Studying in Korea: A Summer at Yonsei University

I'm back in Singapore now so there are no more future stories to tell. So for now, I will just give recounts of my past in Korea. First, I'll cover the three universities that I have attended. Yonsei International Summer School (YISS) was my first summer school in Korea. It happened in 2012, but I thought I'd give you guys a rough preview of my life in a summer school.

1. Schooling

YISS has four time slots of classes: 9am, 11am, 1:20pm, and 3pm. However Korean language classes will clash with the last period of international classes. Korean language classes are 3 hours long while the normal classes are 1 hours-40minutes long. Korean language classes end at 6pm daily so contemplate if you actually want to end that late. These classes occur daily from Mondays to Thursdays, while Fridays are free for school excursions. You sign up for whichever excursions you want to attend.

DMZ excursion

If you are looking to clear simple electives and don't care about what you're learning because you want to have fun, then just pick the two morning slots to get school over with quickly and easily. For me unfortunately, I had specific classes that I wanted to clear so I was stuck with a late class.

The 11am class I attended was the Hallyu Wave class. The professor was a traditional music player who was teaching this course for the first time. I'd have to say I was disappointed. She reads off her notes from behind the podium, and her notes were copied and pasted from sources online. Like seriously, I did not pay so much to have notes that I can find online read out to me. She mumbles monotonously too, which definitely did not help to retain my attention. She didn't sound excited to teach this class, honestly. I felt that I was literally just in class for attendance's sake. During my 2013 Fall Semester at Chung-Ang University I saw her in a KBS documentary that my professor played in class and I had to laugh. It was a totally different side of her on TV.

The 3pm class I attend was the Introduction to Theatre class. I had mixed feelings about this class. Why get a film director to teach a theatre class? He was busy showing us his films too, which were so… I didn't get the humor or the content. He brought us out for a movie which we paid partially for as a field trip. We watched the Dark Knight Rises when it came out lol. We did learn a little about theatre, i.e. lighting, but other than that… Plus, he could have given a way early notice to not buy the book on the syllabus because he wanted to use a different book. Some of us bought the really expensive textbooks and already started using them so basically we bought a white elephant.

Overall, I thought that the attitudes of the professors were a bit too lax, but what the hey, I realized that this is with ALL summer schools.

2. Housing

YISS offers housing at two different dormitories, which is paid separately from your school fees. (Duh I know but still) There is the SK Global House and the International House. The SK Global is slightly pricier because of the slightly better facilities, but they didn't make much of a difference to me since it's the roomie to me that makes the difference. Both buildings have their own laundry rooms, although SK Global's is probably bigger. The International House do not have their own phones or Internet cables, I think, but they do have a mini fridge in each room. I'm not sure about International House, but SK Global has a computer room.  Most rooms are doubles and only a few rooms in the SK Global are singles. Don't be surprised if you see your professors in SK Global wearing shorts and shirts.

The dormitories run with a key card system that you use for the gates, room door, and electricity. I found it a hassle because my roommate constantly took my card and I had to face the consequences of not having my card to get in and out of the dorm. I had points deducted because "I gave my roommate my card". Please. Why would I do that?

Rooming comes with accountability, which I believe my roommate had none of. She was out most of the week without ever returning. The dorm has a rule about staying out and the roommate can be affected if the resident has consequences to face. Also, my friend's roommate managed to sneak a man into their room and he slept in the roommate's bed. My friend was too nice to tell on her and she was affected when the roommate was caught. The roommate was evicted, my friend had demerit points, and she had to shift into another room halfway into the semester.
Can I just ask my readers to have some consideration for their roommate? If you're going to be out the whole week or just the weekend, leave a note or something. You never know when your roommate might need something from you maybe because someone was supposed to be chasing you down for it. And interact with your roommate. Maybe they're facing the same loneliness as you or just facing loneliness. INTERACT for crying out loud. You have at least a month together.

About the room. The SK Global has the bathroom split into two sides so one can use the toilet while the other showers. They also have a small show cabinet. What I don't get is the tiny cupboard that the dorm expects their students to squash their winter clothes into. I was there for a summer and I barely had enough space to keep my clothes. No drawers, just a bar to hang clothes. What the heck.

3. Food

Thankfully, SK Global has a kitchen. The kitchen is used for the Korean food classes and for residents to use. Alternatively, the building has food stores along the underpass to the New Millennia building. They have a burger place and a bento place. The cafeteria seems to be changing frequently because every time I return to Yonsei for a visit, the cafeteria changes. The foods may be a little pricey so I go over to the GS25 sometimes for sandwiches because I can bring them for my morning class without stinking up the auditorium.

Also, there are restaurants near Yonsei so you wouldn't have to worry about getting sick of the food. Right down the hill from the back of SK Global is Lord Sandwich. That place has nice sandwiches that don't use slice bread. You know, the baguettes and stuff… The prawn and chicken sandwiches are awesome. There's also Slow Garden that has some western cuisine. It's pricey so I don't frequent. However, that is where I got my first Goguma Latte if you are looking for the drink close to you.

Lastly, there are the neighborhoods around Yonsei University. The front gate is opposite Sinchon while the back gate is opposite Ewha Womans' University. Both neighborhoods have plenty of food available. Here are the lists of places I've visited in the neighborhoods: Sinchon and Ewha.

4. YISS Field Trip

Every year, YISS holds a field trip before the semester for about 150 students. This is an opportunity for students to make friends beforehand and also for the students to go places they can't conveniently go by themselves. The friends that I made during the semester were people that I met during the camp. It's amazing how a camp can make lasting friends for a bunch of shy, introvert girls.

In 2011, YISS brought the students to an Inkigayo filming :O I was in shock, but I was in greater shock for my field trip. The tour was bringing us to the Yeosu International Expo, and on that day was a concert for SHINee and INFINITE! Two bands that I REALLY wanted to see because I've never seen them before. Needless to say the concert was awesome for us. However, we weren't very wise with our time because we spent so long saving a spot in the concert. We should have taken turns to go explore the exhibits, especially when the Inspirits around us knew that we were international fans and way older than them. They weren't fierce or aggressive until the concert itself. I regretted not viewing the Singapore exhibit because I heard it was the best.

The field trip was centered around Korea's tradition and history that year so we went to spots like the Suncheon Bay and a temple. We also visited the POSCO Steel Factory. Our stop at Jeonju was the reason I wanted to return again in 2013. I was introduced to Jeonju Bibimbap and traditional music there.

Yeosu Expo

Mukguksu - My favorite cold noodle

SHINee… THE OPENING ACT
Since when did seniors open the concert

Jonghyun waving at us

First time I saw Hoya in person

First time I saw Dongwoo in person

Naganeupseong Folk Village

Nature at Suncheon Bay

Arts at Jeonju

Traditional singing Pansoori

5. Student Care

As far as I remember, there wasn't really any student care. It was a really independent program with no buddy system or ambassadors to help you out… I don't even know where the student office is.


I can't think of anything else right now. If you have some questions, do ask in the comments section below and I'll try my best to answer them. Thanks for reading!