Pre-Departure
- nick ashikawa
- Jun 13, 2022
- 3 min read
I have been applying for the MIX program since the Fall of 2019 but due to not receiving my intended school of interest and COVID-19 my study abroad experience has been delayed to this semester - Fall 2021. The application consisted of asking questions regarding my reasoning for wanting to study abroad and my countries/schools of interest. I applied for Yonsei University - Seoul, South Korea and I received my nomination on January 23rd, 2021.
Here is the link to the MIX program home page. Within this site, you will be able to also see which countries and schools UH Manoa is partnered with during which semester you intend to apply.
If you are interested in studying abroad I recommend planning a semester or two before you intend to go abroad. It is important to somewhat plan your courses as you would want to take those that would transfer back as credit. As a business major, the Shidler College of Business had a course list provided for us to cross-list and check which courses would transfer back and if the course was not listed we would need to petition for course approval.
Housing
Personally, I found housing to be the most difficult pre-departure aspect of studying abroad. We were given the option of either staying at the dorms or searching for off-campus housing. Due to the situation of COVID-19, I did not feel comfortable sharing spaces with other students which left out the option of living on campus. For off-campus housing, there were a variety of options and websites such as Airbnb or using other sites and renting apartments. Airbnb was the most convenient option as it acts as a third-party resource and makes applying for a place easy. However, the prices are expensive as space is used in a resourceful manner. If you are studying abroad with friends or other people you are comfortable with you could share the rent price. I recommend researching ahead of time regardless if you receive your nomination as it helps to understand each other’s wants/needs. Due to receiving approval of the program for this semester on July 1st (a month before school starts), it led to needing to find a place quickly. This didn’t give me much time to research and a lot of places have already been reserved due to being last minute. As I mentioned previously I also considered renting through other sites, while this option was cheaper it was difficult to understand and interpret contracts. Since I did not speak the native language or Korean it was difficult to read the rules and regulations. After discussing my options with my parents I decided to go through Airbnb as the process was the easiest and safest option to prevent any miscommunication or misunderstanding.
VISA
For applying for a VISA it was quite easy as you need to fill out a form and provide other documents such as passport, passport photo, *official* transcript (sealed), and $45 cash/check. The only issue is that it does take quite a long time to process, about 3 weeks, so it is important to apply as early as possible to receive before you depart.
Banking/Money
For banking and money, I had two cards before studying abroad - a First Hawaiian Bank credit card and an American Savings Bank debit card. But they weren’t international cards which means I would be charged a fee when using them. Even when needing to withdraw money, there would be an ATM fee. I decided to get a Charles and Schwab debit card that’s international and will reimburse any international and ATM fees at the end of the month. However, Yonsei University did provide the option to open a bank account through the school and you would use your student ID as a debit card. I am unsure if this is an option for all exchange programs throughout Korea but you could e-mail and clarify what our potential methods are.
South Korea isn’t too cash or card heavy so if you decide to only use the cash you could be able to get around. There are only a few scenarios that I have run into where it was card only such as ordering delivery or some developed establishments having self-serving systems that only accept cards.
Applying for Yonsei
When applying for Yonsei we were given an online application which we needed to complete and submit during the following months. The process was quite simple as we had to answer similar questions which we were given before. We also needed to submit important documents such as VISA, passport, driver’s license, and health insurance. It’ll be beneficial to have your passport completed before you’re planning to study abroad as that could take time to process and complete.
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