Korean Language Program in Korea

I've seen an influx of FB posts of ex-school mates who are going/went to Korea for an exchange program in recent years. And while they are there, many of them take up korean classes. I am sure there are tons of blog posts providing information on what to prepare for your exchange trip. Today, I will be sharing my experience with Seoul National University (SNU), not as an exchange student, but as a foreign student studying there!

Please note that this post is based on my personal experience. I attended SNU, so I am not sure how other universities are like. This post will only give you a rough idea of what to expect/do if you plan to study korean in Korea.

So, while I was taking a gap year in 2012, I decided to sign up for a Korean Language Program (KLP) in Korea! A lot of universities in Korea offer korean language programs for foreigners. Some of the more popular universities (in Seoul) will be - SNU, Yonsei, Kyunghee, and Korea Uni. In recent years, I've been seeing some people attending Sogang and Sungkyunkwan. You can attend the classes regardless of age and nationality! All the universities I listed are in Seoul. If you are interested in other cities in Korea, you can check out a list of universities here!

Prior to studying there, I did some research on the different programs available under different universities since 2011. My original plan was to apply for a 3-months program in September, but due to some reasons, I decided on SNU's 3-week intensive program.

I guess if you are going there as an exchange student, your local university will more or less help in the application? Applying for the KLP directly to the korean university might seem a little tough, but it was relatively easy. For SNU, you will have to create an account. Log in, and apply for your preferred program. There was an application fee of 50,000won, and the tuition fee for the 3-weeks intensive program was 650,000won. I had trouble paying the application fee through the online credit card payment, so I emailed the school. They then informed me that the online payment system doesn't work in some countries, so I had to do a wire transfer. To save on the remittance fee, I was told to transfer both the application fee and tuition fee at one go.

If you have learnt korean before, you can do an online placement test, or choose to do it on the first day of the program. If you do not state anything, you will be automatically put into the beginner class.

Depending on the availability, SNU provides off-campus dormitories (you can get information of it on their website). I paid 500,000won for a 1-month stay. There were a few buses you can take to school, and it takes about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can find a 고시원/goshiwon (one-room) near campus. My classmates paid 300,000won ~ 400,000won for a month.

So what's the difference between staying in dorm and staying in a goshiwon? According to my classmates, the air-con is centralised and controlled by the goshiwon manager. Which meant - despite it being summer, they couldn't switch on the air-con when they needed it. On the other hand, I had the air-con controller in my room, and I could do whatever I want with it! The wifi was also really fast!

(Pardon my korean. It was kinda bad that time)

If you are thinking of signing up for the SNU 3-week intensive program, here's the schedule:
Mon - Fri: 9am - 1pm
Complete a textbook by the end of 3 weeks (1 topic each day).
Homework everyday, 2 quizzes, 2 roleplays, 1 individual oral presentation, & final exam.

You will be issued this student certificate to prove that you are a student of SNU KLEC. You will be allowed to eat at their canteen if you show them the certificate. The canteen serves 2 sets of food, and they change everyday. Price ranges from 2,500won ~ 4,500won. Not the most delicious, but it's quite cheap so yeah.

Oh yes! Since I was only there for a month, I didn't have to apply for a student visa. So I'm not too sure about the procedure.

I think that's pretty much it. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment! I'll try my best to answer :)

You can read my adventure as a foreign student here at my personal blog.