Pre-Departure Preparations

The process of preparing to study abroad can be broken into 3 main categories: MIX preparations, university preparations, and miscellaneous. Overall, the main preparations can be summarized as follows:

Apply to MIX -> receive official nomination from MIX -> apply to Yonsei -> receive acceptance from Yonsei -> apply for Korean visa -> living preparations

Part 1: MIX

UH has 2 study abroad programs: Study Abroad Center (SAC) and Manoa International Exchange (MIX). I chose MIX because this program is more flexible and had a lot of options in Asia. You are basically like a normal student at the university and get to pick your own classes, chose where you live, etc. On the other hand, students in the SAC program go with a group from UH and there are more limited options on where you can go.

In order to study abroad through (MIX), there are two main applications you will go through: MIX application and your secondary school application. First you need to apply to MIX one year in advance before you want to study abroad and get nominated to a university (on your application you list your top 5 choices). Then you will apply directly to the university you were nominated for (getting accepted into MIX doesn't guarantee you will get accepted to the university).

My timeline for applying to MIX is slightly different from most people. I wanted to go to Japan during Spring 2022, and since you need to apply to the MIX program a year in advance, I applied to MIX during Spring 2021. However, due to the pandemic and Japan’s closed border rules at the time, when I got my acceptance into MIX during Fall 2021, I decided to defer. Instead, I reapplied to MIX in order to go to South Korea in Fall 2022 as I knew a lot of students who were studying there at the time and because Korean schools offered a good selection of business classes. However, I am still planning to go to Japan in Spring 2023 (so I will be gone from UH for a full academic year). If you want to study abroad multiple times, it is very important to plan early and talk with your academic advisor. My planning for study abroad started the summer before I even started college! There were certain classes I needed to take at UH and so I talked with my advisor to make sure I could take them before leaving.

Once I got accepted into MIX and was nominated to apply for Yonsei University, I had to a Canvas course that went over important information regarding things like academics, money, and immigration procedures (as I write this I am currently doing these steps again for Japan). I also received a checklist of things I had to do before studying abroad, like applying for UH's study abroad health insurance and completing the course approval form. A couple months before the semester started, I also attended a Pre-Departure Orientation meeting with other Korea-bound students and a student currently studying abroad in Korea talked about what it was like and we got to ask questions.

Part 2: Yonsei University

After I got nominated to MIX, I was able to apply to Yonsei. I got an email from Yonsei in early April with a link to the application form (it was completely online) and it was due by the end of the month. I had to turn in the application, an official e-transcript (order this ASAP, but since it was an e-transcript, I got it really quick), copy of my passport, e-bank statement, proof of health insurance (MIX will send you a letter for this), study plan, and ID photo (for some weird reason, make sure your ears show in the picture).

I got my acceptance email during late May and began other preparations to study abroad (listed in the 3rd section). Yonsei starts the Fall semester on September 1st and I was planning to arrive a couple weeks earlier in order to settle in and travel a little bit.

Some time later I was given instructions on how to apply for a Korean visa. The school will email you 2 documents that you will need: the Certificate of Admission and Yonsei Business Registration Certificate. I applied for my visa during early July (a little more than a month before I was scheduled to leave) at the Korean Consulate on Oahu. I had to bring: visa application, the 2 documents I received from Yonsei, my passport (they hold onto it and you pick it up with your visa when it's ready), an ID picture, bank statement, study plan, and fee ($45 cash). One of the questions on the application is the address of where you are staying in Korea, so make sure you figure out your living situation by then.

Part 3: Miscellaneous

Besides filling out the 2 applications, there were a variety of other things I had to do before leaving.

HOUSING

First and foremost, I had to figure out my living situation. I heard from other people and blogs that on-campus dorms are competitive to get into and there are strict rules you have to follow (e.g. curfew), so I decided to live at a goshiwon. These are basically small dorm-like rooms you can rent at cheap prices and there are a lot of options located near universities. A couple downsides are that they can be pretty small and you have to be quiet (the rooms are not really soundproof), but I was fine with this. I used Goshipages to find one near Yonsei and was able to contact the landlady and secure a room in June. I paid a deposit (around $80) and used Wise (TransferWise) to send it.

I chose Single House Sinchon, which is located right next to campus. The room is bigger than other options and my rent is around $340 a month. It is also located right above CU, one of the main convenience stores in Korea, which is super useful. I do wish it was located closer to a station, but so far I like living in Single House!

FLIGHT

I booked my flight to Incheon Airport during the end of May. Since I knew some other UH students also going to Yonsei, we all planned our flight (and goshiwon) together. We flew on Delta/Korean Air (we booked through Delta, but the actual flight was through Korean Air) since it offered a flight that arrived around 5pm on the date we wanted. I would recommend avoiding flights that arrive late evening since it takes around one hour to get to Seoul from the airport. Korean Air was a pretty good choice. We flew out at 1pm and they offered 2 meals throughout the 9 hour flight. They also had some interesting movies/shows related to Korea (I watched a documentary on Korean webtoons) and the flight didn't feel too long.

PHONE

Another important thing to do is to figure out your phone plan. Based on other people's expereinces, I chose to get a Korean SIM card through Trazy (Premium Lite Plan), which gave me a Korean phone number (really helpful, a lot of forms ask for a Korean number) and unlimited data. I was able to get it shipped to Hawaii and received it less than a week after ordering (order this at least a month ahead though, some people experienced delays in getting it). In order to use this SIM card, your phone needs to be unlocked, so check this beforehand (I have Verizon, which automatically unlocks your phone after 60 days of activation). However, you can only use the Korean SIM card in Korea, so you should have another method of communication with people in Hawaii. My family and I use Line to communicate, which you can also use to make phone calls.

MONEY

You also need to figure out how you will get money in Korea. I chose to get a Charles Schwab debit card and to use credit cards. I opened a Charles Schwab checking account, which got me a Visa debit card that I can use abroad. There are no foreign transaction fees and you get unlimited ATM fee rebates. I also have a couple credit cards that don't have foreign transaction fees. A couple weeks before I left, I also bought Korean won at my bank in order to get me started (e.g. I had to pay rent in cash the first night I arrived). Before leaving the country, make sure you notify your bank/credit card providers that you will be abroad (I set a travel notification for Charles Schwab).

PACKING

Based on what I've heard from others, you will definitely be bringing back a lot of stuff at the end of the semester so you should pack light. I brought a checked-in suitcase, a carry-on suitcase, and a backpack. I'm planning to at least have 2 checked-in bags when I return, so I nested one suitcase in a bigger one so I didn't need to check-in two suitcases. Some recommendations on things to pack include:

Clothes (Korea has better clothes in my opinion, so I packed as little as possible)
Medications
- Enough to get you through the whole semester, with a printed prescription
- CHECK to see if it's legal in Korea first
Adapter (Korea has different outlets from the US)
Toiletries
Hawaii omiyage (for anyone you meet, I brought a bunch of Hawaii snacks and postcards)
Multiple copies of important documents (passport, visa, Hawaii ID, health insurance card, covid test results)

COVID TEST

The current requirements (Fall 2022) to enter Korea is to have a negative covid test result (which you need to have printed out before you can board the plane). It can either be a PCR test take 48 hours before your flight or a rapid antigen test taken 24 hours in advance. After getting my negative result, I uploaded it to Korea's QR Code website and received a QR code, which I showed to immigrations on arrival to Korea.