Suggestions and advice for anyone looking to study abroad and travel to Korea. Hope these help!
Look for housing as soon as you get your acceptance package from your university.
Choose housing nearby to public transportation (preferably a subway station) and lots of food options.
Join Facebook groups and KakaoTalk group chats for students from your host university prior to going abroad to stay current on updates from your university and processes other students are going through, as well as have a network of people you can reach out to for questions and support.
Don’t be afraid to be the first to reach out to other exchange students while abroad, because everyone is in the same situation as you and wants to make friends!
Try to create a school schedule that will allow you to balance your leisure activities and give you a chance to explore and more fully immerse yourself in your host country.
If you plan to explore places outside of Seoul city, obtain an international driver's license before coming to Korea so that you can rent and drive a car for trips outside of Seoul or bigger cities in Korea (those taxi fees add up and it’s a pain to worry about public transportation in more rural areas!).
Apply for your ARC (Alien Registration Card) and open a Korean bank account as soon as possible.
Pack only the essentials that will last you 1 to 2 weeks in Korea, so that you can maximize suitcase space for gifts and anything you bought and want to bring back from your study abroad.
Use a widely accepted credit card (Visa or Mastercard) that has no foreign transaction fees.
Try to learn basic Korean phrases, Hangul (Korean alphabet), and the two Korean counting systems (Native-Korean and Sino-Korean) – this will help in day-to-day interactions and being able to get around.