CIEE College Study Abroad in Seoul, South Korea

With CIEE, I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a whole semester abroad in Seoul. Coming from my college in the Midwest, a change in scenery was never a bad idea, and I'm glad I chose South Korea as my destination. I expected a hefty cost of living when I first came here, but I was surprised that it was way cheaper compared to the States. A decent meal only costs me less than $8, and the food was just too good. South Korea is also a good destination for traveling, with many tourist attractions serving multiple sightseeing purposes, from amusement parks (Everland, Lotte World), hiking (Mungyeong Saejae, Seoraksan, Naejangsan), shopping (Outlet Villages in Seoul, Busan). Public transport was easy to navigate and cheap. Going out of Seoul was also not too complicated with many options (KTX or flying are all decent options at reasonable prices). However, my primary purpose in South Korea was to study. My academic experience at Yonsei University was rigorous, but what I gained from those learnings can't be disputed. These courses were among some of the hardest I have ever taken, but the professors were tremendously helpful in explaining every small detail.

South Korea, mainly Seoul, is a great place to live as a student or study abroad if you want something different from a lot of non-major cities in the U.S. It’s vibrant, entertaining, has a lot to do and experience, and a good mix of modern and traditional. It’s a very safe place to live and study abroad. There’s a good amount of different ethnic foods like Vietnamese, Italian, French, Indian, Mexican, and more. You can never go wrong with KBBQ though! (unless you can’t eat meat..) Overall, highly recommend!

My experience was unique because I was able to go to someplace that is not really known as a tourist country. But it was so much fun because there were so many things that I could do and I would definitely go again! I was able to meet many great friends and most of my encounters with people outside of the school scene were really nice. There was only one bad experience that I had but other than that it was great to have friends to connect with that were from all over the United States. I would recommend this experience to others because it helped me become more independent and helped me realize that I can put my mind to things and accomplish them if only I put my mind to it.

CIEE was very helpful before leaving for travels abroad. They supported me in preparing documents and gave me good travel advice. The orientation helped me understand Korean culture and society better. I really enjoyed the many different excursions because we did activities I may not have done otherwise and I got to meet new people. I felt very safe and comfortable with CIEE's support. Their COVID support was also very much appreciated. The staff was very welcoming and kind and went above and beyond to ensure an amazing experience.

Studying abroad in South Korea was a dream of mine ever since I started high school. Little did I know that I would have to face the challenges of a worldwide pandemic during my time abroad. After standing in airport lines for hours and bearing the pain of multiple violating COVID tests, I wasn't sure if this experience was worth it anymore. I wondered how drastically my time in Korea would be affected by the government-enforced COVID-19 policies: Would I make any friends? Would I get to experience Korean food, culture, and travel? Although I was feeling incredibly pessimistic during my entire 10-day quarantine, the reality was that I had nothing to worry about! Directly after getting off quarantine, I had CIEE activities and orientation waiting for me. I met my first couple of friends in the program, and my circle grew larger and larger as the semester went by! CIEE held multiple activities each month that I could participate in. Although it seemed competitive to get a spot during the sign-ups, the program gave students multiple opportunities to engage in the excursions they offered. I had really wanted to take a cooking class in South Korea, but the ones I found online were incredibly expensive. CIEE offered two cooking classes, both of which I was unable to attend due to classes and competitive sign-up. I was incredibly disappointed, only to find out that I was given another opportunity to go a month later! This ended up being one of my favorite experiences while studying abroad. CIEE also provided me with volunteer opportunities as well as a course on Intercultural Communication and Leadership. Both greatly helped me understand the differences in my culture as a Korean-American and the native South Korean culture and cultivate myself as a student leader. Studying abroad with CIEE was a reflective experience that helped me have fun and also grow personally and academically. I can confidently say that my experience was positively impacted by the program, and if I were to study abroad again in a different country, I would go out of my way to study with CIEE again.

During a worldwide pandemic, I had one of the most interconnected experiences. A situation that made it seem like socializing with people would be most impossible I was able to do it in a safe environment. I was able to challenge myself academically. Enrolling in a top university in Seoul was amazing. I was able to advance my Korean language skills by being put in real-life situations. CIEE was still able to provide great ways to connect with Yonsei's student body as well as provide us with cultural excurcisions. I can not recommend this program enough.

Studying abroad at Yonsei University with CIEE was an excellent academic and social experience. You will have the opportunity to take challenging classes at one of the best colleges in Korea while also being able to enjoy the beautiful campus and wonderful city of Seoul. It was almost difficult to choose what to do in such a short time frame as you can explore the more modern sides of Seoul with its various shopping districts or the more cultural and traditional sites scattered throughout the city.

I had a great time abroad at Yonsei Univeristy, Seoul South Korea with CIEE! It was really nice having the support from CIEE staff but also being able to independently explore and make my experience the way I wanted to. I liked meeting people from all over the world on this program. The only thing is that study abroad programs like this can create a bubble where it is harder to interact with local Koreans. Therefore, really push yourself to make those connections and talk in the local language! Since Korea has great technological advances, it is really convenient and easy to get around Seoul and neighboring districts. I definitely appreciated the efficient public transportation and customer-friendly GPS maps and used them to my advantage!