Mobility specification

Country:South Korea

Institution:Sungkyunkwan University

City:Seoul

Program:Partner universities

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2023/2024

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Arts

Study level abroad:Bachelor

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?neutral

Are your credits converted?yes

Can you give an example?It was twice as much. So if a person enrolled in a course at SKKU for 3 credits, at MUNI it was recognized for 6 credits.

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?The teaching seemed quite similar to what I am used to at MUNI. Of course, it depends on the individual subjects and teachers. The difference is probably mainly in the structure, where Korean universities work with the concept of midterms and finals. There is a pretty closely monitored attendance.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?Something similar to the European ESN societies operates at the university. It is a student organization called HI-CLUB (IG @/skku_hiclub), which organizes hiking events, picnics, snack distribution for international students during finals, game days, etc. In my experience, however, the events were limited in number and not announced very far in advance. They also held an orientation day, which I recommend.

We could have asked for a buddy, but if you get someone introverted or busy, the initiative will be more on you. I only saw my buddy once.

During the semester, you could order school jackets with your own name on them.

The school offers a lot of diverse student clubs and holds a so-called club fair, but some of them outright don't want to accept foreigners or communication is only in Korean. From the recommendations of my foreign roommates, I can positively highlight the school's taekwondo team.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?I haven’t noticed

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:18000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?My computer broke. I was paying about 3500 to fix it. You have to pay Korean NHIS insurance even though you already pay your own travel insurance. I knew that, but it may come as a surprise to some.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?Limit healthy, or rather fresh, food? Haha, well, I wish I was lying. Vegetables and fruits in stores are very expensive unless you're buying locally. It's worth it to do a big shopping trip to No Brand or Costco once in a while and maybe split it with friends and roommates. Food at restaurants usually works out cheap, I wouldn't limit yourself there. Alternatively, you can salvage food at convenience stores like 7/11, CU, etc.

Buses are cheaper than trains.

You can find stuff for your room/housing and everyday essentials cheap at Daiso.

I didn't limit myself much outside of that, so it's hard to say.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?neutral

How does public transport work in the city?runs like clockwork

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?For me NAVER Map is better than Kakao Map. All the connections are there nice and clearly, the fact that sometimes the transport outside Seoul doesn't work as it should is another issue (and still a mystery to me).

In any convenience store you can buy a so called T-Money card to charge money to. While I was there (spring 2024) you could only charge it with cash. This card is beeped when you get on and off buses and subways. You can also use it to pay in taxis, but I haven't tried that. I usually ordered a taxi through the KakaoTaxi app and paid in advance, it's easy and cheap. Uber is not popular. I bought tickets for long-distance buses through the kobus website.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Everything. There's always something to do in Seoul and you definitely won't get bored. I don't think I even left the capital for the first month and a half. My favorite neighborhood is Seongsu!

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Incheon for the nearest beaches, Bukhansan hike and Sokcho for more mountains, Jeonju for a touch of tradition, Busan when Seoul starts to feel too black and white and superficial. Gyeongju if you're interested in Korean history.

Share your best experience:Warm nights, sitting by the Han River, laughter and good food.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?yes

Where can it be arranged?Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Czech Republic in Prague.

What is needed?For current D-2-6 information, click here: https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/cz-cs/wpge/m_8963/contents.do.

How long does it take approximately?The recommended time is at least 3 weeks, but my visa was processed in about a week and a half.

How did you get to the place?Plane

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?I can't think of anything scary. Maybe just buy tickets somehow in advance, have a visa and have accommodation plans. From the airport, it's easy and cheap to get to downtown by bus or metro. I recommend having dollars and then converting them to Korean Won at the airport. It's also worth buying a SIM card in advance, with airport pickup.

You can pay by card (MasterCard, VISA), but not everywhere. For example, at some places it is possible your card won't even go through, for some reason. It is always good to have some cash. At the same time, in the spring of 2024, you could not pay with Google Pay (and Apple Pay was just expanding). I almost always paid with a physical Revolut card.

Can you pay by card?neutral

What not to forget when packing?Bring as little stuff as possible so you can bring as much back as possible and not have to pay extra to send a package back home like I did. And if I had to answer more seriously, the medicines you think you'll need in case of illness. Also lenses (if you use them), a laptop, and possibly an international driver's license.

Well, I don't know, everything except the necessary documents can be bought, so just don't stress.

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?Despite the minor hiccups, it was beautiful and it flew by before one could blink. 💗