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...!

Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA (Najoua S.)

Hey Folks! 

Today's post will be the start of our discovery about student life abroad!

Indeed, this week we have a fellow student from Al Akhawayn University, as well as one of the authors of this blog, sharing with us today her life experience during her exchange semester (Fall 2014) to a University in USA.

Let's discover together what she shared with us!

Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA

My name is Najoua Sarrikhi, I’m a business administration student at Al Akhawayn University. I chose the bilateral exchange program offered by AUI to go study abroad for one semester (Fall 2014).

My 4 months exchange were spent in Baylor University, the largest Baptist University in the world.

Classes in Baylor: 

Baylor has one of the best business schools of the USA. 

"Hankamer Business School" is very well known for its strictly selected professors.

Students can choose from 24 major areas of study. 

I personally took different classes such as: Introduction to finance, Entrepreneurship, Advertising and promotion, and Introduction to music and piano.

I honestly didn’t regret taking any of these classes. I had so much fun learning and collaborating with my teammates.

My finance class was a little bit challenging but I learned a lot at the end of the semester.

Piano and music were so fun that I learned about how music started and how to play some basic piano pieces.

Food in Baylor:  

East Village Dining Commons

Memorial Dining Hall

Student Union Building Food Court

Penland Crossroads

Brooks Great Hall

These are the names of the restaurants in Baylor where you can have your meals.

When you pay your fees at AUI, you have 11 meals per week to use at Baylor. 

You basically swipe your card at the entrance of each restaurant and get all you want (food, drinks, cookies, ice cream...). 

However, once the 11 meals are done, you can either use your credit card or cash to pay an amount of 10 dollars.

My highly recommended restaurant is Penland where you can have the best tacos ever.

Besides these restaurants, there is also the SUB (Student Union Building) which has some fast-food restaurants such as Chick-Fil-A, Sushic, Mooyah Burgers, Panda Express, Freshii, and Einstein Bros.

Student life: 

Right after our orientation week, a clubs fair took place on campus. 

At this time I felt much confusion about not knowing which clubs to join. There are clubs related to almost every subject. Dancing, swimming, classes such as finance, entrepreneurship, and international organizations were all present to convince us to join them and be part of their teams.

Moroccan Night 

Game day: 

It’s a Baylor tradition where everyone screams, “Sic ‘em, Bears!” which is the sign to promote and encourage our team to do well.

I was lucky that semester to attend all the games in the new McLane Stadium with all the motivation students had. 

Baylor team is on top 5 of the USA college teams.

 McLane Stadium

NASA trip: 

One of the best trips the university organizes for its international students was a visit to the NASA center, which is in Houston, around 5 hours driving from Waco. A very pretty place where you can buy some souvenirs from, and enjoy the delicious food they have there.

Dr Pepper: 

The very well known drink of Dr Pepper is actually based in Waco, which is very unique soft drink. It tastes like Coke but it’s noticeably different. The museum of Dr Pepper is based also in Waco and its one of the attractions of that city.

Religious classes & gatherings: 

I was invited by friends to attend some gatherings that discussed mainly Christian religion and I was very glad to share some Islamic thoughts from time to time. I had the chance to learn so much about that inspiring religion of peace and forgiveness.

Thank you Najoua for your input!! :)

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

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

Welcome to the Exchange Students' World!

Hello Folks!
Hope you had a great week and you are ready to immerse yourself in our blog!

This blog will provide you with stories and life experiences of students from Al Akhawayn University (AUI) who went on Exchange (either for one semester or a year) from all over the world.
They will tell you all about their exchange life abroad ! :)

You will have plenty of information and insights on what to expect from such experience, the places you should definetely not miss out, the food, the university choice, the city, road trips, parties to go to (oh yeah!), and much more. (Pictures included, yup!)

Plus, if you still don’t know where to go? You will find an answer here. You will even find yourself eager to go on exchange as soon as possible. 

Expect us!!

Your journey has just begun...

By S&N