Korea Program Testimonials
Testimonial by Tiffany Ho (International Business Major)
Yonsei University, Wonju, Fall, 2006
It’s funny how when the subject of studying abroad or South Korea comes up, I feel as if I cannot shut up. In my four months in South Korea, I had a unique opportunity of a lifetime in which I learned not only about Korean culture but about myself as well. For those students who are interested in Asia and seeking an affordable study abroad opportunity, Yonsei University’s Global Village program is not one to be missed!
While in Global Village, there are daily and weekly activities. Students choose a full-time schedule of classes with Korean professors who speak English. One of the classes we take is the Cultural Experience class where we learn traditional drumming and taekkyeon, which is definitely very unique to Korea. Mutual Mentor Meetings allow one-on-one conferences with Korean students, and Team Meetings are composed of two international students and 6 Korean students in which we make presentations to the Global Village program discussing intercultural differences. All of these activities are pretty laid back. In addition to these, Global Village takes occasional field trips to sightsee and learn brief history about South Korea. Furthermore, not only do we get to engage in all these activities, but we get paid to do so! Our stipend is paid in weekly increments, which makes this trip extremely affordable.
So those are all the technicalities of Global Village but there are so many other benefits to studying here. If you choose, you can make lifelong International and American friends. These people become your family and most of us have kept in touch! There are several activities in which you can engage in, including trying out new foods, travels to Seoul, Pusan, the Demilitarized zone, Buddhist temples and hometowns of your new Korean friends. Also, there’s mountain hiking, skiing, and karaoke, (which believe me, sounds kinda silly but it’s really fun!) While I was there, I even got a chance to visit Japan for a week, but that takes careful planning. Otherwise, there’s plenty to do in Korea! Like I said, you learn a lot about Asian culture but this experience definitely hit me on a personal leve, as well. Viewpoints and opinions are challenged and you learn more about yourself than planned on, at least that was the case for me.
Most of the students at Miami go to Europe and Europe is great, but Asia offers something that most students will never get to experience. This opportunity is definitely for those who think studying abroad is too expensive! Global Village is a great opportunity for students interested in Asia. I encourage anyone to undertake this unforgettable experience!
Testimonial: Matt Barrowman (Finance Major)
Spring semester 2006 at Yonsei Univ. Wonju, Korea
I think that college students look for study abroad programs that will shape their lives and define their college careers. When people look for study abroad programs they do not really consider countries outside the norm, like Korea. Being one of the first Miami students to go to Korea in the Spring 2006 really changed my life outlook and gave me that defining college moment I strived for through the years. Korea less known culturally than the European Union and South and Central America and it has just as much and more to offer to Miami students. Many people have the stereotypes that South Korea is not very modern, dangerous, and a dirty country. On the contrary, Korea is one of the most technologically devolved countries with thriving metropolis areas that are clean and safe, if not safer than the United States.
Studying abroad in Korea will give you the experience of a lifetime, learn a new language, understand a different culture by submersing yourself into the culture, meeting friends of a lifetime, and finding your true identity and interests. You will expand your horizon; have a broader understanding of the world that will benefit you in your professional, as well as, your personal life. Korea is an affordable country for people looking for the study abroad experience without spending a lot of money. With Miami University’s exchange program and the scholarships that are offered to Miami students who participate you could study abroad for less than the cost of staying at Miami for the semester.
In my experience I met great friends from Korea and other Americans who I will be in contact with for years to come. I learned more about a new culture and the Korean people, another language, and saw places I never dreamed of seeing. I saw places that many Americans or other people in the world would ever see including one of the most historical places, The Demilitarized Zone that was established after the Korean War. Many people worry that they will fall behind academically and graduate late, but many of the classes offered abroad transfer back as professional electives helping keep your graduation date on track. If you’re looking to have a great experience culturally at a low cost, the Yonsei Exchange Program is perfect. If your looking for additional financial aid you can find a lot more scholarships for Southeastern Asia because less people travel in these areas, and you could actually have a paid semester abroad with all the financial aid available. Many people ask me, “Was it scary being abroad by yourself with all the different foods and cultural differences?” and I always respond, “Those are the things that made it my experience great.”
-Matthew Barrowman
Testimonials 2: (Some pictures below)
Ms. Beth Mowry
August 15, 2006 Spring 06 at the Yonsei University-Wonju, Korea
Miami’s exchange program with Yonsei University is an excellent, unforgettable opportunity that I’d recommend to anyone who thinks studying abroad is too expensive. Yonsei’s Global Village program is an arrangement in which you live in a dorm with three Korean roommates and host regular one-on-one English speaking sessions (Don’t be intimidated by these. They’re more relaxed than they sound!) All the while, you take a Korean language class and a cultural experience class, along with a few other courses of your choosing (taught in English, of course!). I only attended Yonsei for one semester, but I made just as many friends in that one semester as I’ve made in 22 years here! Since I came home over a month ago, I’ve kept in touch with all my roommates, friends from the clubs I joined, and even the manager of Seven-Eleven!
The cultural experience class teaches Taekyun, which is similar to tae-kwon-do, and Korean traditional drumming. Neither of the cultural experience professors spoke English, but following by imitation definitely made things more interesting! I also chose to be in a volleyball class that was not part of the Global Village program. If possible, I would suggest taking a light load of classes so you have more time for travel and exploration. Most of the valuable things to learn there can’t be read in books! I joined two clubs while I was there: Match Point, which is the university’s tennis club, and the OMG hip-hop club. I was probably Match Point’s worst player because I had only played tennis five times in my entire life, and I rarely listen to hip-hop, but these clubs led me to meet some awesome people. Both groups invited me to go to their MT training (“membership training”) events, a weekend of cooking out and socializing at some chosen location in Korea. Match Point and the OMG each rented out a single giant room for the whole club to sleep in, and the purpose of these MT trainings is club-bonding.
One semester in Korea is not really enough time to take short trips to Japan and China. Nearly all my weekends from the semester’s start to finish were filled with plans to visit roommates’ families, Seoul, the DMZ, and other places around Korea. There’s definitely enough to do around campus and in Korea to keep you busy an entire semester. It would be better to plan trips to nearby countries before the semester starts or after it finishes. If you’re up for a good dose of culture shock, you must go to the karaoke singing rooms and the public hot baths! These are a riot.
Since I studied at Yonsei’s Wonju campus the first semester the exchange program was offered, there were some kinks that had to be straightened out. However, I think Yonsei’s Global Village coordinators did a great job of smoothing out the problems and responding to our suggestions in a timely manner. In many ways, they were surprisingly well-organized for a first-year program. J.K. Mok, the Global Village director, took us as a group to the school’s on-campus bank and helped us one-by-one to open a bank account. She also set up cell phone plans that automatically deducted our monthly bill from our English teaching paychecks. She planned several site-seeing trips, surprised us with birthday cakes on our birthdays, and came with food care packages if we fell sick. So much went on seamlessly behind the scenes, and I feel that the Yonsei directors did a great job welcoming us and helping us get the most out of our experience in Korea. I had the best time, and I didn’t want to come home when it was over!
By Keenan Gradoville (Accounting Major):
My experiences at Yonsei and in South Corea (it should be spelled with a ‘C’) rank with the top in my life. From the very onset Corea surprised me. I expected Corea to be similar to China and other East Asian countries. Corea is a fully developed nation with major metropolitan cities with stores from all over the world. Corea has the 11th largest economy in the world and the country is the size of Indiana.
The Corean people are especially generous and respectfully to each other and to foreigners. Many times I would be looking at a map in the subway and a businessman or student world stop and ask if I needed help. You do not have to be afraid of the language barrier fore many Coreans speak English. I have been told that college students cannot get a job unless they know English.
The classes that I took at Yonsei consisted of: Corean Conversation, Corean Reading & Writing, Corean Cultural Experience, Corean Economy, East Asian Economic and Financial Environment and East Asian Economic Growth. The largest class I had was 9 students and those were my language classes. The business classes were tremendous due to intelligent and committed professors and very interesting and relevant course material.
While on the Yonsei campus there were always things today. They have a Rec with a weight room, though it is a lot smaller than what we are used to. They have out door basketball courts, tennis courts and an area like Cook Field though there is no grass. It is this dirt sand mix. There are also mountains surrounding the campus which many students climb on the weekends or after class. There is also an ‘uptown’ right off campus which has restaurants, bars, shops and a lot of karaoke!!!!! One of the bars is even known by the students as the American Bar for obvious reasons.
My roommates were great. One of them lived in Philly for four years and the other two have never left Corea. They each invited me to their family’s home on the weekends. They also often used me to pick up girls at school, in Seoul and at the ‘uptown’. I also met many other Yonsei students at class and through other friends. I feel that Coreans are very easy to make friends with. This is especially true for Americans since they also want to practice their English with you.
Take my advice and try something that the average student will never experience. You will at least have an interesting story for an interview or at least a story to tell your kids about.