HKUST Study Abroad Report - Winter

EXCHANGE REPORT
KOREA UNIVERSITY | SOUTH KOREA | WINTER 2019

FUNG YIN WING
I. Overall Experience
It was an amazing and unforgettable journey throughout the 3-week International

Winter Campus in the Korea University (KU) where I got the opportunity to broaden
my horizons through adapting to a new environment.
The program was an intense one since I had to complete a course within 3 weeks, which
means that lessons were conducted on every weekday and lasted for 3 hours each. The
course that I have chosen was International Business and coursework includes midterm
exam, final exam, group project and case discussion. Although the workload comparing
to other courses were relatively high, I still enjoyed it as it was a highly interactive
course. The classmates were from all over the world and unlike in HKUST, Hong Kong
people are not the majority here. I got the chance to talk to different groupmates
throughout the case discussion and various perspectives were discussed. Also, by
grouping with 3 Koreans in the project, I gained new insights during the meetings and
their ideas amazed me.
Apart from the course, KU has offered us a wide range of activities that we could
participated in. For instance, I went to Lotte World, watched the Nanta Show, joined
the ice-skating class and played in the Running Man Thematic Experience Center. The
activities are in great varieties, and I could choose which to participate. During the
weekends, my friends and I also visited several spots including Nami Island, Seoul
Tower, etc. Apart from the lesson time, we got a packed itinerary to visit different places
in Seoul such to see as much as we can (i.e. the history and the fame of Seoul). Worth
to mention was that as we arrived Seoul in late December, so we experienced the
countdown on the last day of 2019. It was quite similar to Hong Kong’s one that many
people staying on the streets and celebrating for the coming of a new year. What makes
Seoul different is that even the weather was much colder than Hong Kong, we still felt
hot at that moment since the atmosphere was so lively.
Food was also an essential part to me as Korea is famous for the spicy dishes, but I
cannot eat something that is too spicy. Not surprisingly, most items on the menu are
with a chili sign next to them, and even those appetizers (i.e. kimchi) are spicy. At first,
I was upset since there were only little choices for me in each restaurant and I was
worried that I could not accept the spiced food. With my friends’ encouragements and
recommendations, I tried kimchi and Doenjang-jjigae (a type of soup) and found that
they were not as spicy as I think. After that, I am more willing to try out new food, and
discovered loads of delicious dishes such as kimchi pancake, Budae-jjigae and Dak-
galbi.
All these positive and fun things seemed to be a good exchange experience to me, yet,
the biggest challenge that I have faced was that on the 15th Jan 2020, which was the
second last day of the program, I had a sore throat and a fever so I went to the Korea
University Medical Center (KUMC) and sought for medical advice. The doctor gave
me medicines, but they seemed not working at all. On 17th Jan 2020, I went to KUMC
again and received more in-depth checking tests like CT scan, blood test and urinalysis.
The results proved that I was suffering from Peritonsillar Abscess and was hospitalized
for 4 nights till 21st Jan 2020.
This special experience forced me to cancel the trips to Busan and Daegu after the
program ends, and I had to stay at the hospital for further treatments. Though there were
some disappointments, I got no choice but to accept it in order to safeguard my health.
This unforgettable experience definitely marked the end of my unique exchange
journey!
(645 words)
II. General Exchange Information

1. Visa Procedures
For Hong Kong passport holder, you do not have to apply for visa since the
exchange period is less than 90 days.
2. Orientation Activities
There was an orientation symbolizing the start of the International Winter Campus
(IWC) on the first day, general information was provided during that session. Also,
the IWC team sent out a guidebook via email which includes basically everything
you need inside.
3. International Services & Activities

On the day of arrival, some IWC ambassadors wait outside Anam Station, picked
us up and brought us to the dormitory. There is a Student Support Center which
handles all matters about the IWC. If you have any enquiries, just feel free to send
them an email or visit the center directly.
4. Accommodations
You can choose to live either in the dormitory or rent outside. Since the rooms are
limited, the dormitory is on a first-come-first-served basis. I stayed at Frontier
House during the exchange period. There are optional meal plans provided but there
are lots of restaurants nearby, so it is not necessary to purchase.
5. Course Registration
It is a simple procedure where you can directly choose the course when you submit
your application in the program’s official website. You can find the syllabus of each
course on the website too. Be aware that there is quota for each course, and it is on
a first-come-first-served basis. The program allows you to take at most two courses
only.
6. Teaching & Assessment Methods
The course is in a packed schedule as it is only a 3-week program. You can access
to the course materials through Blackboard.
7. Finance & Banking

As the program lasts for 3 weeks only, I just brought enough amount of cash and
spent there.
8. Climate
The weather is between -10°C to 10°C during December to January. It is very cold
so make sure you bring enough clothes for the stay. If not, you can buy there actually.
9. Health & Safety

Bring some medicines with you in case you are not feeling well. The Korea
University Medical Center (KUMC) is next to the campus, you can visit if you need.
For international students, it is better to visit the International Healthcare Center in
KUMC as there are translators to ease the language barrier.
10. Food
There are lots of food choices near the campus. Worth to mention is that most of
the Korean dishes are spicy and you have to be aware of it if you do not eat spicy
food.
11. Transportation
In Seoul, people mainly travel by metro and buses, and they cost 1,200-1,250krw
per ride. You can purchase a T-money card for travel, just similar as the Octopus
Card in Hong Kong. By taking metro, you can get off at either Korea University
Station or Anam Station to get to the University. Naver Map is a good choice to
check for the best travel route, it provides a much more accurate result than Google
Map in Korea.
12. Communication
You can always communicate using English since the Korean students are good at
it. I grouped with 3 Korean for the group project and I did not have any difficulties
in communicating with them. However, it might sometimes be difficult to
communicate in some local shops because they are not proficient in English at all,
so learning some basic Korean would be better. Yet, people in popular tourist spots
like Hongdae and Myeongdong can speak Chinese. I bought Sim Card in Hong
Kong and it costs around $60/10GB for 8 days.
13. Sports & Recreation Facilities

There is a Fitness Club but it is charged on a monthly basis. The Fitness Club
(Hwajung Gym) has a Main Stadium, Sub Arena, Fitness Center, Squash Court,
Aerobic Studio, 250m Track and Indoor Rock-Climbing Facility.
14. Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities
There is no social clubs but there are a wide range of activities that international
students can register and join. Going to Lotte World, watching the Nanta Show,
doing some sports like taekwondo and ice skating, joining cooking class and playing
in running man are all free of charge. There is also Ski Trip but you have to pay for
it. All activities are on a first-come-first-served basis so you have to register as soon
as possible once it announced.
15. Cautionary Measures

People in Korea like to drink a lot so make sure to know your tolerance of alcohol
before going to drink.
III. Items to Bring
❖ Passport
❖ Money
❖ Sim Card
❖ Clothing Items
❖ Chargers and Travel Adaptors
❖ Laptop
❖ Hair Dryer
❖ Stationaries and Notebook
❖ Umbrella & Hat
❖ Some Medicines
IV. Useful Links and Contacts
Korea University International Winter Campus

https://winter.korea.ac.kr/src/main/main.php
Korea University Blackboard

https://sso.korea.ac.kr/saml/Auth.do
International SOS
https://www.internationalsos.com
Naver Map
https://m.map.naver.com/

HKUST Study Abroad Report - Winter

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

HKUST Study Abroad Report - Winter

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

HKUST Study Abroad Report - Winter

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

EXCHANGE REPORT

KOREA UNIVERSITY | SOUTH KOREA | WINTER 2019

It was an amazing and unforgettable journey throughout the 3-week International

II. General Exchange Information

3. International Services & Activities

7. Finance & Banking

9. Health & Safety

13. Sports & Recreation Facilities

15. Cautionary Measures

III. Items to Bring

IV. Useful Links and Contacts

Korea University International Winter Campus

Korea University Blackboard

You might also like