4 Things I Wish I Knew Before Studying in Korea
In 2021, I learned about GoGoHanguk through a friend who knew I was learning Korean. It is a company that helps students from all over the world enroll in classes and live and study in Korea at no extra cost. GoGoHanguk helps you obtain a visa, enroll in the school of your choice, and can even place you in accommodations with a Korean family as opposed to a dorm. In 2022, with their guidance, I began my schooling at Silla University in Busan, South Korea.
While I enjoyed the opportunity to learn Korean while in Korea, there are a few things I wish I had known before embarking on this journey.
Choose Wisely Because It Is Difficult To Switch
My first choice of school was Kyungsung University. It was more central and much closer to the beach. (Yes, I picked a school based solely on how close it was to the beach.) Unfortunately, due to Covid, they were not accepting any foreign students at the time. I thought no problem; I will go to Silla and then transfer over. However….
After almost a year, I reached out regarding switching schools, and this is what I was told, “Kyungsung University is accepting students now, however, it is very difficult to transfer language schools within Korea. To qualify to transfer, you must have a TOPIK 3급 or above and you must transfer to a school willing to take over your current visa sponsorship.
The other option is to leave Korea and then return to Korea after receiving a new D-4-1 visa (or enter as a tourist depending on how long you wish to study at Kyungsung).” At the time, this was just too much of a commitment for me.
2. Each Program Has Different Levels Of Difficulty
This may have been my fault, but after spending months learning Korean from home and studying with teaching via Italki, and in general being studious, my hubris led me to believe that a higher level of difficulty would be manageable and a fun challenge. Don’t be like me. The harder level of difficulty is to prepare you for the Topik exam.
So, while the schools say no previous knowledge of Korean is required, what they mean is you will spend 8+ hours a day studying on top of class time, AND any basic level of Korean that you don’t know you will have to learn yourself. I survived level 1 because I had already been studying Korean. I had 3 months to learn what the rest of the class was expected to know in less than a month.
I passed level two by the skin of my teeth. I had no idea what was going on in the class. The only thing I knew was that I didn’t like the level two teacher, and she didn’t teach level three. I was nowhere near ready for level three. I had wanted to retake level two and planned to do so if the teachers got switched around. No such luck that semester.
3. There Will Be Other Students In Your Class That Speak Near Fluent
You would think that, as adults, comparing yourself to others in class would be a thing of the past. However, we are human and sometimes childish. There were many students from other countries who had been studying Korean for YEARS and were placed in the beginner class with the rest of us. They floated by, had meaningful conversations with teachers that the rest of us couldn’t understand, and therefore were the standard. But even by level three, many also had a difficult time keeping up. (Each level is like the previous level x5.)
4. Attendance Matters
Now, of course, attendance matters, especially if you attended school through a student visa. However, as someone who was older than 98% of the class and had lived alone for several years, it was weird being told to report my absence and have people calling me about my whereabouts every time I skipped class. A check-in sounds like a nice thing until you find yourself arguing with a teacher because it doesn’t matter if you have a headache; just go to the doctor and then come to class. Depending on the school, there are a certain amount of days you can miss and still be able to renew your visa. Regardless of how close or far you are from that limit, they will call you and ask you many questions. My teachers seemed to have no concept of TMI. And we learned very quickly that if you told the truth, they would tell that truth to the other students.
While my experience wasn’t quite what I imagined, I adapted, made friends, and did learn a lot about the language and culture of Korea. I hope sharing my experience helps anyone also embarking on a new journey, whether to Korea or any other country. There are “GoGo” programs for Korea, Spain, Italy, Japan, and France as well.
Have you ever been interested in studying abroad? Would you try one of these programs?
