Ten Tips To Ensure Study Abroad Success - South Korea Edition

1. Learn basic Hangul and Korean phrases to help yourself in social settings.

2. Connect with other fellow students studying abroad at your partner University to establish a support group with.

3. Get a Korean drivers license (it’ll help you when you travel to more rural areas where public transportation is sparse).

4. Don’t overpack, Korea has better less expensive clothes than in Hawaii, you can construct your wardrobe here for pennies on the dollar

5. In regard to housing don’t dorm, find an apartment via Airbnb or through local real-estate companies in the Hongdae or Sinchon area (if you are attending Yonsei) preferably near bus stops and the metro station.

6. Bring a widely accepted travel credit card with good benefits, not Discover or AMEX.

7. Plan to do something “big” every weekend whether it’s day trips, overnight trips or the “bigger activities” you have on your bucket list. Time goes by fast, and you don’t want to have regrets at the end of the semester.

8. Find good friends who are willing to experience new things with you, push you out of your comfort zone and are reliable. They will be the ones you spend the majority of your time with here and can dictate whether your experience was “good” or “bad”.

9. Don’t be stingy, at the end of the day money can always be earned back, the little extra money you’ll spend on experiences, food and activities are once in a lifetime and priceless.

10. Before you physically set foot in South Korea have a bucket list of activities, food, places etc. you want to visit during your time here. It pays to plan and be prepared so you make optimal use of your time!

I hope these tips from my time abroad here in South Korea are able to make your experience both a little easier and hopefully more enjoyable! And of course please remember you are not in this alone, if you need any help or have any questions regarding anything during your time abroad feel free to shoot me an email or DM on social media, I will be happy to share my experiences with you! Good luck I am rooting for you!

<3

Derren