Three things I wish I had known before studying abroad


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Photo courtesy of flickr.com

Photo courtesy of flickr.com

I am currently studying abroad for the Spring 2015 semester at Yonsei University which is located in Seoul, South Korea. The following are specific to either South Korea or Yonsei University.

  1. Alien Registration

For those who are staying in South Korea for over 90 days (all students who are studying abroad or planning to study abroad in South Korea) must apply for alien registration at a local immigration office within 90 days of arrival.  At Yonsei, there is “orientation week” (usually the last week of February) which is about a week before classes actually begin. This is when most study abroad students arrive. A few days before classes begin (the last few days of February or the first few days of March) is usually when the Korean students and the international students (attending the university for three or more years) arrive. Thus, it is best to go register for your alien registration card as soon as you arrive, and when you have time available. The immigration offices offer a variety of services and serve large regions, so it is always busy, but gets even more so in early March when classes begin, and all of the students arrive.

  1. Korea’s Academic Calendar

Korea’s academic year starts in March and ends in December. In Korea, the first semester is from March to June, and the second semester is from August to December. In relation to USC’s academic calendar, if you’re studying abroad in the spring semester, you have a long winter break.

  1. Weather

When you arrive in Korea, you’ll be arriving during the end of winter. Going to school in Los Angeles, you don’t really experience “winter.” In Korea, however, the weather drops to about 30°F. Additionally, there’s a lot of “Asian dust” or “yellow sand” (which can be harmful to your health because of the pollutants that is carried with the dust) that blows in from mainland China. Thus, you’ll see many people wearing masks around, also to protect their faces from the harsh weather during the winter and spring seasons.