CIEE College Study Abroad in Seoul, South Korea

This was my second time studying abroad, but my first time in a large university setting. I'm a Korean language major and was looking forward to improving my language skill, immersing myself in the culture, and experiencing life abroad. CIEE made life at school effortless. Any problems I had whether it was with school or my visa or creating a bank account the staff were always there to help me. Moreover, the staff became almost like family while I was there. I could always go to them with problems or just to talk. I still converse with my staff from time to time. When looking back on my time abroad, I really think it shaped me as a person. Upon my return, many people asked me "how was Korea?"
This question both frustrated me and made me reflect on my time abroad. It frustrated me because it's virtually impossible to sum up 11 months of my life in an essay, let alone a sentence. However, it also made me reflect on how much I did and experience while abroad and it makes me happy and proud that I can't sum my experience up easily.
For anyone who is thinking about studying abroad through CIEE, my advice would be to just do it. Whether it's to Korea or another country, it may seem scary, but the experiences you have while abroad will make that fear seem silly in the long run.

After coming back from Korea, I keep getting one question: What did you like the most?

Every time I've heard this question, I find myself giving a different answer. There's no way I can decide on just a single thing out of the many, many experiences I had abroad - I loved every aspect of being abroad, and am dying to go again. From the CIEE excursions that left us trekking through Mudd flats and experiencing rural Korea, to exploring the city night-life in Seoul, to sitting down and eating traditional meals to getting McDonalds at 3am with friends - I had so many varied amazing experiences that picking any single one of them is impossible. My time in Seoul was by far the best time I had had during college, because not only did I get to meet new friends, experience a new culture, and have fun, I actually got to learn a lot. Not just through classes, but through interacting with so many people from various backgrounds and learning how to navigate a country that speaks a different language and lives a different culture, I was able to learn things I would never be able to in my college in the US.

The only downside that this program had - which, for me, wasn't a downside at all - is that the academic program itself is not very rigorous. I personally preferred this, since it gave more time to explore the country itself, though I know some other people would prefer a more rigorous academic environment. The Korean language program, however, was quite good, and my skill in Korean improved a lot.

All in all, I would recommend this program to anyone, regardless if they have a previous interest in Korean culture or not. There's no way you can go wrong with this program.

Seoul and South Korea were absolutely fascinating from beginning to end. Through CIEE Seoul, I was able to live in a homestay with an actual Korean family. I looked forward to this the most because I would immerse myself in the culture and learn more of the language. My host family was so gracious and they took great care of me. I miss them dearly! Due to the commute to my university, homestay life also allowed me to become quite acquainted with the transportation system in Seoul. This proved super handy later on when I wanted to explore during my free time. My university, Yonsei, was one of the most beautiful schools I have ever visited. It was on the foot of a mountain and the campus itself had so much greenery! The social work and Korean language classes I took there were very interesting. I am not going to lie though, sometimes it was a struggle to study because I wanted to be out and about exploring the city! I just had to keep reminding myself that I was still “studying” abroad despite the fun I was having.

CIEE Seoul also provided its students many educational, cultural, and fun activities throughout the semester. Coordinated events included: visiting the DMZ, exploring temples, trying out new food, traveling to other parts of South Korea, organized tours, volunteering opportunities, checking out museums and allowing us to interact with current local students in Seoul. Even though Seoul is a huge modern city, the history of this country is all around it. Even within the city you can find areas that are side by side but completely different to each other. In other words, it is a city where you never get bored because there is always something to do!

All in all, I miss Seoul. I miss getting lost in the subway station. I miss visiting novelty cafes that print your selfie on the drink you ordered. I miss seeing the awesome friends I met there. I miss the food!!! Wow, do I miss the food! If you want to experience history and modernization simultaneously during your study abroad experience, add Seoul to your list of potential destinations. I did not even fathom falling in love with a city and country in such a small period of time. Four months was just not enough and I plan to go back one day if God allows me to. This experience was a true blessing and I thank Him for that.

While most students go abroad to learn new languages and to explore new cultures, I chose to go abroad to rediscover my heritage. My mother and I last saw our family when I was four, so the opportunity to study abroad in Korea while fitting it into my academic schedule was a once in a lifetime opportunity. As a science student, going abroad can be unfeasible, especially in many non-English speaking countries. However, a summer term fit perfectly as it allows you take a small break but will not interfere with your academic schedule. CIEE also allowed me to live with my grandmother, which helped me make sure I was able to spend more time with her and my family. CIEE also made sure to expose us to Korean culture through cultural activities. We visited the DMZ, museums, temples, volunteered in the community, and attended lectures on Korean culture.

As for the university we attended, Yonsei University, it is a beautiful campus! It is located next to Ewha Womens University, another beautiful campus, and Sinchon, which has plenty of restaurants and stores. Since we only had classes four days a week, we took the opportunity to utilize Seoul's public transportation system to explore. The system is fast, reliable and there is plenty of instructions in English. When it comes to Seoul, it is a city that seems to never sleep and never runs out of things to do! Coffee shops and Karaoke are everywhere alongside department stores, outside markets, and clothing stores. After getting a taste of modern Seoul, you can glimpse into Korea's history by visiting the many museums, palaces, and temples throughout Seoul.

My summer in Korea was amazing! The list seriously never stops, and the entire day you just see so much. It's impossible to take it all in. But never fear, after an entire day of touring and being a tourist, they give you the entire night to do what you will with your time and money. The student helpers were key in having a great time, suggesting great places to go and how to play Korean drinking games (which are really fun). One of the great things about the program is that they pick a variety of students throughout the US, so you'll always find a group of people with similar interests who want to explore the same parts of Korea as you. But really, they give you so much time to just go out and do whatever, and if you're that kind of person who likes to walk around the city and talk to random people (when you find young people who speak English), it's a pretty awesome time.

They took us out for all of our meals, and they always took us to nice restaurants. So don't worry about not liking the food. You have to be curious! And it's not as spicy as they think it is. I mean, I could list the food, but they pretty much served us all the main food people think is Korean food.

This summer program, to say it in one word was amazing. Through this program, I was able to finally visit Korea, and it ultimately affected my potential future goals and dreams.

First, the amount of things we did on this program was incredible. Truthfully because of our early morning schedules (beginning around maybe 8/9AM) ending sometimes late at night, it got very tiring, but it was definitely worth it. We were able to see so much, such as Gyeongbokgung Palace, Insadong, Myeongdong, and even the DMZ, etc., check out Yonsei University, one of Korea's top universities, meet great people such as Hyunwoo Sun of the famous internet learning website "Talk to Me in Korean," as well as experience great shows and performances, such as a B-Boy show called Bibap. The list can go on and on. To top it all off we stayed at a very fancy hotel, located in the Anguk area, which is conveniently a walking distance away from Insadong, Hanok Maeul, the Jongno area, Gyeonbokgung Palace and the Blue House, Cheonggyecheon, Korean Tourism Organization, etc.

The staff were also pretty helpful, from when we left our site in the US to when we left. In addition to the staff, we had some AMAZING student helpers who not only stayed with us the entire day, but also even after our tours ended to help guide us with where we wanted to go in our free time and even joined us and helped us at the places. Truly incredible, kind helpers.

The thing that boggles me is that though there are a large amount of students who apply to this, there are not NEARLY as many as there should be, and I think it is because of how little information there is on this program. The amount of things you're able to do on this trip is incredible, and one of the greatest experiences you will ever have in your life. Please do not pass up on this opportunity. If you have passion about wanting to go to Korea (or even just wanted to see what it is like), you must go on this trip, as you will get a very good taste of what Seoul is like.