Learning in an entirely new environment is something you have to learn to adapt when studying abroad!
Classes
During the fall 2019 semester, I decided to take three engineering courses: Operating Systems, Communication Networks, and Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, alongside one elective course: Understanding K-pop. Each of the classes was lecture-based teaching with some homework given every couple of weeks. However, unlike my home university, the final grades were highly dependent on the midterm and final exam scores, accounting for a large percentage of the grade. In addition, attendance was mandatory for all students; if a student misses more than three classes, they would have automatically failed the class and need to retake the course.
For my Operating Systems class, I had multiple coding assignments utilizing Linux involving the creation of a kernel, scheduling jobs, and etc. For Communication Networks, there were about two project homework reports in total where you follow the given instructions and interpret what is happening within the communication networks. For Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, they were plenty of homework throughout the semester involving MatLab and a group project at the end. For Understanding K-pop, there was a midterm report involving your own experience with k-pop and a final exam.
Studying (aka Cafe-hopping)
For these courses, I spent quite some time studying and completing the assigned homework/projects outside the classroom on-campus and off-campus. Some of my favorite study spots on-campus would have to be the cafe on the 8th floor of the Yonsei library and the cafe in the main cafeteria. If you bring a reusable bottle, you can save some money as well, making the cheap americano cost less than $2 which is a steal! Personally, I did not really enjoy the Yonsei library as much because the study desks were too silent in my opinion; every time I unpacked and packed my bags, I thought I made too much noise. In addition, you would need to go through the process of reserving a seat through their Y-Library app.
Because of my courses and the need to study, I took this as an opportunity to explore the special cafes outside of campus! A definite highlight of my study abroad trip would have to be visiting all the birthday cafe events for the one and only BTS, a famous k-pop group. These cafe events are held by fellow ARMYs, the name of the BTS fan club, to celebrate birthdays and/or album/song anniversaries. In order to justify my spending at these cafes, I came prepared to work and study for a couple of hours with my laptop and lecture notes. It felt like a treasure hunt, using armymap.net to find the next cafe to explore! By buying one drink, I was given many freebies such as stickers, photocards, and etc. Here are just some photos of the cafes I went to and the goodies I received!
