Tips for Studying Abroad at Soonchunhyang University (순천향대)

안녕하세요 (HELLO) EVERYONE! My name is Mia Takahashi and I have completed my Spring 2023 semester in South Korea at HPU's partner school, Soonchunhyang University. It was a splendid four months that I will forever cherish for the rest of my life. While there, I mainly took my Unrestricted Electives and Upper Division courses since I needed to complete these before starting my nursing course in the upcoming Fall semester. (Classes I took: Cultural Internship Discussion, Understanding Global Society, Understanding Contemporary Korean Film, Global Entrepreneurship of Korean Business, and Korean Entertainment.) I learned a lot about Korean history and was even able to take a few field trips with a few of my classes. 

I wanted to take some time to share some tips and tricks that I learned during the time leading up to my time in South Korea and things that I learned during my stint there that I wish I knew prior.

(Picture: Back Gate of Soonchunhyang University)

Tip #1: DO NOT OVERPACK

I know that may seem like a "DUH" type of response but it is really easy to overthink what to bring and you end up overpacking due to indecisiveness or anxiety since you only have a few days left to pack for your time abroad. I made a list of what I needed to bring, but even so, I ended up overthinking and being worried about the "WHAT IF'S" which led me to slightly overpack. Make sure to check the weather before leaving, this is essential! I went during the end of the winter season, so it still got pretty cold, especially at night with the wind chill. If you plan to go during this time, this is what I would suggest:

CLOTHES: Trust me when I say, you only need one or two really good warm, thicker jackets. I would suggest having one that you can layer underneath and another that is waterproof. These are bulky items that you will only use for a month or two and then most likely never use them again. For tops, I would suggest bringing between 10-12 tops that you can layer or style differently. (This count does include bringing 2-3 long-sleeve tops.) Again, you most likely will end up buying a few shirts anyways, even if you think you won't because believe me, you WILL. Clothing, especially tops, are affordable here and you are very likely to find a good deal at one of the multitude of shops outside of the mall. (*Pro tip: catch the train from Sinchang Station (Soonchunhyang University) to Cheonan Station; head to the mall but go across the street and explore the shops over there instead.) Next is bottoms, this is a little more tricky as pants sizes are smaller than US standard sizes, therefore it could be slightly harder to find bottoms that may fit. I would suggest bringing 3 long pants (different colors or styles), 2 jean shorts, and maybe 1-2 skirts or sweatpants. *Note: it is a lot easier to find sweatpants there due to the loose fit and comfort. 

SHOES: one pair of comfortable, yet reliable boots; this will be your lifesaver when you're freezing or when it rains. Furthermore, make sure to pack one good pair of walking shoes since you will be walking a lot more than you might be used to. I would also suggest bringing one pair of slippers or slides. These will be mainly used for every day, short distances (i.e., your dorm to the kitchen). However, do not stress too much about packing too many different pairs of shoes. During my time there, I ended up buying three different pairs of shoes because of their uniqueness, comfort, and affordability. 

UNDERGARMENTS/EXTRAS: if you are planning to go during the winter season, bring a scarf, beanie or warm hat, and gloves! These will save your life, especially when you get hit with the wind chill at night. I would also suggest only bringing 12 pairs of socks and underwear since you will be doing laundry pretty often, but I say 12 is a nice number since it is always nice to have extras just in case. Another thing is to bring the proper electricity adapter, do some research prior if you plan on bringing your own hair dryer or straightener. I had a few friends who did not have the correct adaptors since the US uses 120-volt outlets, whereas Korea uses 220-volt outlets. Bring one backpack that you can use for school or as a weekend bag. I am grateful that I brought my bigger backpack with me and I was able to use it for school as well as when we stayed in Seoul for the weekend. With that in mind, please do not bring too many bags. Korea has a wide selection of tote bags for reasonable prices and cute designs. I was able to find cute and functional tote bags of all sizes during my time there! (I love looking at Daiso for new tote bags!) Lastly, bring some type of omiyage from home. As someone who was born and raised in Hawai'i, sharing goodies is very common when you go to a new place. My family and I will always bring some type of goodie with us to share when we go on trips and everyone loves and appreciates them! I brought a variety pack of macadamia nuts and something special for my roommate (I got all of these goodies from Costco). I would highly suggest doing this as a form of an icebreaker. I introduced myself to all of my suitemates with a goodie and there was one night that everyone who was there had already gathered in one of the study rooms and we were all talking story and trading goodies from where we came from! 

Tip #2: LEARN HANGEUL 

When I decided to study abroad, I began studying Korean on my own time. (Unfortunately, HPU does not offer any courses in the Korean language.) While my program does not require any Korean language experience, having some before going to Korea will be in your favor. Now, this does not mean you need to have fluent conversations and be able to fluently write in Korea, but simply being able to read the Korean alphabet (Hangeul) will help with the added stresses of being in a foreign country. In my case, I am nowhere close to being fluent in Korean, but being able to sound out things, like locations or food on a menu, made traveling around a lot easier. This leads us to my next tip. 

Tip #3: DOWNLOADING THESE APPS

TRANSPORTATION: When you go to Korea, you will need to download either Kakao Maps or Naver Maps. I prefer to use Kakao Maps, as I found that it gave a better navigation system, however, I had friends that used Naver and they seemed to enjoy it. Google Maps and Apple Maps will not work as well as the former since they are connected to the Korean public transit systems. A couple of other transportation apps that are useful to have are the following: KorailTalk (for purchasing KTX and similar tickets) and Kakao Taxi (for ordering a taxi). (*Pro tip: in general, it is best to search for the place you are looking for in Hangeul. Also if you use Kakao Maps, you can scroll to the bottom of your route options and you can see how much it could cost for a taxi.) Just as a friendly reminder, you are in another country, so don't be surprised that most transportation drivers do not speak English. Also, don't be surprised if your taxi driver calls you; most of the time they are either calling you to let you know that they will be there soon or they're trying to find out where you are close by. It can be intimidating, but keep calm and remember you got this!

LANGUAGE: While it is quite accessible to get around Korea, I would recommend you download Papago. This app is better than Google Translate or Apple Translate and is highly used throughout Korea. You can take pictures of almost anything and it will be able to immediately translate it for you. (There are other languages available to translate to English as well.) This is an essential app for a nonfluent speaker; it will be helpful for solo traveling, communicating with native speakers, and figuring out directions on various items. But as I previously stated, having the foundation built (in other words, being able to read and pronounce Hanguel) will help you tremendously. I suggest apps like Duolingo, Lingodeer, and Write Korean to help you learn some of the basics, but please keep in mind that no app is perfect and won't teach you everything you will need to know.

Tip #4: WIFI AND KOREAN SIM CARD

In Korea, wifi is very accessible and almost always a place to connect (even on the train)! With that being said, you shouldn't rely on the free wifi always being available, especially in smaller-rural towns. While my cellphone plan on T-mobile would have allowed me to connect to the internet and cell towers in Korea, I decided to get a Korean SIM card. I chose to get mine from Chingu Mobile, per a recommendation from my cousin who goes to school in Korea, and it was only $64.00. I chose the unlimited data plan for 4 months and picked it up conveniently at the airport. Most times, your American phone number will not work for certain reward points or apps. Having a Korean number will allow you to call taxis, order takeout, and even shipping items will require a Korean number. 

Tip #5: PHOTO BOOTHS
In almost every place I visited during my four months in Korea, I was able to find at least 1-3 photo booths. I highly recommend taking photo booth pictures as it is a way to keep a memory of the day you spent! Most prints also have the date (and sometimes the time) of when you took them which is a nice memorabilia to look back on. *Pro tip: DO NOT FORGET TO DOWNLOAD YOUR PICTURE AND VIDEO!* I would say mostly all of the photo booths that I went to allow you to download a digital picture as well as a short video clip of you while in the photo booth. This is such a nice option to have, that way you have both a digital and a physical copy to look back and reminisce on. You can also find cute photo binders to keep all of the pictures you take during your time there! (I was able to fill every page in the photo book and even had a few that were unable to fit!) As I look back at my photos, I love that I took so many to capture my time there, and am grateful for each one I have. It is definitely worth the money spent!