Exploring South Korea through the UCL Global Experience Bursary

What was the best on-campus experience? 

I really enjoyed all my on-campus experiences, from classes to events to learning taekwondo. The three that stand out most are: 

1. Living in campus was an amazing time as it allowed me to make friends, have a place to revise and relax. Living in the dorms also allowed me to be more free in my decisions since I could meet up with friends who also lived on campus with just a quick text, I could be out in 5 minutes to do something fun or grab something tasty. 

2. I also really enjoyed my marketing class. It was so interesting and has ignited my love for marketing now. The professor was so knowledgeable and nice. I genuinely looked forward to class most days. 

3. Walking to the Yonsei global and food centre with my friends. It sounds simple but this was such a freeing time, having finished class and knowing there was so much more to do. All my friends and I would meet up there and have lunch together and hang out the whole day, which was really fun. 

What was the best off-campus/site experience? 

Traveling to and exploring Jeju Island and Busan. It was really great to have a different pace of living as both places were distinctly different from Seoul. In Busan in particular, the best experience was visiting Haeundae beach, trying seafood and riding the sky capsule cars. 

Biggest cultural shock? 

The biggest cultural shock is how fast everything is done. The 빨리빨리 culture was most evident when taking public transport. The bus was very fast, and the driver would often drive with the door still open and would only stay at the bus stop for a couple of seconds. Learning this was helpful as it made me more prepared, and I would always have my bus pass ready. 

Biggest lesson learnt? 

I learnt a lot about time management. Having classes 4 times a week from 9 am- 12:40pm, revising for class tests every week, midterms, and finals alongside traveling and exploring Korea, required a lot of time management and prioritization skills. 

Best bit of prep you did before going abroad? 

1. I got my k-visa and TB check before going. This allowed me to be less stressed about the traveling and the moving into dorms process. 

2. Learning a few phrases of Korean would also be helpful before traveling. I already knew some Korean just from learning it on my own a year ago, and that really helped when communicating with people who did not know English, but knowing Korean is not something you need to do as most people knew English on campus. 

How did you fund your experience? 

I had saving saved up to pay for the experience, I also got the global bursary which helped me as well. I mostly funded the trip myself so I would recommend anyone who is travelling to have money saved up, as living abroad does get expensive. 

Any words of advice for future short-term mobility travellers? 

1. Don’t worry too much about making friends. You will definitely make friends and lifelong ones at that. Everyone is open to making friends as they are likely in the same position as you. It might sound simple but talking to people is the best advice. Talk to people at events, in class, in dorms or even people who you see walking around campus. Putting yourself out there can be daunting, but the friends and memories you make are 100% worth it. Even in the last week of the program I met some amazing people who I became good friends with. 

2. Take time to enjoy the experience. It is stressful to travel abroad in a place that is so unfamiliar and one you may not even speak the language but once you are there, taking it one moment at a time is really helpful. Soak in the small moments - like getting food, walking around campus, getting ready in the morning- and big moments. Make sure to take lots of videos too, you will ll want to have something to look back at in the end. 

3. Save up money for the trip. Traveling does get expensive and having money saved up will give you piece of mind. 

4. Pack lightly. I packed so many clothes I didn’t even end up wearing them all. Since you’re in a new country, you will want to buy souvenirs, clothes and gadgets so save your suitcase space for that.