연세대학교

Yonsei University

Exchange Report Yonsei University, South Korea

Spring 2018

Law Yuen Man BBA (FINA & ECON), Year 3

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Table of Contents

PAGE Part I Monthly Activity Log

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Part II General Exchange Information

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Part III Items to Bring

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Part IV Useful Links and Contacts

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Part I – Monthly Activity Log February On campus housing check-in starts on 22 February. I arrived in Korea on 21 February and stayed at my friends’ dormitory for one night. I travelled from Korea University to Yonsei University by taxi, which cost about ₩16,500. There two orientations on 23 February. You will know more about course registration, student societies, facilities, places nearby campus, etc. Before the semester started, I opened a bank account in Woori Bank on campus and bought a prepaid SIM card in SK Telecom. I took passport size photos in Hongdae as photos are required for application for ‘Alien Registration Card’. I also some necessities and cleaning products in Sinchon and Myeong-dong. There was a Pyeongchang Trout festival in the town of Jinbu-myeon in Pyeongchang-gun district. My friends and I went there and enjoyed ice fishing. We also tried out sports, such as riding 4-wheel ATVs, snow rafting, sleigh trains.

March Classes began on 2 March. The day before my class started, I went skiing with my friends in Vivaldi Park Ski World. Unfortunately, I sprained my left leg and visited the hospital for medical treatment. So, I could not attend classes on the first week. It is suggested to go early on the first day of classes since there are many buildings at Yonsei University, and it takes time for you to figure out where your classrooms are. To stay in South Korea for more than 90 days, an Alien Registration Card (ARC) is required. I submitted my application at school, and then went to Seoul Southern Immigration Office to record my fingerprints. I made some Korean friends in class, and we hung out in Sinchon and Dongdaemun gu. We had tried many Korea food and took photos in Dongdaemun Design Plaza.

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April April is cherry blossom season. Yonsei and Sinchon will look even more beautiful during this period. I visited Let’s Run Park (렛츠런파크) located in Gwacheon. There are many spots for tourists to take photos. I strongly recommend you to visit serval places to enjoy the cherry blossom, such as Gyeonghwa Station, jeju, and Jinhae. Mid-term examinations were scheduled in April, and most likely they were on class time. Course workload was heavier. There were assignments, quizzes and presentations. I also had 6 mid-term examinations in a week. After mid-term examinations, I travelled to Osaka, Japan. It only takes about 1.5 hour to arrive at Osaka by flight. I went to Universal studio, Osaka Castle, and Osaka Museum of History.

May As the mid-term examinations were over and the results were released, I could spare time to go to Lotte World and travel outside Seoul. Lotte World is one of the most popular amusement park in South Korea. It consists of the world’s largest indoor theme park, called “Magic Island”. Some facilities require extra fee, which is not included in the entry ticket. I also travelled to Busan with my friends. We went there by bus as it is the cheapest transportation. Busan is known for its beaches, mountains and temples. You have to note that Koreans away from Seoul can barely speak English or Mandarin, so it had better learn some basic simple Koreans before you go.

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June It was time to prepare for final examinations when it was coming to the end of the semester. Although I had many projects, I managed to schedule a day to visit Alpaca World in Hongcheon-gun. My friends and I went there by ITX and bus. It would be better to buy ITX round trip tickets online as there might not have enough seats. If you like small animals and alpaca, you must visit there. You can feed them and take photos with them. Before I returned to Hong Kong, I had some gatherings with my Korean friends and shopped around Sinchon and Ewha Womans University. I also tried on hanbok in Gyeongbokgung. As I had too many luggage, I mailed something back to Hong Kong. I checked out the dormitory on 21 June and arrived at Hong Kong on the same day.

Part II – General Exchange Information Visa Procedures To enter in Korea as an exchange student, you need to obtain a D-2 visa issued by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Hong Kong. You have to fill in visa application form and bring all required documents, for example, copy of HKID card, financial proof documents, official transcript, exchange package provided by Yonsei, passport-sized photos, etc. to the consulate for visa application. Before going to the consulate, it is suggested to make copies for all documents to make the process easier. The application fee is $480 and the procedure requires 5 working days. Only cash is accepted. You can refer to http://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/overseas_info/allnew_visaApplication.do for more details. Moreover, you are required to apply for Alien Registration Card (ARC) within 90 days since you have arrived at Korea. ARC is similar to HKID card. When you leave Korea or enter Korea during your exchange period, you have to present your ARC to verify your identity. You are reminded to prepare all the necessary documents, including copy of passport, copy of visa, 2 copies of colour passport photos (3.5cm X 4.5 cm), etc. You can make reservation and find all the application details on https://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/main_en.pt.

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Orientation Activities The orientation is held on the day after the dormitory check-in day. There are 2 sessions of orientation. The first one took place in the morning, and it is mainly about dormitories rules and regulations. You will know more about the facilities and information regarding procedure of check out. The second session will give you more general information about the university and a brief introduction of course registration including add drop period and course withdrawal period. Also, you will receive a student handbook and it contains academic calendar, campus map, emergency telephone numbers, etc. If you want to take part in some cultural activities organized by student clubs, you can bring some cash (around ₩50,000) to pay registration fee. A student organization, ‘Yonsei Global’, provide various events and programs for exchange students to get used to Korean culture an campus life. You can pick a few programs you are interested in. International Services & Activities ‘Yonsei Global’ founded in 2003, is the most prestigious student organization under the Office of International Affairs. They organized many different programs for exchange student and Korean students to take part in. For example, Language Exchange, Korean Culture Experience, K-poop Dancing Class, Company Tour, Global Angel, etc. The language exchange program matches one foreign student with one Korean student so that you can learn from each other. As for Global Angel, it is a volunteering program where you can volunteer work, such as cleaning in Seoul National Cemetery, and socialize with others through after-parties. Accommodations There are 2 dormitories at Yonsei, International House (IH) and SK Global House (SK). IH offers double rooms with a common bathroom and a lounge on each floor, while SK provides both double and single rooms with a private bathroom in each room. Housing fee of IH is cheaper than SK. If you do not mind sharing bathroom with other residents, IH is good enough. If you want to live off-campus, you can choose goshiwon (temporary accommodations for students) around Sinchon. In my opinion, it would be better to live on campus as you can meet more exchange students and make more new friends. Application for on campus housing is to be made by on-line during a designed period. You have to bear in mind that it is on a first-come-first served basis, so you should make sure you would not miss the deadline. You can refer to https://ih.yonsei.ac.kr/?code=0207 for more information. Courses Registration There are 2 rounds of registration, ‘Mileage Bidding Process’ and ‘Waiting Number System’, and 1 ‘Course Add & Drop period’.

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In the ‘Mileage Bidding Process’, mileage is given to each student for Round 1 only and mileage does not carry over to Round 2. It is advised that students use all the allotted mileage during Round 1. Undergraduates will receive 72 miles and can bid these miles on a maximum of 18 credits. Before you register courses in the 1st round, you should read the course syllabus carefully and make sure it is conducted in English. During ‘Waiting Number System’ period, mileage points are no longer used, and you can freely change the items in the “Confirm List” and “Waiting List”. You may enroll in courses freely on a first-come, first-serve basis as long as there is space available. If space fills up, students who fail to register may join the waiting list and receive a waiting number. ‘Course Add & Drop period’ is similar to the add/drop period at HKUST. You should remember that we can only enroll up to 3 business courses at Yonsei. You will receive emails giving you more information regarding course registration and tutorials on how to use mileage. Teaching & Assessment Methods For a 3-credit course at Yonsei, lectures will be divided into 1 two-hour class and 1 one-hour class every week. Normally, there is a ten-minute break for the two-hour class. Some courses may have group projects and presentations. Participation is very important at Yonsei. If you fulfill least than 30% of attendance, you may fail the course automatically. I took a total of 6 courses during my exchange:

Course Code Course Title Credits ECO 3112 Korean Economy 3 ECO 3127 Law and Economics 3 ECO 4862 Analysis of International Financial Market 3 ECO 4865 Real Estate Finance and Economics 3 IEE 3583 Society and Human Behaviour 3 IEE 3341 Korean (1) 3

I took many economic courses to fulfill my major requirements. 5 of the courses are equivalent to HKUST courses. Only ‘Analysis of International Financial Market (ECO 4862)’ is not transferable. The most interesting and challenging course is ‘Real Estate Finance and Economics’ as there are many calculations and researches involved. If you want to learn some simple Korean, ‘Korean (1)’ is a good choice as it teaches basic easy Korean language. Sports & Recreation Facilities There is a gym room in SK Global House. Both International House and SK Global House residents can use the gym room. There is a Yonsei Sport center, which stands 4 stories high. It contains a gym, a swimming pool, aerobics rooms, squash courts, etc. Finance & Banking (including currency / expenses) I opened a bank account in Woori Bank in campus. As digital payment is really common in Korea, it would be better for you to apply for a debit card. The procedure is very simple and it only takes 1 hour to finish the application.

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Below is my expenses during exchange:

Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities There are many student societies at Yonsei but not all of them are available to exchange students. You can pick some clubs and programs you are interested in. There Mentor Clubs for exchange students. You will be grouped with some Korean students. There will be monthly gatherings, and you can din and drink with the local students. They also offer cultural activities, such as making Kimchi, and nacre crafts. Health & Safety There is a clinic in Student Union building, and a hospital next to the dormitory. There is a International Health Care Center inside Severance Hospital. The center is staffed by doctors and nurses who are fluent in several languages, including English and Chinese. They can serve the medical needs of foreigners in Korea. There are also many Pharmacies around Sinchon, where you can buy medicines without a prescription include digestives, nutrients, vitamins, aminopyrine and some cold medicines. You should be careful when you return the dormitory late at night. There may be some drunk people along the street. Also, you should not drink too much when joining events organized by the Korean students. It would be better for you to go back to the dormitory with you friends.

Travel in HKD in KRWFlight ticket (Round trip) 3,012.00$

AccommodationHousing fee (International House) 10,790.00$ 1,456,000.00KRW Tuberculosis test (chest x-ray) 190.00$

ExpenseTransportation 216,700.00KRW Suuplies 110,800.00KRW Books and Stationery 150,770.00KRW Necessities (cooker & cleaning products) 108,080.00KRW Meal 848,586.00KRW Food 384,860.00KRW Drinks 69,240.00KRW Cosmetics products 314,720.00KRW Clothes 422,500.00KRW Accessaries 132,650.00KRW Entertainment 641,660.00KRW Souvenirs 100,000.00KRW Other 496,089.00KRW Total expense (HKD 1 = KRW 0.0072) 28,775.92$ 3,996,655.00KRW

Total 42,767.92$

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Food There are many different kind of food in Korea, such as Chili Pickled Cabbage, Samgyeopsal, Pork Bulgogi, Korean Barbecue, Soft Tofu Stew… … Although most of them are spicy, there still many non-spicy choices. There are many restaurants in Sinchon. You can download a mobile application called ‘Naver’ to find out more delicious dishes and desserts.

Transportation You can travel within Seoul by subway or bus. T-money card is prepaid card for transportation, which is similar to Octopus card in Hong Kong. It can be bought in subway station or convenient stores. You can search for various directions and ways to travel on ‘Naver’, a mobile application. If you want to travel outside Seoul, you have to take Korea Train Express (KTX), ITX or intercity bus. I would recommend you to buy tickets online because you might not be able to buy a ticket on the spot. Climate It gets cooler in February and March. But it would be warmer starting from April. The temperature difference between daytime and nighttime is huge so you bring a jacket when you hang out at night. It is very cold at night, but there are heaters in dormitories. Communication Korean is the main language used in Korea. Some people know simply English and Mandarin. Some restaurants may have both English and Chinese menus. However, if you do not know Korean, I strongly recommend you to download a translation mobile application, such as ‘Google Translate’ to eliminate language barriers. Cautionary measures It is suggested that you should remember some emergency telephones numbers. Also, you would better not go to drink alone. Other Notes You may apply for insurance claim (a travel insurance provided by HKUST) if you encounter accidents during exchange.

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Part III – Items to Bring Checklist

• Currency (Korean Won and Hong Kong Dollar) • Laptop • Camera • Adaptors • Hair dryer • An extra mobile phone • Medicines • Exchange package issued by both Yonsei University and HKUST • Travel documents • Clothes for winter and summer

*Do not bring too much things and be aware of baggage weight limit Part IV – Useful Links and Contacts Course Catalog Portal Service @ Yonsei: https://portal.yonsei.ac.kr/main/indexe.jsp Study Abroad at Yonsei (Courses): https://oia.yonsei.ac.kr/intstd/exCourse.asp Yonsei Creative Education Community (YSCEC): https://yscec.yonsei.ac.kr/login/index.php Yonsei University Exchange Program Website Yonsei University Office of International Affairs: https://oia.yonsei.ac.kr/intstd/exOver.asp Study Abroad at Yonsei Online Application: https://oia.yonsei.ac.kr/apply/exchange.asp Transportation / Map Information Campus map: http://www.yonsei.ac.kr/en_sc/intro/openmap.jsp Mobile Applications:

Naver Kakao Bus Kakao Taxi

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Emergency Contact Service Telephone Address

Medical Emergency & Fire 119 Nationwide Service Police 112 Nationwide Service Dorm Security (+82)-2-2123-7481

(+82)-2-2123-4616 (English)

SK Global House Front Desk International house Front Desk

Emergency Call (+82)-2-2123-3700 (Korean Service Only)

On-campus Security or Emergency Phone

SEVERANCE HOSPITAL 1599-1004 Sinchon Severance Hospital SEVERANCE HOSPITAL EMERGENCY

010-9948-0983 / 010-9948-0982

Sinchon Severance Hospital

If more information is needed, get my contact from SBM Exchange Team by emailing at bmugexch@ust.hk.