Top 10 Tips

1. Learn the language

   1. Learning the language is useful in any foreign country where English isn't the main language. Korean is one of the easier languages to learn, so I would recommend at least learning the alphabet; simple phrases, such as hello and thank you, as well as the numbers, are useful for everyday interactions.

   2. Many Koreans know some English, but don't assume that everyone can or is fluent; communicating in their language first is always a nice gesture!

2. Bookmark places on Naver Map

   1. Google Maps doesn't work in South Korea, so you would need to use Naver Map. Saving locations on Naver Map makes it more convenient and easily accessible. It also saves time for when you are looking for anything nearby to do or eat.

   2. Prior to arriving in South Korea, I had a bunch of Instagram posts and TikToks saved, so I wished I pinned those locations on Naver Map earlier since I barely had the time to go through them during the semester.

3. Get a Climate Card

   1. A Climate Card is a transportation card that offers unlimited rides with Korea's subway and bus systems. It's 62,000KRW for 30 days, and for my particular lifestyle, I saved a lot of money using the Climate Card rather than a traditional T-Money card.

   2. Climate Cards can only be used within Seoul, but I didn't find any huge problem with this; I already had a T-Money card, so I would use that in cases where the Climate Card is not accepted.

4. Make a bucket list and plan accordingly

   1. Note down what you would like to do, including activities, stores, restaurants, and trips.

   2. If you are going in the Fall semester, plan according to the season, as some activities can be difficult to do when it's extremely humid or cold.

   3. If you want to do trips outside of Seoul or internationally, be aware of your academic calendar (exams, projects, holidays, etc.) and plan well in advance. Have a rough idea of when you would like to go and if it's feasible.

5. Book stuff through travel companies

   1. Most activities (ex. Lotte World, Everland, Tokyo DisneySea) can be booked through travel companies, such as Klook, Trazy, and KoreaTravelEasy. They often have discounted prices, coupons, or free add-ons; it's also convenient since your ticket can be accessed on your phone.

6. Have back-up credit/debit cards

   1. I originally had a Discover credit card, but I got a Charles Schwab debit card as I heard Discover is not widely accepted in South Korea. The Schwab debit card offers no foreign transaction fees and reimburses ATM fees if you were to withdraw cash.

   2. Surprisingly, Discover was accepted more often than I originally thought, so I only had to use my Schwab card a few times. You can also use T-Money to pay in most convenience stores and certain establishments.

   3. South Korea is a fairly card-oriented society, so I rarely saw places that were cash only, besides transportation, laundry, street food vendors, or small shops.

   4. Towards the end of the semester, I'm not sure if it was because I used my Discover card so often or if it was specific card reader machines, but the chip was severely damaged. This made it unusable, so definitely have more than one card on hand, preferably those that have no foreign transaction fees.

7. Get involved in school activities

   1. I was in Yonsei's Mentor's Club, which had a buddy program that paired local Korean students with exchange students. Outside of this program, they also plan activities, which are usually promoted via Instagram or email.

   2. Some buddy groups had mentors who were more proactive in holding meet-ups, whereas others did not, so I recommend stepping out of your comfort zone to reach out first!

8. Pack lightly

   1. Realistically think if you are going to use a certain product or wear certain clothing. If you can, bring clothes from home that you can throw away so you have more space.

   2. I came with an empty large suitcase, and I always knew to pack lightly from past advice, but I underestimated how light.

   3. When you are packing to leave, vacuum seal! Daiso has cheap vacuum seal bags for 2,000-3,000KRW of various sizes.

9. Spend wisely

   1. Once again, realistically think if you are going to use certain products. Just because it's cheaper in Korea, doesn't justify all purchases or crazy spending. It also makes it more difficult to pack. Don't go impulse buying...

10. Maintain work-life balance

    1. At the end of the day, remember you are here to study!

    2. Like most Korean universities, Yonsei usually doesn't assign homework, but they base your grades off of group projects and exams. This makes it easy to forget some deadlines and overestimate how much time you have left for a specific task.

    3. Keep a planner or app (I used Notion) to manage all academic tasks and personal activities.