Yonsei University, Seoul- South Korea (Sofia A.)

Hey Folks! 

We are back this week with a new post about another exchange :)

Another fellow student from Al Akhawayn University, a Senior student, is sharing with us today her life experience during her exchange semester (Fall 2014) to a Private University in East Asia! 

Yep, this time we are in East Asia precisely in the well-known Republic of Korea (South Korea) ~ 

Let's discover together what she experienced!

Yonsei University, Seoul- South Korea

My name is Sofia Ababou. I’m a business administration student at Al Akhawayn University. I chose to go with ISEP to Yonsei University because it is a SKY school- one of the most prestigious ones in South Korea. I went there during Fall 2014.

Classes at Yonsei:

Unlike what I was expecting, classes were really easy. I took 4 of them, all taught in English (MIS, Operations, Entrepreneurship and special topics in Marketing). Choice for classes is really large and the professors were really good too. I was surprised to see that Koreans didn’t work that hard and that the level was quiet similar to the one at AUI.

Campus at Yonsei:

You will have to walk a lot from the dorms to the campus. The campus is not really big and very beautiful. This is how it looks like during the fall semester:

Food on campus:

The food is really affordable and tasty. You will be able to find everything you want: from Korean to Japanese to American food. You can easily eat for 5 dollars. I highly recommend spicy noodles. You can find below one of their traditional meals- the Korean BBQ:

Korean BBQ

Dorms:

They’re smaller than the ones at AUI but they offer what you need (shower and bathroom). It’s usually a double room (except if you request a single). However, the dorms (SK Global house) were meant for international students only. It would have been nice to live with Koreans too. The dorms are however really close to the city center and that’s amazing:

 The people:

Such a welcoming country! The youth love international students and will do anything to integrate you. They have been so nice to me, always inviting me to diner or offering me to go out with them. However, the old ones are a bit weird, I don’t really think they liked the international students.

Student life:

There was a club fair on campus and many clubs offered such as AIESEC or Global Angels Korea. I joined GA and helped clean Seoul National Park. It was a nice experience!

The City:

No words! The stereotype saying that Koreans work really hard and don’t have fun is absolutely false! They party all the time. Seoul was the liveliest city I have been to so far (from someone who visited more than 10 countries worldwide). It is so fun and safe. My friend and I used to walk at 4 am in the streets and it looked like the day: taxis and people everywhere. Also, there is so much to do. If you love cosmetics, Seoul is going to be your favourite place, they have stores everywhere and it’s super cheap!

Thank you Sofia for your post!! :)

Hope everyone learned some interesting facts about Yonsei University, the life in Seoul, as well as the things you can do or go to to enjoy fully your student life there.

Stay tuned for the next exchange life experience...!