for
visa and you also have to pick it up personally. Take into account that you have to leave your
passport at the embassy during that week. The visa cost around 50/60 euros.
In the information we got from Sogang university, you could arrive on two possible days. On
that days, there were people from an association for exchange students waiting on the airport
to pick us up. From there you went by bus to the dormitory and university. I didn’t use this
ability, since I was travelling before and my flight to Seoul was to another airport. They just
offer this service for the main airport. When I arrived in the dormitory, it was good organized.
You had to sign and someone took me to my room. They gave me information about the
introduction and when I had questions I could go to an office.
Orientation/Introduction activities
There was one day of introduction. It was just a few hours. We got information about several
issues, like the courses, health care, housing and stuff like that. After that our buddies gave
us a campus tour. In the evening there was a dinner organized for all exchange students and
after there was a welcoming party organized by the association for international students.
Although I had a buddy, I just saw him at the introduction day. Don’t expect too much from
your buddy.
Housing
There was a building on the campus with double rooms for both men and women. It is really
strict in South-Korea, so one half of the building was for men and the other part was for
women. In the basement there were common spaces, like the gym and the cafeteria. Even
the laundry rooms were separated. So you have to share a room with another exchange
student or a Korean student. You can chose between those two when you fill in the
application form for the dormitory. It was a bit weird to share a room with someone you don’t
know at all. But I liked it, because at the same time it is really easy to get to know other
students. If you don’t want to make use of the dormitory service of Sogang University, you
can search for your own room somewhere close to the university. There were several
students who did this, because they didn’t want to share a room and keep to the rules of the
dormitory. In the beginning they told us that they would be really strict with curfew and other
things, but these rules in the building are especially for the Korean students. They don’t care
about the international students. You will never get kicked out of the building.
Living Costs
Besides the grant I received from Tilburg University, I saved some money to use during the
exchange. I used this money for travelling and doing several activities. The daily costs were
similar to the costs I have in the Netherlands. The housing was a bit cheaper, the food was
around the same price. You can make it cheaper or more expensive. It is up to you. The
public transport is really cheap compared to the Netherlands. For approximately 1 euro you
can go to most places in Seoul by subway. A lot of expenses are on top of the basic living
costs. You can make your exchange as expensive as you want. Because it is a once in a
lifetime experience, I tend to spend more money. Most of the money I spent on food, because
you go out for dinner every day. It can be cheap, but often we went with a group to nice and
good restaurants. Still it is cheap, compared with restaurants in the Netherlands. But if you
have to pay 10 to 15 euro for dinner every day, the expenses will rise. I spent 20 euros for
books, because I just bought one book. If you want to buy all the books for the courses, it will
be around the same prices as you would pay in the Netherlands. I would advice future
students to save money for travelling. Seoul is close to a lot of countries in Asia. So from
Seoul it is cheap to go to other places in Asia. You can see a lot of places and experience
different cultures in a short time. Because you already travelled all the way to South-Korea,
my advice would be to save money and see more places in Asia. There is enough for during
the semester.
Academic Calendar
My flight to Seoul was on the 19th of August. Before I went to the dorm on the university, I
went to another place in South-Korea for holidays. On the 27th of August I arrived in the
dormitory. On the 27th and the 28th you had to check in for the dormitory. On the 30 th of
August there was the introduction day. It was just one day. It started in the afternoon in a
lecture hall with all new international students. There was an information session followed by
a campus tour. In the evening we had a welcoming dinner with all exchange students. And
after there was a welcoming party in a club close to the university. The Monday after, 31
August, it was the first day of the semester. The mid-term week took place from 19 - 23
October. There was no break after this. The last day of classes was on the 11 th of December.
After this day there was one week of finals. In the middle of the semester, on the 7 th of
October there was the Sogang exchange fair. On this day all exchange students were
promoting their home universities. Students from Sogang University who want to go on
exchange in the future, came by and asked for information.
The International Office
There is an International Office located somewhere in the middle of the campus. Every day
they were available for any questions. So when you have questions, you can go there. I really
appreciated this service. Because everything is new and you are living in a new environment,
you have a lot of questions, especially in the beginning. For example, I had to go to a dentist.
I didn’t know where to go so I asked them what to do. They made an appointment for me,
because it was mainly in Korean. For every continent of the world there is one person on
Sogang University responsible for the exchange students coming from that continent. This
person takes care of the mailing and all the other things you have to deal with. The
international office sent important mails during the exchange about the courses,
(extracurricular) activities. Before I came to South-Korea, there were a lot of e-mails with
important messages. This was restful, since all information was given in the e-mails. For
example about when we had to register for the courses. They really took care of their
exchange students. I am glad with the services they provided. It gave me the feeling that they
really took care of us.
Exchange promotion
In the middle of the semester there was the Sogang exchange fair. During this day all
exchange students were there and gave information about their home cities and universities.
There were a lot of Koreans interested in countries in Europe. I tried to give them the best
answers on their questions, so that they will go study abroad in Tilburg! Tilburg University
sent brochures which I gave to them.
Social Activities
There is an organization of students of Sogang University who organize several events and
activities for exchange students. Every two weeks they organize something. By participating
this events, you will get to know more Korean students and get to know the Korean life better.
They organize activities such as going to a museum or cooking class of Korean dishes. The
name of this student organization is HUG. I had contact with some local students. Often we
met in a mixed group of local and foreign students. Most of my social contacts were with
exchange students. Because you are in the same situation and both looking for contact. So it
was easier to get to know other internationals. On top of that, all exchange students of
Sogang University lived in the same building. Before and during the semester I travelled to
other villages in South-Korea. After the semester I went to other countries. Because I was
already in Asia, I decided to go to Thailand and the Philippines. A lot of exchange students
travelled during the semester, since there was enough free time to do so. A few times there
were no classes on Monday of Friday, so there was the opportunity to go for a short trip.
Culture and Language
In the first week I experienced a culture shock. Because everything is so different. The
people, the city, the language, the products and food. It took me some time to get used to it.
But it went faster than I expect it would be. Our culture is more individualistic and about living
the life how you want to. The host culture is about helping other people and be in a hurry all
the time. High pressure all the time and get the best out of yourself not necessarily for your
own feeling, but for your parents. In our culture it is important to communicate in a good way.
In the host culture a lot of time it was guessing what they were actually saying. While on
exchange, I learned a few things about my own culture. Dutch people are directly. We say the
things how they are. For foreign people, this can be rude. Another thing I learned, Dutch
people are mainly busy with their own life. While in other cultures it is important to take into
account the interest of others before taking a decision. The people in South-Korea are
reserved. It takes a while before they get comfortable with you. If you ask Korean people for
help, they are really friendly and always want to help you the best they can. For example
when you ask how to go to some place, often they will walk with you to guide you to the place.
This was a thing I really liked about the Korean people. The technology in South-Korea is on
a higher level than we are in the Netherlands. In the subway everyone is busy doing stuff on
his or her telephone or tablet. Even people from 80 years old are totally absorbed into their
cellphones. I didn’t like this aspect of the Korean culture. Also on the streets, a lot of times
someone ran into me, because he was too busy with his cellphone. Because I spent 5 months
in Seoul, I think I’ve learned a lot of their culture. All Asian countries I’ve been to had kind of
the same culture, the ‘Asian’ aspect. A huge difference South-Korea has with other Asian
countries, is the pressure and workload. Most people in Seoul didn’t speak English, except all
students on university. Often the local students were too shy to speak English. So this led to
language problems sometimes. Also some people who worked in the building where I lived,
didn’t speak English. This led to difficulties sometimes. I didn’t follow any language courses
during my exchange.
Personal Development
Since I have lived together with several nationalities, I learned a lot of different cultures. This
affected me, because I have learned that people act different in a situation for example. I
have got more respect for the different cultures. My view has broaden and this will affect the
rest of my life in a positive way. I have met a lot of people from all over the world, so my
network has risen. This will influence my future career possibilities for sure, when I am
interested in international career possibilities. Because of the network, I can reach a lot of
people. During my exchange I was hanging around with a lot of people. The basic thing I
learned is that all people in the world are more similar than I thought before. Often it is just the
language that differs. In the Netherlands there are also a lot of people different than I am.
Because the exchange students at Sogang University were all students, we were quite
similar. Before I went on exchange, I thought people from other countries would differ a lot
compared with people from the Netherlands. If I could do the whole experience over again, I
wouldn’t do anything different. Maybe enjoy the time more from the beginning, because at
that time I was stressed a bit. But I think that is just normal, because it’s a big step you take to
live in another world continent for 5 months. My best experience in Seoul was having so much
fun time after time with other exchange students. There are so many nice things to do, it’s
crazy. Just enjoying the time you’ve got all together. My worst experience was my visit to the
dentist. They told me it was an international hospital, but in my opinion it wasn’t. They barely
spoke English and I had the feeling that they didn’t know what they were doing. The thing I
will never forget about my exchange period, is the fact that you can have such a great time,
maybe even the best time of your life, in such a short period with all people you didn’t know
before. Because you are all in the same situation, you feel so similar, while you are actually
such different persons from all over the world. During my exchange it was so easy to make
new friends, this is really a thing I will never forget! I learned many lessons of myself during
the exchange. The most important thing is that I didn’t know I can adapt so fast. Adapt to the
culture, different people, another style of teaching and so on. I got used to everything so fast
without having any troubles, it really surprised me.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Academic level at a host university
The courses at Sogang University are offered in Korean and English. All the courses I
followed were in English. Following courses in Korean would be too hard I think. I took 3
psychological courses and 2 economic courses. I really like psychology courses, so that is the
reason why I took 3 psychological courses. I took the economic courses, because I was
curious about the difference between South-Korea and the Netherlands. Because I thought in
both countries they will use other examples. I would recommend you to take courses you
think are really interesting. When you are on exchange you have the opportunity to follow
courses in another culture. Sometimes the name of a course you can follow looks like the
name of a course you already did in the Netherlands. But this doesn’t always mean that the
content is the same. So I would recommend you to read through all courses you think are
interesting and take the ones that fits you the best, because this differs for each person.
Sogang University is mainly based on Business Economics classes. Most of the exchange
students were part of this school of Sogang University. The level at Sogang University was
lower than the level I was used to in Tilburg. Most of the assignments we had to do besides
our written exams were quite easy, compared with the assignments I have done in Tilburg.
The level of English differed for the courses. In 3 courses the level of English was good, but in
the other 2 courses the level of the professor wasn’t that good. Often they speak with an
unknown accent, so it’s hard to understand all the content of the things someone is telling. I
had the feeling that you will always succeed for a course, if you were present in almost all
classes. This was really important at Sogang University, presence. In South-Korea it doesn’t
matter if you pass a course, but it’s all about the grades. In the Netherlands it isn’t self-evident
that you pass all courses. So this was a big difference. In all the courses they used
Powerpoint presentations, like we do in the Netherlands. The workload was less, compared
with Tilburg. Of course you had to study a lot during the midterms and finals, but besides that
the workload was quite low. Although this differs for the courses, because students with other
courses had to do lots of work because of weekly assignments and presentations. The
teaching style is primarily theoretical. Sogang University uses lectures almost all the time. In
some courses I had to do group work. The courses I had didn’t use seminars or case studies
at all. The relation between the students and the teaching staff was formally. I think it is
similar with the relation Dutch students have with their professors. I am satisfied with the
courses I took and the things I have learned during my exchange.
Exams
For all the 5 courses I had written exam. One during the midterm week and one in the final
week.
Other
Sogang University has a nice library which is easy to use for exchange students. In the
beginning of the semester there was a library tour in which you could participate to get
familiar with the library. If you want to use the library, take part in this tour, it will help you a
lot! For example, you get to know where you can find the public computers.
Description of Courses
Course (all BA)
Psychology in your
life
Prerequisites
None
Exam
Written
ECTS
6
Labor Economics
ECO 3002
Basic economic
course
Written
6
Principles of
Economisc II ECO
2002
Basic economic
course (I don’t
think it’s
necessary)
(Psychological
courses, but it’s
not necessary)
None
Written
6
Written
6
Written
6
Human Growth and
Development PSY
2003
Introduction to
Personality theories
PSY 3008
Comments
Mid-term, many
assignments, final,
quizzes – Easiest
course
Mid-term, final,
assignments, (Bonus
paper) – Difficult
Mid-term, final, quiz,
assignments
Mid-term, final, (Bonus
paper) – Liked this
course the most
Mid-term, final, groupassignment and
presentation
Tips for the future students:
If you have to chance to study abroad, go for it! In a short time you will learn so many things
about yourself and about other cultures. You will experience a great time with nice people
from all over the world. If you are interested in Asia and South-Korea, you should go to
Sogang University. It is a small university compared with other universities in Seoul. In this
case, it is easier to get to know the other students. Another advantage of Sogang University is
the location. The location is perfect in between two really nice student neighborhoods. Before
you leave to your host university for a couple of months, make sure you have arranged all the
things you had to do, so you don’t have to stress while you are on exchange! Read the list in
the folder of TSB carefully. You get this folder during one of the meetings. To prepare for
South-Korea and Seoul, read things about the country and the city on the internet. Don’t
worry about the fact you aren’t prepared well, because you will learn everything very fast.
Also adapting to the foreign culture will go faster than you think.
Pictures
Hiking Bukhansan National Park
Sport field on the campus
Visiting temples
Korean bbq