I Had Trouble Finding a Place to Study, What Did I Do?

It is the week of midterms at Yonsei University as I am currently writing this blog. My classes consist mostly of general education courses ranging from Korean Popular Culture and History. Understanding K-POP, Korean language course, and CIEE’s Intercultural Communications class for a total of 15 credits. In addition to this, I had also signed up to attend an English language session that involves teaching English to senior citizens that takes place every Tuesday morning for a total of eight weeks. These classes did not contain much heavy lecture materials to memorize for exams, but learning Korea’s history and relating its culture to our daily lives was very interesting. It allows students who may or may not have experienced much of Korean culture to communicate and discuss topics involving their intercultural experience.  

Here is a small vlog of what I did in a week! A few weeks after the semester had started (ft. a friend that visited from my hometown university during their spring break!): 

Favorite Study Spots for an Introvert

    Transitioning from my hometown’s college, the University of Rhode Island (URI) to Yonsei University was like a fish jumping from a pond into an ocean. These two campuses were dramatically different in terms of student population and campus size. Usually at URI, I would normally study at the Memorial Union and at the library, but coming to Yonsei I had to adapt to new changes. The library here contains about eight floors which included a cafe at the top and a beautiful rooftop view of the sun setting in the distance. However, since there are so many students, reservations for seating and study rooms tend to fill up really quickly. As for myself, my preferred study environment is typically somewhere calm, not too noisy and busy. Except for my dorm because I will fall asleep the second I glance at my bed. Of course everyone’s study routine ritual is different, here in this blog, I would like to share a few of my personal favorite study spots that I have discovered! (In one of them, there was always a cat that often came in the evening and just sat in the grass under a tree, so cute!! I debated whether or not to buy cat food only to just feed him. 

1. The Coffee Bean (Cafe) near SK Dorm

    This location was one of my first study spots that I had found. One reason why I enjoy visiting here was because my KLI class was down the street which is about a five minute walk from the cafe. In front, there is a bus stop so if you needed to get somewhere quickly, this was extremely useful. In the cafe itself, there are many options to choose from: coffee, lattes, espressos, brewed tea, sandwiches, desserts and more. I would usually order an iced mocha latte! There are two floors to the cafe including an outside area but it is closed at the moment. My favorite study spot is on the second floor near the windows facing the bus stop. It usually gets crowded at certain times of the day, but I find it less busy between classes around 12pm-3pm. 

2. The benches outside of Baekyang Hall 

    This location is my most favorite place to study in, especially in the late evening and night. It is near a memorial stone dedicated to Yoon Dongju, who was a poet during the Japanese colonial rule. He was an historical figure to Yonsei as his poems were heartfelt through many Koreans, “He lives and breathes through the hearts of youth”. This place is very peaceful in the evening and the scenery is beautiful. One day I decided to study here until I noticed from a distance, a cat was going down the steps! I followed slowly and saw that he had laid in a specific spot under a tree. Ever since that day, I decided to spend my nights studying here and occasionally I would encounter the same cat about three times a week. 

3. Yonsei Library (2 areas) 

1. First Floor

    Since the library gets very crowded and busy throughout the day, it is very difficult to find spots to study. In addition to this, you also need to reserve seats (which is something I do not like personally) as it is almost impossible to find a spot that doesn’t require reservation. There are two spots that I enjoy studying whenever I visit the library. I’m not sure what this area is called but it is located on the left before you enter the doors towards a long hallway leading to the elevators in the far back. The seats here do get taken up very quickly but I find it a very convenient place to study in the early mornings around 7-9am if you are an early bird or just need a place to wait if you have an early class. The environment here is very calming in the morning. You can go get a cup of coffee, come back, put some music on, and study! The mood here is very pleasing. 

2. Rooftop (eighth floor)

    My second favorite spot to study at the library is on the rooftop! Here, there is also a cafe you can study in if you would prefer. After taking the elevators to the eighth floor, there will be doors that are open leading outside (however this area does close early around 6pm). After finishing my classes, sometimes I like to come here to work on any unfinished assignments. From the rooftop, there is a great view of campus and you can see Sinchon along with the sun setting in the background. The sky is very satisfying to glaze at depending on the weather.This location is also very nice to hangout in and chill if you want a little break.

4. Study room in Woojungwon Dormitory

    On the days where I am feeling lazy and would not like to leave my dorm, I personally enjoy studying in the study room located on B1 of the Woojungwon Dormitory. During midterms this room was very very crowded but it's a place I like to go to quite often (an excuse to escape my room). There are also printers in here if you need to print anything out. In addition, the convenience store is on the same floor if you are in the mood for a small snack. This is a study spot I like to go to if it isn't packed after a long day.

Explore, explore and explore!

All in all, these are just some places I enjoy keeping myself company in. In reality I would just walk around and tell to myself, "Does this look like a good place to sit down and study?" most likely yes. Around campus there are so many places to sit down and to relax, perhaps there are more locations I just havent encountered yet! 

Transitioning from the smallest state in the US to a new environment was indeed an experience to witness through my own eyes. Of course there are many habits to adjust to or might change overtime such as culture, daily routines, small habits, or maybe just the way everything works around here in general. Since I am studying abroad and might feel a little homesick, I try to find my own ways to make myself feel like at home! Just like finding a place I might enjoy studying/relaxing in! 

Here are my socials and spotify if you are interested!:

insta (where I post weekly vlogs of my time here in South Korea): @dnt.3 

spotify (if you want to know what kind of music I listen to including a study music playlist!):