During this last semester, I took many courses related to my major of Environmental Engineering, particularly related to water, which is a key part of Korean engineering, and is much different in terms of management than in Finland. I also took Korean language courses and a politics class in order to learn more about Korean culture and customs – what better way to do this than through its language and political (in a way, moral) beliefs?
The academic pressure was quite large; Korean students and professors are used to a very rushed and intensive learning period, with a semester lasting just under 4 months, and no break in between either. However, I’d say it was somewhat workable once I got used to it, and I kind of liked having something to do all the time in terms of intensity. Overall, I’d say the academic pressure was quite large. Compared to Finland, it is a lot more pressure based and students are placed under higher academical demand than in Finland. I think this has to do with the culture of competitiveness in Korea, which probably stems from its much larger population than Finland’s: there is quite a large lack of resources in comparison, and so people are much less likely to have a ‘safety net’.
I’ve spent my spare time doing a lot of things in Korea, such as visiting the neighbouring mountains, museums, Seoul’s two famous towers (Namsan and Lotte World Tower – both very impressive works of engineering, particulary Lotte World Tower), as well as places out of Seoul like the seaside city of Sokcho. I have spent quite a bit of time with friends exploring these places, as well as alone, and I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing all these nice places
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