I went on an exchange to Seoul, South Korea, and Seoul National University of Science and Techonology (SeoulTech) was chosen as my exchange school. The school has a large campus and classes are held in different buildings depending on the courses. In order to get to classes on time, you had to take into account the walking distances around the campus.
At first I was nervous about whether the teachers would speak English, because I had heard that in some Korean schools the teachers speak only Korean, even if there are exchange students in the courses. Fortunately, in my own courses, the teachers spoke good and clear English and I didn’t hear that other exchange students had this problem at this school. The lectures were mainly lecture-type where the teachers explained and the students just listened. The most interesting courses for me were Understanding Society and Popular Culture and Society. In these courses, you learn more about Korean culture and their customs, but also topics were covered on a global scale.
There was plenty to do and see in Seoul in your free time. For example, there are so many different places to eat and cafes available that it was nice to experience them. There was also plenty to admire in the different parts of the city. The city also hosts a lot of different events that attract a lot of people. During free time, there was also the opportunity to tour other cities in South Korea from near or far. South Korea is a small country so you can get from north to south quickly by train in a few hours.
South Korea has a demanding attitude to work and study. In many cafés, you could see locals working or studying for hours at a time. Also at school, local students took exams seriously and the exams were challenging. In my opinion, in Finnish school, you are not required to remember all the details in the exam, but to understand the whole picture.
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