A few days ago was Orientation for the international students and it was interesting to see how many students there were from all over the world. I was surprised to learn that a large chunk of the international students came from Europe, followed with a smaller amount from Asia, and a miniscule amount from the United States. During the Orientation two student groups that help international students– called HIVA and HGSU, gave brief summaries of what their org was about, what events they host throughout the year, and how they connect Hanyang students with exchange students. I signed up to receive more info from these organizations because I am definitely interested in getting involved in campus life now that I’ve settled into Hanyang a bit more. Attached is just a picture of the Orientation presentation.

Yesterday was my first day of classes and everything went pretty well. Hanyang is made up of a lot of hills so walking up and down was definitely tiring even though most of my classes are in the Business Building which is a 10 minute hike away from my dorm.

One surprising thing about the students at Hanyang are that even though the campus is set up a bunch of steep inclines, almost half of the girls wear heels to class. In the United States almost no girls wear heels at Drexel on a regular basis even though our campus is mostly flat. I found it surprising that the girls here also dress their very best to classes while Americans dress more comfortably, or comfortably fashionable.

Another thing I noticed is the stress Korean students have to learn “English.” A few of my Korean classmates mentioned that taking this class taught in English was required. Many struggled to speak and seemed like they would like it so much more if they could take the class in their native Korean instead. I have never heard of students having to take classes in English in other countries before so this was completely new to me. I will however be more than happy to offer some assistance because I am definitely lacking with my proficiency in Korean.

All the classes I am taking at Hanyang this semester are in English. My professors so far seem pretty proficient in English and are eager to teach us their prospective subjects. I will be taking Sport and Globalization, Organizational Behavior, New Venture Creation, The American Drama, and International Financial Management this semester.

Hi Everyone! My name is Alice and I will be studying abroad this term at Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea. I landed in South Korea about a week ago but before I begin, let me give you guys a brief introduction about why I'm here today. For all of you K-Pop fanatics, I'll admit I used to heavily listen to all of that as well. So much so that I took Korean 101 and 102 my sophomore year and fell in love with the Korean language and culture! Since I've never lived away from home, and was a commuter at Drexel, so I've always wanted to go somewhere far away and experience a life besides the only one I've known growing up, being raised, and eventually even attending college in Philly.

Fast forward to today, here I am! The journey getting here was filled with excitement, anxiousness, and some tears, but Seoul is definitely more than I could ever imagine. Hanyang University is located in Seoul as well, and is situated near the neighborhood "Wangsimni." Around Hanyang University are many small restaurants and independently owned cafes. As you walk closer to downtown, you'll start seeing Paris Baguettes (a Korean franchise bakery), Subways, and so many Baskin Robbins. In the United States, no one really cares if they see a Subway or Baskin Robbins - but I think for Koreans they love American brands because whenever I pass by these places they are always packed!

I’ve noticed so far that Koreans are very respectful towards their elders and “sunbaes” (seniors). For instance, when I walk around Wangsimni with my mentor – Jiyeong, whenever she sees a sunbae she bows and greets them. It makes for an awkward moment because I’m just standing aside watching but I’ve pretty much gotten used to it. For Drexel students interested in studying abroad at Hanyang, Hanyang offers a program for “Hanyang mentors” to be paired up with exchange students to offer them assistance in getting adjusted to the culture, learning about the campus itself, and perhaps becoming good friends like I have with Jiyeong!

There’s so much more of Seoul to experience and I’m only here for another 3 ½ months before I head back to Philadelphia. Attached is also a picture of the view of Hanyang I have from my dorm window. In it you’ll see some small neighborhoods of Wangsimni and a big building further away which is my school’s Hospital.