Exchange! One of the best experiences that you can get in your university life! If you could do it, I would strongly encourage you to do so!
In the Winter of 2018, I decided to seize the opportunity.
I was a Year 1 when I went to Hanyang University, situated in Seoul (Korea) for Winter Exchange.
Best decision ever made.
Just to clarify.
Yes, you can go for Winter Exchange as early as your first semester at NTU ends. Just be sure to read NTU’s emails to apply!
This trip was absolutely rewarding and personally, there was so much I learnt from it.
Winter School is a 2 weeks programme whereby one module will be taken at the host university. You can only take an Unrestricted Elective (UE) during Winter School.
There is a whole list of electives that you can take. For example, the Korean Language.
I took Principles of Management. It was yet another great decision I’d made.
CURRICULUM
The curriculum was straightforward.
- We needed to attend classes from 9 am until 2 pm daily. During class, we need to participate to gain class participation points.
- We also had to do a mini project on a topic assigned. Ours was about the K-pop industry in Korea. So we had to submit a one-page poster + five-page report on the findings.
- We also had finals but it was cancelled (best prof ever!). It was replaced with a continuation of the project. So we had to do a presentation and submit another five-page report.
Easy.
All classes are also taught in English, so rest assured if you are like me, someone who speaks zero Korean. (Although I did acquire some phrases in Korea that I use in everyday life now. I also learnt how to write the word Oppa because why not.)
Other than this class, you can also opt for 1 AU modules such as pottery, make-up, dance classes to further enhance your experience at Winter School. Some of these classes will incur an additional cost for the materials.
I decided to not opt for them so I could spend more time exploring the city. Thus, I won’t go into much detail about these classes.
ACCOMODATION
The accommodation that we stayed in was situated at Sindang. This was one of the accommodations that were recommended to us by the university. The apartments that we stayed in can house up to a maximum of 3 people.
The room that we had was a mezzanine. Meaning that there were two stories. So I took the entire space upstairs while my other two friends stayed downstairs
FOOD AT HANYANG UNIVERSITY
Here are some of the lunches that I had in Hanyang’s cafeteria! This one was near their business school.
Their cafeteria only serves a fixed number of food items each day. So the students have to queue up in front of the machine to choose which one they want, pay for it and then redeem their lunch at the respective food stalls.
TRIPS HOSTED BY HANYANG UNIVERSITY
Apart from the studies, Hanyang University had also hosted some trips to bring us around.
1. BIBAP Non-verbal Comedy show
The first was a BIBAP Non-verbal Comedy show which was hilarious. We were all thoroughly entertained by the performance that was put up. I can’t take videos nor pictures in there so here is a trailer.
2. New Year’s Day Party
The Second was the New Year’s Party where we get to meet everyone who was part of the Winter Studies.
3. Ski Trip
The third was a Ski Trip which I did not attend but lowkey regret. Look at how much fun they had!
4 . Graduation Day
Last but not least, after 2 weeks, graduation day! We could finally throw our graduation caps!
So, do consider going for Winter Exchange if you are not intending on going for Summer Exchange or the 6-month Exchange. You will learn and grow so much and have fun in the process!
This is an experience that you should not miss out on!
Comment down below what your favourite/ ideal exchange destination would be!
Be sure to check out my whole Seoul Experience while I was on Winter Studies Exchange!
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