I might say I enjoyed it a lot, taking seven courses wasn't that hard at all but kept me busy for some weeks, not to say that taking four in my country it's quite hard but I survived.
I had the opportunity to share some classes just with other foreign students but also I took classes with Korean students.
What I was really curious about was if Korean students study hard almost everyday to keep up with the grades (as it is said everywhere since South Korea education system is one of the best ones around the world). Well I'm not sure at all, maybe because our classes together were not very difficult but what I can say is that they are also absent in classes, arrive late, forget to do homeworks, some are very lazy to cooperate with the group projects (like in any other country) and some others quit school...
The grading system is hard, between all the students in the class, a very low porcentage will receive an A, some will have a B and so on, it does not matter if everyone participated the same, at the end the professor will have to choose the best students to give the A's. It's not like in my country (Costa Rica, if you forgot), your score is the reflexion of your effort during the quater, everybody start the quater with a 100 and you have to keep the points by doing homeworks, participating in class, good projects, etc; so it can be that everybody got 100 at the end (-.- almost impossible) or that everybody reproved the subject (it can happen xD)
Koreans learning English. Like in almost all non English speaking countries, it is a must to learn English. Korean students take very frequently the TOEIC test to see which English level they have and also because it is a requirement to gradute. (at least in the Korean University I'm attending). *TOEIC is similar to TOEFL
My University has this special program "i-chat" in which foreign students have weekly meetings with Korean students to practice English, the best part of it is that they are not closed to English speaking nationalities, which give me the opportunity to be here in Korea. People from Germany, France, Denmark, Spain, Mexico, Taiwan and a lot more countries can come and have chats in English. It gives opportunity for both parts to improve their English skills, but also it gives a very good example of open minded and globalized University.
*In Korea, just people from English speaking countries can be teachers, closing doors to the rest of the world and making even more difficult for Korean students majoring in English to find job in their own country (my opinion)
Also being part of the University festivals, clubs and parties made the experience of being in Korea much more different and exiting... I did loved it!
So, semester finished and I received my grades transcript which I'm very proud of :D
Time came and I made my decision to stay another semester in Korea, I guess I feel really attached to this country and being apart from my country some more months won't kill me. Also the effort I made to be in Korea will be more worth it if I stay more time and learn more things won't kill me either :P . No regrets! I will enjoy more my second home :) only thing I'm worry about is to survive winter in Korea :S
Thank you guys!! and Prof Ahn and my lovely buddy Bora <3
Fall semester 2013 guys I will miss you!
Adventures in Korea keep going!!
I'm excited!!
See ya
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