pre-departure & important tips
Here is everything that I think is useful for a student studying abroad, both pre-departure and during your stay in Korea.
I feel like money is a topic that people don’t like to openly talk about and is something that I wish I knew more about when coming to Korea. However, money is a super big part in determining if you will be able to study abroad or not. MIX does have estimated program budgets, but here is a true breakdown of the costs I encountered during my study abroad, beginning from when I applied through MIX. There were so many little expenses that added up before I even arrived in Korea! Please keep in mind that everyone has different lifestyles, so your expenses will vary from mine. I hope that this will help future students get a better idea of how much studying abroad will cost and help with their planning. Lastly, I would like to give a very big THANK YOU to my scholarship donors (and my advisors and managers who let me come in to work extra shifts and everyone in between) who have made this experience financially possible. UH and Shidler have many generous donors and organizations who offer many scholarships, which really help to offset the costs of studying abroad. Something to keep in mind is that your scholarship checks will not arrive until later in the semester and will be mailed to your address in Hawaii. I did not receive my check until mid-October, and my parents deposited it for me in Hawaii.
Here's a breakdown of all my expenses: Tuition: $6,593.00 You will still pay the UH tuition while abroad through your STAR account. I still had to pay the $500 Shidler professional fee while away. Flight: $1,455.00 Hawaiian Airlines was the only direct flight at the time. I also changed my flight at the last minute for $265. Housing: $2,750.00 My goshiwon was definitely on the pricier end. This also included my quarantine fee. I stayed here from August 7th - December 17th, and rent was 580,000 won a month. Food: $3,500.00 A very big number for a girl with a happy tummy. The one thing I will never miss out on! Food in Korea is cheap compared to Hawaii. On average, I'd spend $5 for breakfast, $10 for lunch, $10-15 for dinner, and $10 for the occasional dessert. There are cheaper options depending on where you go. Ground Transportation: $350.00 This is the amount I spent to refill my T-money card. Keep in mind that SNU is farther away from many of the attractions, so the additional transportation does add up. Phone: $200.00 I had a 15GB phone plan. It was about $40 a month. There are much cheaper plans out there, but I was paying for convenience, as I had that SIM card shipped to me in Hawaii. Activities: $700.00 This is probably one of the categories you can't estimate very well. Activities included Lotte World, Nami Island, Busan Tour, museums, and much more! Random, yet essential, fees: $410.00 This includes transcripts, passport photos, visa, health insurance, SNU buddy fee (not including the cost of events), MIX fee, and ARC fee. The small things add up! Miscellaneous: $1,000.00 This is for all the random stuff that I bought in Korea, but also stuff that I needed to survive. This category includes omiyage, much needed winter clothing, COVID tests, room essentials (toiletries, hangers, blanket) and much more.
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AuthorStudying abroad at Seoul National University! Archives
January 2022
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