Courses at Yonsei University—Difficulty, Planning & Advice!

One of my biggest concerns before studying abroad in South Korea was classes. Questions about the difficulty of courses, workload, and subjects were overwhelming, and I couldn't seem to find a direct answer anywhere. So if you're wondering whether you can survive at a university in South Korea, you're in the right place, because I'm about to take you through everything you need to know to survive (academically). 

Currently, I am studying at Yonsei University so first, let's learn a little more about it. Founded on April 10th, 1885, Yonsei is a private Christian research university. Named one of three of the most prestigious universities in South Korea, it belongs to a group called "SKY," kind of like the Ivy Leagues in the United States. Since my experience primarily revolves around Yonsei's courses, this blog will be covering course difficulty, planning, and advice within that context.

Course Difficulty

The academic rigor of Asia is no joke, and Yonsei being one of the most prestigious and competitive colleges in South Korea is certainly intimidating. Not to mention, the language barrier, accents that may be difficult to understand, and different teaching styles. The courses I took are: 

• Basic Korean Language 1
• Basic Architecture Drawing and Graphics
• Business Negotiation

I'll start of by saying that courses and content are fairly easy—much of it focuses on memorization and understanding of the material, which depends on the course you take. The workload however, can be moderate to heavy. For instance, my heaviest course, architecture, demands 1 free-hand perspective drawing per day (7 total) plus any additional homework, which can be heavy at times: about 11 hours per week on this class alone. For comparison, I spend about 30 minutes to 1 hour on homework at my home university, amounting to 2.5 to 5 hours per week on one class. 

My lightest course, Business Negotiation, demands reading and 1 case study per week, plus (minimal) group project work as needed (which takes less than 30 minutes per week). And since Korea's academic culture is disciplined, students are usually on top of their work, if not ahead, so try not to procrastinate. That said, most of my peers in the exchange program have a fairly light workload. Even those taking STEM classes report their courses to be easy and light, so it really depends on the professor, course, and the student's strengths. 

Another thing to note: courses at Yonsei can be lengthy. My architecture course is 4 hours long, and my business negotiations course, 3 hours. Never fear, you have the freedom to choose shorter sections during course selection—I opted for longer classes due to scheduling conflicts. 

Some good news: professors speak great English (in my experience)! My peers also report having understandable professors, making content easy to learn. Just make sure to opt for courses taught in English, and you should be perfectly fine. Lastly, teaching style and examination depends on the class and professor. Mine, for instance, are lecture-based for the first half, and highly hands-on for the second, helping us to apply what we just learned in lecture. 

Course Planning

Before we dive into planning, I want to emphasize that courses are very manageable, depending on the number and type you take, so please don't worry too much about the difficulty. So, let's hop into planning your courses for study abroad in South Korea! After you figure out your home university requirements and abroad university's regulations for exchange students, you should be able to run through a course catalog and make a list of potential courses. Couple things to keep in mind: 

1. Allow yourself time for travel - you are abroad not just to study, but to immerse
2. Allocate time for activities - most people take early classes to clear their evenings
3. Limit the number of courses you take - more courses = more workload

Now, if you're someone that likes taking courses and doing more work, then by all means, go for it. But if you want a four-day weekend for travel, then opt for courses three days of the week (or four, like me). If you are specifically looking for "easy" classes, opt for liberal arts courses such as "Introduction to K-pop" or "Korean Film and Culture." It is important to remember though that the ease of a course is highly dependent on the student's abilities. 

When scheduling courses, be mindful of how you work best: do you prefer a longer class one day of the week or shorter classes, more spread out throughout the week? Keep these things in mind as you go through course registration. 

TIP FOR COURSE PLANNING: CIEE requires 15 credits but the D-2 Student Visa and Yonsei University only require 9. If you get permission from your home university through your study abroad advisor and have them contact your CIEE Advisor, you can gain approval to take less than 15 credits (I took 12). To learn more about this, contact your CIEE Advisor!

Course Advice

To finish off, I wanted to leave you guys with some advice that may be helpful:

1. Take a Korean Language course, even if you're not required to. It's helpful to know the language of the country you're going to live in for an extended period of time. If you're like me and know just Annyeonghaseyo and Gamsahamnida, then definitely take a Korean Language course. It'll help you get around and understand your surroundings a bit more.
2. Take a course open to both exchange and domestic students. Yonsei University has courses taught in English for both exchange and domestic students, which helps you truly immerse and make local friends as well!
3. Pay attention to deadlines for setting up your courses, from registration rounds to add/drop periods to withdrawal periods. This may seem obvious, but so many people miss these deadlines and end up with an undesireable schedule. If you have questions regarding courses, credits, or regulations, email your CIEE advisor immediately, they're here to help!

Overall, courses at Yonsei University are highly manageable. The workload really depends on the course, and most courses for exchange students are reported to be light, so please don't worry too much. I strongly believe that if you're reading this, you're already two steps ahead and prepared for what's to come, you got this! 

I hope this information was helpful, stay on the lookout for more articles as I explore South Korea! Thank you for reading and I look forward to writing more :) 

              - Jayani Jayakanthan