ANR: 143893
Name: Joakim Rowley
E-mail: joakimc.rowley@gmail.com
Exchange semester:
Academic year: 2014/2015
Host University: Yonsei University
Country: South Korea
Fall 2014
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please, describe:
Yonsei University was located in Sinchon which is one of the many districts of Seoul and
about 15 minutes walk from the subway station, you cant really miss it. Seoul itself is a proper
metropoly with over 10 million inhabitants and you can certainly feel it! It is a perfect mix of
modern city with its services but as a balance there is a massive national park Bukhansan
half an hour subway trip away to escape the city’s bustle. It is difficult to describe Seoul as a
city except that there is always something to do and see for anyone who is still awake. That’s
why it was almost a greater culture shock to come back here. Yonsei University campus is
located in an area where there are two other bigger universities and that makes it very
student “friendly’’ area with a lot of services (bars, restaurants and norebangs). The campus
itself is quite beautiful especially when the leaf’s turn their color in Fall. They are also building
a ‘’promenade’’ in the center of the campus which from the pictures looked great but it will be
under construction until August 2015 (great news for those exchange participants).The
campus can feel massive and a bit confusing in the beginning but with the use of map you
should be fine. I could recommend to use some day before the lectures start to take a little
tour at the campus to get more familiar with it.
For night life and dining in Sinchon area I could warmly recommend Mike’s cabin as a bar. It
is a place where even the often quite shy Korean’s often want to make international friends
and the atmosphere was great every night of the week. On Tuesdays they also prepare free
dinner for everyone who buys a drink (beer 3000won= around 2,5e). Besides that the chicken
places are unbelievable which you will see everywhere. If you want to go for a bit healthier
option, try Korean BBQ (Dude…). When you are fed up with all the beer and chicken there
are various opportunities to do sports as well. First of all the campus itself is very hilly and just
by walking from a class to class and back to the student dorms felt like an exercise. Secondly,
the school does have its own tracking field, sports center and additional gym in the basement
of the student dorms. Finally as I already mentioned, there are some hills on the campus and
there is a nice mountain/hill to climb or run with beautiful view as a reward right in the ‘’back
yard’’. Totally doable during lunch hour.
The most memorable or crazy things we did in Korea included traveling to Jeju-island in the
very beginning of our exchange period when we had our longest holidays. Since it was still
the second week of the classes, we hadn’t formed our ‘’core group’’ of friends so my advice is
to gather a group you have been hanging around the most and take a trip there. During that
trip we saw waterfalls, surfing beaches and there was a chance to do some cliff jumping into
the water. However, the best thing of that trip was to do a hike in the highest mountain in
South Korea (Hallasan) which definitely brings the group together and is still a day trip. After
the group gets back to Seoul I guarantee that with all those shared memories, you will
continue having great time with that group.In Seoul there is a great fish market and one of the
things the exchange students wanted to try was ‘’alive’’ octopus which was a really
‘’interesting’’ experience. Remember to chew well.
Something about the University itself
Yonsei University was founded in 1885 with great ideology which you will hear often (also
perhaps use that in your motivation letter) ‘’spirit and freedom’’. The university has 28 000
students in total from which 21 000 are undergraduates. During my year there were over 900
exchange students from which at least 200 Americans. There are various fields in the
university but it is most famous of its School of Medicine which also means that there is a
really good and high quality ( very cheap ) medical center. I took mostly Business and
Management classes but since we were expected to take at least four minor classes and the
limit of Business classes allowed per student/semester was 3, I also had the opportunity to
pick classes outside of my own field. I really have to warn you about the class registration
system which is unfortunately the same everywhere you go in Asia. When the system opened
in Korea around 10 am, it was still night here in the Netherlands and when I was trying to
register any of the classes I wanted half an hour after it opened, they were all full. However,
the problem was the same for most of the exchange students so what I warmly recommend is
that you just go to the classes that you are interested of and ask the professor after the class,
this way I was able to get all the classes I originally wanted. (No worry no stress)The English
level of the professors varied quite a lot but still lot better from the other countries my friends
went to exchange in Asia.
Practical Information
I remember that the information of the final documents took quite long until I received them
but fortunately this isn’t a problem for housing there or cause any other inconveniencies. I
think it was end of May of beginning of June when I received the acceptance package. If you
had any questions for them, it was very easy to email them and you would receive an email
within a day (7-8 hours time difference). For example they were very flexible with sending the
final documents as long as you kept them updated when they would arrive to Korea.
Getting a student visa was the trickiest part for me before departure because the embassy
requires all the documents to be original and by that time I was already back in my home
country Finland so make sure you ask your exchange coordinator to send them to you early
enough if you’re in similar situation. Some of the rules might feel a bit bureaucratic but as long
as you follow them, you shouldn’t have any problems. I think I paid around 50 euros for my
student visa.
Arrival
Since I arrived to Seoul couple days before the official arrival days I don’t really know if there
are going to be people at the airport but you shouldn’t worry if there are none. I tend to get
easily lost and hassle with public transport but I never had any problems in South Korea.
There is a subway station in the airport and in the subway there will be anouncements in both
English and Korean which station you currently are in. In order to get to Sinchon:
Hop on the airport subway lane that goes to Hongik University Station
Hop off
Take the subway (green lane number 2) to Sinchon
Hop out in exit 3 and you almost already see the main gate of the University
(No worries no stress)
If you happen to get to Seoul couple days before you are able to move in to your student
dormitory, I could warmly recommend to spend couple days in Hongdae (Hongik University
Station) and stay in any of the guest houses (hostels) in that area.
Culture
Korean culture is something completely different from the one I have experienced in
Netherlands or in any other destination where I have previously traveled. I would describe the
people to be quite shy especially when it comes to talking with western people. They have the
urge to be very good. By this I don’t only mean success but also how it is one of the safest
place in the world and you would still rarely see any police officers. I didn’t hear anyone
getting robbed and everyone was comfortable of walking back home alone even in the middle
of the night. For my own experience I lost my wallet twice and my watch once and got them
all back. As they expect Koreans to behave and for example respect the elderly people, they
don’t expect any less from the travelers which I saw as a good thing. Public drinking was
completely okay but for example anyone who was speaking too loud in the subway was
silenced quite quickly :DI think that the history plays a big part in how the people behave and
therefore I would warmly recommend to read at least the Wikipedia article on South Korea
before your exchange begings, it can really help you understand why certain things are as
they are. I hope that I had done more research before I went there just to make things a bit
easier but you will learn a lot about the culture and habits just by living there. The language
isn’t perhaps the most difficult from the Asian languages and learning to read it can take only
couple days. Otherwise the university offers language class program (KLI) which has a very
good reputation. I didn’t take those since my room mate already spoke Korean so every now
and then we were practising it.
On the campus every staff member will speak English and all the offices including the
International Office will speak English. (No worries no stress)
Integration
Yonsei University arranged the welcoming days couple days after you got settled to your
student dormitory which was surprisingly brief and for example how to navigate around the
campus was on your own responsibility (you would get a map). The administration was quite
well prepared and any questions or issues you had were dealt quickly. What it comes to the
integration to the student life, there is one student organization similar to IESN for exchange
students and you would be contacted through email about how and when you could join a
buddy group. The organization was called The MentorsClub and they will contact you by
email.
Since the Koreans are slightly shy and there is a little bit of a language barrier it can first feel
impossible to get in contact with the local students. However, there will be enough social
events and group activities even during the classes that you will get many Korean friends if
you want (takes two people :D). Often you may have to be the one who takes the first step but
once you get to know them a bit they are very friendly. Getting to know with other exchange
students shouldn’t be a big of a problem if you live in the campus, if not then you will definitely
get to know them during the classes.
Housing
The university offers the chance to live in a student dormitory and the good thing was that the
rent was extremely affordable, way under 300 euros per month. The down side for some
might be the fact that you are most likely going to share a room with someone which is very
common in Asia where the housing prices are booming. This might take some time to adapt
but its not a big of a problem. This also encourages you to explore and I don’t know anyone
who went to all the way to Korea to spend a lot of time in their room ;). You can apply for a
single room as well but its very unlikely unless you have an important reason for it. I was
living in International House instead of Global House (right next to each other) which was a bit
cheaper because the bathrooms were in the hallway. Otherwise the houses were the same
and I would definitely choose the same again. The housing payment procedure was quite
strickt and so make sure you make the payment early enough since the housing outside of
the campus will start from 500 euros.
Living Costs & Finance
I am financing my studies with a student loan and a small student grant but for people who
don’t do the same I can say that the living costs aren’t very high. The assistance from Tilburg
University helped a lot and Korea is generally cheap student country. Certain things such as
fruits are pretty expensive and it doesn’t really make much sense to cook yourself because it
is way cheaper to eat out every night. Public transport, movies, alcohol and clothes were all
very cheap. Most money I spend on food as here in Netherlands but still less.
Estimation of monthly budget:
Food:
Can manage with less than 10 euros/day (300 euros)
Public transport/taxis: 15 euros/month
Housing: 255 euros/month
Books: In total around 50 euros for the whole semester
Alcohol: A bottle of soju was around 1e as a beer as well from any 7/11
Academic Calendar
I arrived to South Korea the 21st of August and after 4 days on 25th I was able to move in to
the student dormitory. I think the classes began the 1st of September and the first and only
longer holiday (TRAVEL) was already on the second week. There are more classes than you
might have got used of in the Netherlands but it leaves less work to do at home! We had our
last classes in the beginning of December and I was done with my exams by the 17 th but the
last possible date was 21st. Many classes have both midterms and finals around the same
time as here. The best event to wait for is definitely the YonKo games around the end of
October which is a huge sports event where Yonsei and its archenemy Korea University
battle in five sports (Basketball, Rugby, Football, Baseball and Ice Hockey).
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The classes that Yonsei University offers are found both in Korean and in English but
have to say that I didn’t hear that there were ones offered in any other language besides
the Korean Language Institute (KLI) where they offered multiple languages. On my time I
chose three business classes and two educational classes which was a great
combination for me since I am interested in HR. A small reminder is that make sure to
read the class descriptions and how they are evaluated carefully, there might be some
differentiating points. For business students I would warmly recommend Korean Economy
class since it teaches you a lot about the society and history at the same time.
The level there is quite the same as here in Europe but there are more points where you
can influence your final grade than just midterm and final exam. However, the biggest
difference between the teaching methods is that Koreans are used of sitting quiet in the
class and it can be very odd at first but some professors really encourage you to interact
in the class. The relationship between the student and the teacher is based on this more
formal than here but you are still very welcome to go to their office or have a chat with
them at the hall ways. All in all I have to say that Korea offered me both great traveling
and educational experiences with enough challenges in both :D.
Description of Courses
Development and Growth
ECO3103-01 6ECT’s(3credits)
midterm)
3rd year class BA
Written exam (Including
Quite challenging class but interesting topic. The professor expected a lot from the
assignments for which you didn’t get proper guidelines (ASK THEM)
Korean Economy
ECO3112-01 6ECT’s (3credits) 3rd year class BA
Written exam (including midterm)
A bit boring to sit in the classes since the professor was reading straight from the reader
which the students use as well. Very interesting and useful topic for your time in Korea. Not
too difficult.
Organizational Behavior
BIZ1102-02 6ECT’s (3credits) 2nd year class BA
Written exam (only final)
A professor with a great CV but doesn’t challenge students too much in the classroom. The
minicases during the classes were great!
Seminar of Learning Science
EDU4138-01 6ECT’s (3credits) 4th year class BA
Written exam (including midterm)
Quite tough one, good professor but learned a lot
Comparative Cultural Understanding of Education
EDU3137-01 6ECT’s (3credits) 3rd year class BA
Only papers
The best professor I had! Very interesting class
Tips
-Be prepared that the country can be very bureaucratic in some things (visa, alien registration
card…)
-Be respectful and ya’ll be fine
-Public drinkin in the streets wont get you into trouble except Soju isn’t allowed (Dinner drink)
-Do some background reading
-Bring enough deodorant and other hygiene products since they were surpsisingly difficult to
find+expensive. Seriously
-Do not try to fight anyone in the streets since even though the people are polite and calm,
their national sports is Taekwondo
-Do visit someplace during the Chuseok (thanks giving) holiday since it is your longest holiday
-Do lots of BBQ, hiking and Karaoke
-THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE: Once you travel that far, remember that you might need to
be flexible with small things and that the food might be a bit different from what you are used
to in your home.
-Would warmly recommend to travel afterwards once you are already there
-IMPORTANT: Vegetarians might have to be flexible since even some sauces can include
fish sauce
I have all the pictures from the trip in facebook  Joakim Rowley
For any questions you may have:
Joakim Rowley
joakimc.rowley@gmail.com
+31610159797