As the deadline for this year’s Go Global applications is fast approaching, we asked students who recently wrapped up their exchanges to highlight their experiences! For those who are applying and are looking for tidbits of insight and advice, or if you’re simply interested in travelling abroad, keep reading to learn more.
In this installment, we’ll hear from Ryenne on her experience at Seoul National University in South Korea!
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- What made you want to do Go Global?
- Why did you select your school/location?
- If you were to describe your Go Global experience using 5 words, what would they be?
- What’s something new you learned through your time in Go Global that has stuck with you?
- How did your Asian Studies minor enhance your Go Global experience, and vice versa?
- How did the academic expectations differ at SNU as compared to UBC? How did you meet this challenge and adjust to these differences?
- Is there anything you wish you’d known about that would be helpful for anyone going on Go Global in the future?
What made you want to do Go Global?
I’ve been wanting to study abroad since high school, so going into university I enrolled in Korean language classes to prepare myself for exchange. While I was taking Korean language classes, I also had friends who went on exchange to Korea and shared their experiences with me.
Why did you select your school/location?
I applied to the SKY universities because I heard so much about them in my previous Asian Studies courses, so I was excited about the opportunity to study at a top university in South Korea and build connections with the students there.
If you were to describe your Go Global experience using 5 words, what would they be?
Discovery, Self-Growth, Immersion, Culture, Fun
What’s something new you learned through your time in Go Global that has stuck with you?
My time on exchange has taught me the importance of enjoying doing things alone. Going to Korea for the first time, I had an endless bucket list of activities I wanted to try. Rather than wait for other people to go with me, I found that I had a lot of fun exploring Seoul by myself and enjoying my own company. It also pushed me to not rely on Korean-speaking friends and practice Korean by interacting with locals in different situations myself.
How did your Asian Studies minor enhance your Go Global experience, and vice versa?
My previous experiences in various Asian Studies courses provided me with some background knowledge and context, which helped me feel less nervous about living alone in a new country. My time at SNU allowed me to apply my learned knowledge to my experience, in addition to creating my own experiences to draw upon. Additionally, being exposed to people with new perspectives can lead to some eye-opening conversations and help you learn things that wouldn’t be possible in a lecture setting.
How did the academic expectations differ at SNU as compared to UBC? How did you meet this challenge and adjust to these differences?
The opportunity for complete immersion is undoubtedly one of the greatest ways to see rapid improvement in language learning. In my Advanced Korean class at SNU, I faced the challenge of communicating with both my professor and my classmates in Korean; something which I had not previously done even in KORN 301. Though it was difficult, by stepping up to the challenge, I was able to see greater results in terms of my confidence in spoken and written Korean.
Is there anything you wish you’d known about that would be helpful for anyone going on Go Global in the future?
Go Global’s Transfer Credit Portal is a great tool to use to find courses at your partner university that have been transferred back to UBC by previous exchange students. This can help with general course planning for your degree requirements while on exchange; thankfully, there were many courses that transferred back for ASIA credits. All 3 courses I took on exchange were able to help me complete my minor!
Enjoyed this article? Check out more installments of the Going Global series below!
