Yonsei vs SNU vs Sungkyungkwan

I have been doing tons and tons of research since July 2016 although I was planning to register for the winter semester (which happens around end of November or early December) to study Korean language in Korea's university. As some of you guys know, Korea's top 3 universities, SKY (Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University) is famous not only among Korean students but also international students.

My dream was to enroll into one of the SKY university at first. Hey, it is not easy for Korean students to get into SKY so I want to take advantage of this opportunity being a foreigner and apply for it. However, along the way, I found out there are some other equally well-known universities in Korea that are offering great Korean language courses for foreign students. Namely, Sogang University, Sungkyunkwan University and Ewha Women's University.

My first choice would definitely be Yonsei University. I have consulted a few of my Korean friends who are living in Korea and they all recommended Yonsei University. It is a great place to study and to experience life as a student in Korea, thanks to its strategic location, right in the heart of Sinchon, near Hongdae. As most of you hardcore Korean fans will know, Hongdae is a place people enjoy their extreme nightlife as the place itself have so much to offer. People go there for picnics, for street performance, for drinking and for nightclubs! So students are more exposed to these kind of entertainments more than others. You can study and play hard!

Yonsei University campus (cr: KTO)

Besides that, Yonsei is well known for its fun learning environment with tons of activities and field trips. However, based on the reviews of students who studied there, Yonsei doesn't focus much on the speaking but more on the writing and general grammar. So students from, say Sogang University, who spent more speaking time with their students, are generally able to speak Korean better.

Plus, the tuition fee of Yonsei is the most expensive. Well, it is a prestigious university. But don't worry, students from Yonsei said the price you pay is definitely worth the material and facilities that you are able to enjoy as a student of Yonsei. Since I am still saving up pennies for my studies and my main objective of going to Korea is to enjoy life as a student, I will put Yonsei on top of my list, for now.

My second choice is Seoul National University (SNU). It is the top university in Korea. However, since I will be studying Korean language only, the top 3 universities are actually equally good, depending on what you would prefer more. For example, do you want to be better in daily conversation in Korean? do you want to be good in writing and scoring in exams?

Different universities have different ways of teaching and they focus on different aspect of learning. It all depends on what you feel comfortable with and what you want to learn or improve on.

SNU's tuition fee is slightly cheaper compared to Yonsei, and it is located further away from the town center, which is at Gwanak-gu (nearest station Seoul National Uni. station, Line 2). Since it is not in the hot tourist spot area, the accommodations are rather cheaper and affordable. I definitely fell in love with the university as soon as I watch the episode of "2Days & 1Night" where they went to SNU and did a university tour. Although it doesn't sound or look as happening as Yonsei, it is definitely a great place to study and enjoy life!

You can check out the "2Days & 1Night" episodes on SNU here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

*Hotties alert*

SNU campus (cr: universityfairs)

Iconic logo of SNU (cr: campusasia)

Take note that both SNU and Yonsei offers Buddy program or mentor program that pairs you up with a SNU/Yonsei university student who will help you adjust to your stay in Korea and help you with your studies. In return, you shall teach them English/Mandarin or any other language you have signed up for!

My third option is Sungkyunkwan University. Well, for sure, it is the cheapest one of all the universities I did research on because they have changed their period of course. Sungkyunkwan offers 8 weeks of Korean studies rather than the usual 10 weeks so students can finish the semester faster, saving up more living cost in Seoul! So people usually finish the 6 level Korean language course in 1.5 years, you will be able to finish them all in a year, in Sungkyunkwan university. However, the study time per day will be slightly longer.

And Sungkyunkwan is one of the oldest university in Korea. Unlike other universities, Sungkyunkwan University still maintains a few its old buildings. So it feels like you are walking in a Korean cultural building area. It is really amazing!
There are a lot of foreign students in Sungkyunkwan who studies Korean language. There are a lot Sungkyunkwan students who did reviews on the course in Sungkyunkwan on their blogs and also on Youtube.

Samsung library of Sungkyunkwan University

After considering which universities to apply, I started looking out the registration process and application. Some universities need more detailed documents from you but some don't. So look out for their required documents and submit them before the deadline. You can do them online through their website, email or mail.

These are just a few universities that I had done research on based on ex-student's blog, youtube and websites.

As you all who have followed me on my personal Facebook and my Facebook page HYORIYA 효리야 스토리 know that I just came back studying at Yonsei University. I can only give the most feedback and suggestions/answers based on my experience at Yonsei University.

Feel free to email me or leave a comment below if you have any questions on studying in Korea!
I will try my best to help you out!

This is it! Getting ready for my dream to set sail

These few months have been crazy. Preparing for my external professional exam alongside with taking up part time job at SPAO really worn me out but one thing kept me strong! Finally, my precious document arrived, making it all the way from Yonsei University in Korea. After a few weeks of preparing documents for screening and getting passports and application forms ready, they approved my application and confirmed my registration for the programme!

Fell in love with SPAO since 2 years ago. Hence, while waiting for my convocation in November, I've taken up my first part time job in retail at SPAO, Pavilion. Never regretted a moment of it, it taught me so much! 

*psst* SPAO is getting bigger and bigger now! SPAO will be opening at Sunway Velocity Mall. Interested in building a retail career with SPAO or just simply want to earn some extra bucks while still meet friends who are also Kpop lovers? JOIN SPAO!

OK so back to my story...
The acceptance email came in few days ago and within a week, I received this hardcopy which included the official receipt of my payment, the certification of admission, a general introduction of Yonsei University, schedule of my semester and also map of Yonsei University.

I'm not going to disclose the contents inside as it is private and confidential, but hey! they give some useful tip and information with all the documents you need so don't worry!

As for the accommodation, I have decided not to stay in the hostel for Yonsei University, not only it was hard to get, provided I am only going to be staying for a short period, I would like to enjoy a more private and personal space outside of the campus. I'm not sure if many of you have heard about Goshiwon, which basically means "exam area/room".

It is not uncommon for student in Korea to stay focus studying during their annual exam period by moving out from their house, leaving all the entertainment distractions behind and solely focus on their revision. Hence, the exam room is for them to move out and live for a month or two, to focus and study. It is practically a very small room, with a single bed, a wardrobe, a study table, a small refrigerator, a TV and private/shared bathroom. The owners who run the building will provide wifi and other necessities such as food.

It is a rather cheap accommodation to stay in especially you are still a student and do not have much money to rent a one room by paying a huge sum of deposit. Goshiwon requires no deposit fee, the most, just a small amount for the key deposit which will be returned when you leave the room and return the keys. You can stay as long and as short as you want, no contracts. So, it is a really convenient place to stay for students like me. Goshiwon ranges from 330,000won to 500,000 per month, depending on the size of the room and the location.

I have done bookings for my Goshiwon, which is located 10mins away from Yonsei University by foot. I preferred to stay nearer to the university without having to take public transport to reach so that i don't have to go through the hassle to wake up earlier and wait for public transport every morning when I travel to school.

The place I live in is called Sinchon. It is quite of a busy place as it is always crowded with students, teenagers, young adults and working adults looking to have a good time and have good food.

As I will be going to Korea during winter time, winter clothes are also a must. I have been going around, looking for winter clothing but I have not bought much. I've decided to save some money and buy it in Korea, after I have settled down. There will be more choices for me and cheaper compared to Malaysia.

My preparation is on the way though I am not 100% done with all. I am already so excited and I can't wait to see what God has planned for me. Anybody who are visiting Korea, you are most welcome to contact me!

p/s: Many of you have contacted me through my personal Facebook's inbox, expressing interest to apply for the universities in Korea. I will be updating a post on that subject matter once I've got everything settled. In the meanwhile, you can always get updates on my blog and my journey through my Facebook page HYORIYA 효리야 스토리

Update:
Here is an article on Yonsei University's Korean Language Institute receiving the 2018 Korea Educational Industrial Award!

The Korean Language Institute (KLI) at Yonsei University received the 2018 Korea Education Industrial Award under the “Korean Language Education for Foreigners” category. Jointly presented by The Korea Herald and The Herald Business, the award was given in recognition of KLI’s excellent educational services and significant contribution to the development of Korean language education for non-native speakers.

https://medium.com/@yonsei/korean-language-institute-receives-2018-korea-education-industrial-award-e4ce6a12a4e1

[HRKRTRAVEL] Jeongdongjin, Gangwondo - Day 12

Night view of Jeongdongjin! How amazing this look? It was really cold although it was summer.

I woke up around 8:30am today to get to JeongDongjin 정동진 at Gangwon-do. It is a place famous to eat seafood by the beach and also watching sunrise! The bus to Gangwon-do leaves at 12:40pm from the Express Bus Terminal. So I had to take the subway by 10am and have my lunch at the Express Bus Terminal Station. The guesthouse I was staying at provided breakfast but it was just plain cereal and some stone hard frozen milk cubes in carton. Not a great breakfast.

Anyways, after checking out, I went to take the subway and arrived at the Express Bus terminal station. I reached there around 11:30am and had Lotteria for lunch. I weirdly prefers Malaysia's McDonald's burger. However, Lotteria's fries are way better and fresher! They are way more consistent and french fries is my life. One set costed around 6500-7000won. I've ordered the Hanwoo bulgogi burger and Hot crispy chicken burger.

After lunch, I sat at the waiting area to wait for my bus. The buses all arrived on time and they leave on time. So don't go anywhere and make sure everything is under control or else you will affect the bus schedule as the driver had to wait for you. They are always on time too so don't be late!

This bus took 3 hours to reach Gangneung and I have to take another local bus to go to Jeongdongjin 정동진. Luckily there was a USB charger on the bus to charge my phone. I had a good sleep on the bus!

The bus made a quick stop after 2 hours at a rest station. The Korean lady who sat beside me on the bus went down and bought some chesnuts. She offered me some and showed me how to eat. She even placed it in front of her and ask me to take more if I want! It was such a nice gesture~ 

A very friendly taxi driver, trying his best to locate my guesthouse because it was kinda hard to find even with GPS and map. He had to go down to random local people and ask for directions.

I reached Gangneung around 4pm and the local bus left. I had to wait for another 2 hours for the next one to arrive. So, I took the taxi instead. It was 16km away and it costed 26,000won. The taxi took me right to the guesthouse. The guesthouse is called IF guesthouse. It is located 3minutes walk away from the beach. Which is a plus! As soon as I arrive at the guest house, I placed my stuffs in the room and went straight to the beach! Thank god the weather was nice and windy today. The temperature here is slightly cooler compare to Seoul as it is by the beach. 

Dipping my feet in the summer beach but trust me, it feels nothing like summer! It was freezing cold.

There were a lot of people at the beach too. The sea water was so cold and the wind was so strong. You can see waves coming towards you. It was such a nice spot to take pictures and enjoy the view. I sat down and had some snacks and cookies by the beach. It was so relaxing! 

See how clean the beach is?

If you look closely, there is a ship on top of the hill. It is actually a hotel in the shape of a ship and you can directly see the beach view from your room. It looks magnificent.

Dinner time! I had grilled seafood for dinner! This restaurant was just by the beach and lots of people are dining at the place. So why not just give it a try? This plater costed 100,000won. Yes, the most expensive dinner I ever had in Korea but oh well, it is fresh seafood! I ordered this plater and also one knife cut wheat flour noodle (칼국수). The noodle portion was so so big we couldn't finish. It looks like a big pot to me. 

The plater was full with scallops and prawns. The seafood was so fresh and it tasted so sweet. They are grilled with cheese too! The service here is so good. The owner even gave me time to take photos, help me out my bags and brought me extra chairs to put my stuffs, served and cooked the plater personally for me although others are doing it themselves. They refill the side dishes in split seconds and know exactly how much refill I wanted! The waiter working there was so cute too. He worked so hard and took orders efficiently. They responded to each and every customers' request in god speed. And they are always so polite. Service was really good here!

Really really fresh prawns here!

There were a lot of local people travelling to Jeongdongjin too! There were a lot of restaurants and stalls by the beach selling almost the same seafood, but this was one of the crowded one. So we decided to dine here.

The temperature was getting colder and colder when the sun starts to set. It was chilling cold especially when the wind blows. But the view was to die for.

After eating, the sun set. The wind was blowing so strong and I was wearing short pants. It was so cold my teeth was clattering and my body was shaking. Not a good time for shorts. I went back to my guesthouse as fast as I can. Waking up early around 3am for the sunrise tomorrow! It is the most important thing to do at 정동진. It is already 12am now. 3 hours to go! Going back to Seoul tomorrow too. My last destination. No, I dont want to go back to Malaysia yet.

Waking up tomorrow for the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen! Jeongdongjin is a place famous for its sunrise by the beach. You can have faith in the sunrise for giving you a beautiful instagram worthy photo! 

Another fact of Korea is that Koreans have a tradition of going to see the first sunrise of the year on 1st of January. So beaches are usually crowded on the first day of the year.

[HRKRTRAVEL] Songdo, Incheon - Day 9

Today is the last day I'm gonna be in Songdo. I will definitely miss this place a lot. They have the best guesthouse interior, the best environment and the best weather. Although the living expense here is way higher compared to Seoul, I can definitely see why it is worth the difference.

Woke up at 8am today, ate some breakfast (toast, yogurt, juice, cereal and scrambled eggs) and headed back to Shinsa market to try out the food I didn't manage to try yesterday. The market is kinda far from my guesthouse by foot so I had to take subways and bus. It was quite a long journey.

As soon as I reach, it was around early lunch time. I went to the 순대 restaurant where Song triplets went and ordered what they ordered. The restaurant 이화순대 is very clean. I ordered the 순대국밥 and it costed 7000won. It was really delicious! Other than 순대 inside, there is also some makchang and meat pieces. The soup base was really really tasty! The portion was kinda big so I was really full.

After the meal, I went to the store where Song triplets ate 오뎅(odeng - fish cake) with their dad. There are three different soup based 오뎅, the anon spicy, slightly spicy and very spicy. Each costed only 500won, which is 50% of the price we normally see in Seoul, it was surprising! I also tried their 식혜(sikhye - traditional korean sweet rice beverage)! The taste wasn't as good as the one I had in Blue Ocean but it was refreshing.

I also had a little chat with the store owner. She tried her best to explain the 식혜 and tried to build some conversation! She said I am pretty *shy*.

After eating the 오뎅, I am ready to continue my journey. Along the way out from the market, I saw the baby clothing store where Song Ilgook bought some cute sleeping pants for the triplets. It looked so cute and comfortable he even ask if there is any adult size.

After that, I went to 바르다 김선생 for some 김밥(kimbab - rice rolls) and 만두(mandu - dumplings)! The Song triplets also came here when they were smaller. Their 먹방 was so good! 민국이 was so happy when the mandu came he even sang. They ate a lot of the mandu and even Song Ilgook couldn't stop himself from eating. The mandu they ate was 갈비만두.

I don't know why but I am not a fan of the mandu. It tasted weird for me. But I'm glad the song triplets ate well. The 김밥 on the other hand looked so pretty. It was filled with a lot of ingredients rather than rice.

By the way, the restaurant was really really small. But it looked big and spacious on television. I couldn't have imagine that at all. After eating and resting, I continued my Song triplets food hunt!

Since it was my last day here, I don't want to leave without trying as much as I can. For dinner, I went to the nakji stew restaurant the Song triplets went too. It was really far away from my guesthouse so I took the subway and bus. At the time, it was around 6pm where the roads are full with cars and the traffic was bad. Thank god the restaurant was kinda near to the subway station. It was quite easy to find the way to the restaurant. I went to the second floor of the restaurant and sat at the table where the Song triplets sat! I ordered the nakji stew and it was the most expensive meal I have ever had in Korea. It costed 60,000won for the regular portion. I wanted the small portion but the owner said in order to put the nakji in the stew, you have to order the regular one. And that was the triplets ate.

The owner came with a pot of seafood stew with mussels and clams inside. Then after the stew starts to boil, he brought over some live octopus and threw them in. He put around 3-4 of them inside. The octopus was so chewy and fresh. All the seafood in the stew tasted really fresh. And the soup! Now I know why 민국 made that face when he tried the soup. It was slightly seasoned with pepper and green chilli, so it has that spicy taste. It tasted nice. Sadly, towards the end of the meal, the soup has reduced and it tasted really really salty after all the seafood boiled to their best in the pot.

It was really a tummy satisfied day! I went back to my guesthouse around 9pm. Today, there are some magazine reporters and writers here, to interview the owner of my guesthouse as she is the only guesthouse established in Songdo. She was really pretty too!

As soon as I came back home, they started the interview with her. After that, they also interviewed me and ask me about my trip and how I came about to like Korea. They were kinda impressed with how much I like Korea and also how much I know about Korea.

The interview was really fun and it was a nice chat+conversation+interview with the writers. The owner was really good in English so she translated what I said to Korean for the writers. I really enjoyed myself and the interview experience was one in a million. It was a really good experience.

The writer ask me what is my major and if I intended to come over to further my studies. They even recommended Yonsei for me because it was located near Songdo, maybe 20mins by car. She also ask if I am interested in Korean guys and what is my impression on them. She said she could introduce some to me. Yes, please do. Haha

[HRKRTRAVEL] Songdo, Incheon - Day 8

Beautiful morning in Songdo! Breakfast is provided so I had my breakfast in the guesthouse. There are bread, eggs, cereal, milk, juice, jam, peanut butter, butter, yogurt and more for breakfast. It was delicious! I woke up early around 8am and went down for some walk and there were so many kindergarten buses stopping around to pick up children from their house. The wind was blowing so strong in the morning, it was chilly!

I went to Shinsa market 신사마켓 where the Song triplets went to eat 순대국 and 오뎅 but sadly both were not open today. Such coincidence. The restaurants posted a lot of photos of Song triplets screenshots eating their food on the wall and even printed banners. This is also where Song ilgook bought the cute black pants for each of them and even asked if there is an adult size for himself.

After visiting the market, I went to Incheon National University where My Love From The Star 별에서 온 그대 filmed. The university was so so huge, there were at least 24 buildings as each of them were numbered. Although it is Monday but I don't see many students in the university. Just a few. And there are gardeners busy trimming the bushes.

After visiting the university, I went to have my lunch. Again, I went to a restaurant called 홍실 청실. The triplets and Song ilgook had mandu and japanese cold noodles here. I order both of it and also another 왕만두! Both mandu were so delicious. However, the Japanese cold noodle is not my style. But it was a nice try! Now I know why they had so many 만두 and didn't want to share with their dad! The mandu was kinda small, it is understandable why they could eat so much!

After eating such delicious lunch, I bought an iced caffe latte at Paik's Coffee. It was tasty and refreshing.

The restaurant was at the ground floor. At the 6th floor, there is a sauna called Blue Ocean. It is the sauna where the Song triplets went to. Minguk spilled his sikhye after he bought it because he was busy drinking it with two bottles of sikhye on his two little arms. The sauna was kinda huge and the common area was equipped with lots of massage chairs, television and computers.

From 5am-10pm costed 8000won per adult. As soon as you pay at the counter, the lady would give you a wrist key holder with 2 towels and a set of clothing to change. There are two lockers provide for each key. One is where you put your shoes and one is where you can put your belongings and hang your clothing.

After changing, it is time to relax! It was so nice to lay around in comfortable clothes and watch Show Me The Money 5, drinking sikhye and eating hard boiled eggs. I slept around and lay around for a few hours. There are also different sauna where you can take a dip. However, I couldn't let myself be naked in front of strangers so I didn't try them out. But it is normal to see people completely naked in front of you, walking freely. People ranging from 9 years old to 50 years old. However, female and male sauna is seperated. Only the common area is joint together.

I went to have dinner around 6:30pm. I went to Giana's Napoli, also another restaurant the Song triplets went. It is an Italian restaurant. I ordered 3 dishes. Although they were a bit pricey but it is out of the world delicious!! All three dishes are worth a try! Really really delicious. I have to repeat it again and again because it was so damn delicious! Song ilgook is really good at finding good food!