Motivation
My motivation for participating in this experience was twofold. First, I have been interested in completing a short-term global experience for over a year now because my first application unfortunately got cancelled by the host. I wanted to experience university life in a different country and meet people from around the world. Second, I was very interested in Korea due to my Korean heritage but I had not been to Korea since 2007 so discovering this opportunity was a great way to reconnect with my roots.
Personal Development
This experience taught me how to engage with people from different cultural backgrounds and how to communicate in an effective and respectful manner. Furthermore, the experience increased my independence and self-confidence as I did a lot of solo exploring in my spare time and fully immersed myself in the culture (which helped me improve my Korean as well). I believe that my Korean heritage offered me a very unique opportunity to reconnect with my family and culture.
Academic Development
The experience at Seoul National University was very different to my experience at UQ. First, there was more class engagement and discussions which allowed me to think more practically and comprehend the content better. Second, there were many class excursions and field trips to Korean companies which offered me a unique perspective on how these companies are run. However, a challenge was the higher expectations that the professors had of students. While this was a summer school, the academic culture in Korea is far more competitive and cutthroat than Australia. As such, the professors were often disappointed at the lack of actual or perceived effort in some students' submissions. For me personally, I enjoyed this as a high achiever and found it to be motivating, despite the pressure. Overall, the workload was not too intense and I had an enjoyable experience meeting students from across the world.
Professional Development
I developed better empathy and understanding for people of different cultures and how they work differently to Australians. I also learned the different nuances in personality that derive from being from a different culture and learned how to adapt and get along with different people.
Costs
I was very lucky to have free accommodation as I stayed with my cousin. Most of my meals were also free as a result of this. As such, my experience is probably quite different to most people. However, SNU offered student discounts for their cafeteria food and generally speaking, most modes of transport in Korea were quite budget-friendly. I am not sure that I can give any meaningful advice to future students given my unique circumstances but I would recommend researching before applying.
Funding
The funding I received was extremely helpful as it covered the cost of my flights and half of my tuition fees. This is how I used the funding.
Accommodation
I was planning on either staying at the dormitory or at an Airbnb near the university. However, my cousin was extremely kind and allowed me to stay with her. Given my unique circumstances, I don't think I have very useful advice but I would recommend applying and booking as early as possible because the prices go up very quickly especially in peak times such as summer holidays (as it was in Korea).
Highlight
The highlight of my experience was reconnecting with my family after not seeing them for 16 years. Another highlight was making friends from across the world. In fact, at the time of writing this, one of my UK friends will be visiting Brisbane next week. This experience has allowed me to meet new people and visit new places with a familiar face.
Advice/Top Tips
I would advise future students to apply as early as possible. The date of your application to UQ and the host affects everything else. If you apply early, then you can book your accommodation and flights early too which will save costs.
