Tag: advice

Finals in Korea

Published on by stefaniepaikLeave a comment

The Stress

While being in Korea, I have realized that you do not have the comfort of constantly seeing your grade as the classes are happening. So I could not check my grade online after every assignment, test, or project. This was incredibly stressful because I am unable to know how well I was doing in the class until I receive the transcript from Korea University, which is sent 2-4 months after the semester is over. There was also lots of stress when studying because I don’t know how I’m doing in the class as well.

To add to the stressful Korean school system, most professors will grade ambiguously. There will be no clear rubrics. The grading in Korea is a lot more strict. If you were to meet all the expectations and do what you needed to do on an assignment, test, or project, then that is considered a C grade because C is meeting the bare minimum; which is poor because you must go beyond expectations to receive an A. In all my classes, every student was struggling because the grading expectations were never clear.

Here is one of my professors explaining how he grades:

How to Prepare

While it is a must for you to explore and have fun while studying abroad, it is important to keep in mind that you are still attending school. For Korea University, the grade you receive in your classes is the grade that transfers to DU; Korea University is not a pass/fail school. If you finish a class with a B, then a B will be transferred to your DU transcript. Another thing is to not skip class. It is a bad habit to fall into, especially when at Korea University because it will cause you to automatically fail a class. At Korea University, I had a professor who would take attendance in every class, if you were absent then you would lose points which really adds up.

At the beginning of school, create good study habits and find the best place for you to study. Around Korea University, there are many cafes that are open late. There are also various libraries and designated study spaces all around Korea University’s campus.

Remember! School in Korea is way more intensive and serious in Korea. In Korean culture, education is super important not only ones’ oneself but to your family, because Korea is a collectivist society, and therefore a child’s education also represents their family.

You Aren’t Your Grade

At the end of the day, as long as you try your best, and learn from the University then you have made the most out of your study abroad. If you do not mature and grow as a person at the end of your study abroad then I believe that you did not make the most out of your time there. Study abroad is the best time to connect and learn from a culture that differs from your own.

Dealing With Homesickness and Affects of Abroad

Published on by stefaniepaikLeave a comment

When being in a new country alone, after the honeymoon phase of study abroad you begin to miss aspects of home; even mundane aspects of home like going grocery shopping. At Korea University, the quarters are 14 weeks long, so I am currently on week 10. Back home at DU, the fall quarter is done and winter break has begun.

Firstly I am lethargic from school because I would be done with school right now, enjoying the break. So a major change from US college life to Korean college life is not having days off to relax. Besides Chuseok, which is celebrated at the end of September, there are very few days off from school. After living through the newness of Korea and experiencing all of the items on my Korea bucket list I have begun to miss things back home. For example, I miss American chips. While this may sound strange, I miss American Cheetos, Doritos, and Lays because a majority of the chips in Korea are sweet; even garlic bread in Korea is sweet.

To combat homesickness there are numerous ways and it depends on what sort of homesickness you are experiencing, so I will just share what I have been doing. One way I am combating homesickness is by constantly going out and finding new experiences to enjoy. This helps because my mindset is to experience anything and everything because one day my study abroad will conclude and who knows when I will come back to Korea. So by continuously staying busy, I find myself not feeling as homesick.

Another way I combat homesickness is by regularly staying in contact with my friends and family. While this is difficult due to the time difference, we still talk about whatever. Denver is 16 hours behind Seoul so when it is morning for me, it is nighttime in Denver and vice versa. I will update friends or family about my day or anything on my mind.

I’m fortunate enough to be in a country that I have family in, so in that sense, I don’t feel lonely or don’t feel like I don’t have anyone to turn to. Another thing that I am thankful to have is the ability to speak, read, and write Korean. My friends who are new to the Korean language are having a more difficult time adjusting to society because they do not know Korean. Seoul is more foreigner-friendly and is fairly easy to navigate if you do not know Korean. Many restaurants and stores in Seoul will be accustomed to interacting in English. If you decide to travel outside of Seoul, the need to understand Korean is greater because those cities are less likely to accommodate English speakers. For example, my friends are I traveled to the seaside of Korea and my friends relied on me to speak to taxi drivers or order food.

If you decide to study in Korea, it is important to understand what you are signing up for and what culture you are walking into. Korea, while travel-friendly, is still a highly conservative and homogenous society.