Tips

If you ever think about studying abroad in South Korea, here are some useful tips that may help you out!

Helps you stay organized and prepared!

1. When preparing for your study abroad the semester before, make sure to follow the to-do list that the MIX program provides you. Applying for visas, housing, registration for courses, buying items you need such as clothing, etc. is a long process and cannot be done in one night. Therefore, please make sure to follow a checklist, read emails by the MIX program and your partner university very carefully, and complete everything in a timely manner to avoid unnecessary stress.

Download these apps and sign up ahead of time!

2. Before arriving in Korea, it’s important to download useful apps that you may be using daily over there. A very popular messaging app that all Koreans use is KakaoTalk. When I joined programs or met new people, KakaoTalk was mostly used. In terms of transportation, make sure to download apps such as NAVER Map, KakaoMap, and Kakao T for transportation; Google Maps is not very helpful in Korea. When using Naver Map, the directions can be in English, however, it prefers Korean searches, therefore KakaoMap may be easier. It all boils down to preference. On the other hand, Kakao T offers an affordable taxi service. The Subway app is optional to get, it shows the entire map of the subway lines in Seoul. I used this app more when I was not familiar with the subway map and wanted to know all of stops in a line. The app Currency, was helpful for converting currencies easily. This helped me out when I was not used to won, the Korean currency, and when I needed to know exact conversions from Korean won to USD. Wise was another app I used quite often to pay others in Korean won since I did not have a Korean bank account. It allows you to connect your foreign bank account to the app where you can then automatically pay someone in another currency as well as receive money. In my case, I would pay for rent through this app as well as to Korean buddies or exchange students who had Korean bank accounts. Keep in mind that there are fees for every transaction that vary depending on the amount. Airbnb is a well-known app which I used to book places when taking trips outside of Seoul and in other countries. I was able to find more places that were affordable to me rather than booking through offical hotel websites. Lastly, Gymbox (the last app in the right bottom corner) is a gym app that I used very often. I personally enjoy going to the gym several days of the week so I decided to buy a gym membership. For those who want to save money, this gym offered the cheapest monthly basic membership fee with a price of 36,900 won (about $27). However, in order to get a membership, you must have your ARC card because the ARC number is required to register. Furthermore, to pay, you must use a Korean bank card. Since I did not have one, I had to ask my personal Korean buddy (from the SNU Buddy program) to help me out and I would pay him back. Gymbox is a self-run gym, they are quite small but have most of the equipment one needs, and they are found all over the place. In order to enter the gym, you must open the app which will bring up a barcode that you scan at the entrance. Once you scan it, the doors will open automatically. Be careful not to lock yourself out, especially if you have a basic membership press which lets you go to the gym only once. Another thing to note, you must bring gym shoes, meaning do not wear your outside shoes when working out, otherwise you can get a fine.

You can have both at the same time!

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Find group of 3+ exchange students to save some money on a mobile plan!

4. Right before coming to Korea, I bought an international cellular data plan from my mobile provider for a month. When that was about to finish, I opted for a mobile phone plan sponsored by Woori Mobile Service that caters towards university students. There are usually posts on Instagram that provide details and information. I highly recommend getting a Korean phone number because it makes life so much easier. You will have to use it for various things such as classes, school clubs, restaurants, online stores, etc. Therefore, you can go to Woori Mobile Service (location depends on which university you attend) and get a Korean phone number and buy cellular data for however many months you would like. Group purchases are usually cheaper so you can try to find other exchange students who are interested. Also, once you receive your ARC card, you can go back to the mobile service shop and connect your ARC number to your phone number. This is important for online verifications when signing up for apps. Once you leave the country, your ARC is taken, and the phone plan is automatically cancelled.

5. In terms of Seoul National University, getting into the dormitories is usually not guaranteed for exchange students. Also, you need to have a Korean bank account to pay for it which a lot of exchange students don’t have right away so they must find someone to pay for them. I didn’t want to risk it, so I opted for off-campus housing. There are houses known as the Avenger Houses in the Gwanak area which is near SNU campus; there are a total of five houses. The Avenger Houses are shared houses with private or shared rooms along with a shared living space and bathroom. As a popular place for college students to stay at, the living arrangements are not the nicest, however with some cleaning and organizing, it is tolerable. The landlady is usually quickly responsive, therefore if you have any concerns or questions, she can help.

6. In terms of money, as mentioned before, you may need to exchange your money at the airport in the beginning. Myeongdong tends to have better rates in general (make sure to use $100 bills) if you want to exchange more money. Otherwise, I recommend using KEB Hana ATMs to withdraw won. At these ATMS, you can use your foreign card to withdraw money as much money as you’d like from your checking and savings account along with a fee of only 3,500 won (about $2.50). It is not a requirement for exchange students to have a Korean bank account, however it does make things easier such as avoiding transaction fees, paying for the dorms, or being able to for online goods and services; it depends on your situation and how long you are staying. Having an ARC is usually required to open a Korean bank account, however it can be possible to open a limited account without one. If you do plan to get one, there are plenty of banks to choose from. Choosing a bank that is near you is a good idea, however, if are able to choose, I recommend choosing KEB Hana Bank or Shinhan Bank because they tend to be the most foreign friendly banks.

7. Join clubs or programs at your university!! This will make it easier to meet new people and make new friends. At SNU, there is a SNU Buddy program for exchange and international students where each person is matched with a Korean buddy. Each Korean buddy has one to two students. On top of that, there are ten main buddy groups which consist of multiple Korean buddies and the foreign students assigned to them. Throughout the semester, each group has their own events every month along with main events for all the groups combined. Events include MTs (membership training), lunches and dinners, weekly Thursday night pub sessions, a temple stay, the Olympics, a talent show, going to historical sites, amusement parks, etc. At SNU there is also an international student association (SISA), a community for foreign students that organizes fun events and language exchange programs. At the dorms, there are recreational sports such as volleyball and badminton that students can play as well. By joining these programs and activities, you will meet so many new people and make your university life more enjoyable.

8. Try to learn some Korean basics if you can! Even though Korea has become quite a touristy place in recent years and English is being taught throughout schools, it is very helpful to be able to read Hangul, the Korean alphabet, and know basic sayings. Hangul is actually quite easy to learn compared to Chinese and Japanese, often taking only a week or two to learn. With time, you can improve reading speed and pronunciation. In terms of basics, it’s useful to learn sayings such as Hello (안녕하세요), Thank you (감사합니다), and when you want to order something (이거 하나 주세요). Also, it’s important to know that Korean has different levels of honorifics, so depending on the person you speak with, you will speak differently. For people you do not know, who are older than you, or are not close to, you must use formal language. With people who you are close to or are younger than you, you can speak informally. Do not worry too much about making mistakes because most Koreans will understand that you are learning. They tend to be very happy when you speak Korean to them in general.

9. In terms of food, Korea has all sorts of delicious and affordable places to eat at! In general, Korean food tends to be spicy. If you’re going for Korean BBQ, I recommend going for barbeque places that are unlimited (무한리필); for college students it’s usually really worth the money. In terms of vegetarian or vegan options, there are many places available, however you will need to do some research since it can be difficult at times to find places, especially if you venture out of Seoul. Although there is quite a bit of restaurants that will try to accommodate the best that they can. Street food is fun to try, especially at traditional Korean markets. Some favorites of mine are hotteok (Korean pancakes), tteokboki (spicy rice cakes), Korean hot dogs coated with potatoes, and any meat skewers. Also, if you ever have “the munchies” in the middle of the night, you can go to any convenience store such as GS25, CU, or 7-Eleven which are found all over the place and open 24 hours. Korea is generally known to be quite safe even at night. Furthermore, it is common to see people leave all their belongings for a while without anything getting stolen. It’s nice, however, for exchange students it’s probably not a good idea to get used to doing that, especially for when you go back home.

10. When you have the time, not only should you travel around Seoul, but also explore the rest of Korea! Going on trips outside of Seoul has been a lot of exchange students’ highlights during their study abroad. Popular and fun places to visit are Jeju Island (known as the Hawaii of Korea) and Busan, the second biggest city after Seoul known for its beaches and temples. Other places that are fun to go to include Sokcho, a port city in the northeast known for the beaches and hikes, Jeonju, a city in the west known for its historic villages, Gyeongju, a southeastern city known for its cultural sites, and Daegu, the third largest city known for medicine and the hub of hip hop. You can take the bus (cheaper) or train (more expensive) to get anywhere in Korea besides Jeju Island where you need to take a one-hour flight. Traveling to other countries, once you have your ARC card, is recommended as well, since you will be in Asia already. A lot of exchange students tend to travel to Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, or China. Whether it’s solo traveling or going with groups, it will be fun no matter what!

11. Air quality tends to be especially bad during the springtime in Korea due to yellow dust coming from China. Therefore, if you have any health conditions or high sensitivity you will be affected by it. It is important for everyone to be aware of pollution in general. I usually check the air quality index on a weather app daily. Anything below 100 is rated moderately, however anything 100+, especially 200+, I wear a heavy-duty mask such as KF94 or N95 or stay at home.