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Rebecca Samoville

Age (while abroad): 32-33

Degree(s): History and Sociology with a minor in Art

What was your prior language knowledge (if applicable)?: A handful of words

Where did you go?:Seoul, South Korea

In what school did you study?: EWHA Womans University

When did you go?: Spring and Fall 2022

Have you studied abroad before?: No

Why did you do study abroad?:
I really wanted the chance to experience living in another country and experience living in a different culture.

Would you do this again?:
Can I go now? Yes, absolutely, it was so much fun!

What was your favorite part?:
It is not possible to pick one favorite part. The different and affordable transportation options were amazing, it was nice not having to drive anywhere. Being able to explore the history between cultural sites and museums was nice. Taking short trips to other parts of the country to try different activities was a lot of fun. Eating delicious foods that I cannot eat here and making lots of friends that I was able to do fun activities with.

What was your least favorite part?:
The humidity in the Summer months was horrifying, if you go during the summer plan short days outside combined with a lot of indoor activities.

How has study abroad affected your life now?:
Well, I desperately miss not having to drive anywhere, oh the wonderful affordable subway system, I think I will forever miss the public transportation system. I will also miss many foods and the variety of activities that were available to do in Seoul.

What did you learn, outside of academics, from your study abroad experience?:
Be open and willing to meet new people and try new things but also do not be afraid to say no if you feel doing something might put you in a dangerous situation. Find friends who want to have fun but also care enough to make sure that you all stay safe in everything that you do. If you are able, join student clubs and join in activities on campus but don鈥檛 be afraid to make friends with people outside of the school as well.

What advice you would offer students interested in studying abroad?:
Go ahead and try, don鈥檛 regret in the future not having gone to study abroad. Open yourself up to experiencing a different way of living and making new friends from all over the world. If you end up absolutely hating it all you have lost is a few months of your life, but if you open yourself up to trying new things you will end up having a wonderful time.

Rachel Pennington 

Age (while abroad): 24

Degree(s): Communications: Media Studies

Where did you go?: South Korea

In what school did you study?: EWHA Womans University

What was your prior language knowledge (if applicable)? Beginner

When did you go?: February - June 2022

Have you studied abroad before?: No, though I had traveled out of the country once before.

Would you do this again?:Absolutely

Why did you do study abroad?: I studied abroad to broaden my horizons, immerse myself in a new and foreign culture, gain experience, learn things I wouldn鈥檛 be able to learn in my comfort zone, and make connections with people whom I hope to stay in contact with throughout my life.

What was your favorite part?: The food was by far one of my favorite aspects of studying abroad, along with being surrounded by people of a completely different culture and background.

What was your least favorite part?:  

Uncontrollable circumstances and the unknown

How has study abroad affected your life now?:

I have learned both personally and academically in ways that have change my life forever. I learned how to navigate a busy (and very confusing sometimes, in all honesty) environment, including taking the subway alone, which I was absolutely terrified to do for much of my time in Korea. I learned linguistic skills I think I would not have been able to learn from self-study, and I was able to grow personally in various ways. Academically, I struggled to balance everything with a new culture that I wanted to explore, but I managed to do it anyway. There are endless things I could list off in this section, but I know for sure that I am not the same person that I was, and I am grateful for the improvements that have already begun to set in my life.

What did you learn, outside of academics, from your study abroad experience?: 

Outside of academics, I learned many things about myself and became more personally aware than I was before I left. Being in another country with little to depend on other than myself and my faith, I was forced to be more independent than I鈥檝e ever had to be. It opened my eyes to the way I handle stress, specifically, and helped me to become more outgoing and intentional in my relationships with others. Being immersed in a foreign country also helped me to realize when I was too afraid to do things and go certain places because I was alone, and work on that in myself. I realized with having a roommate that I would have to compromise more than I was used to, tolerate another person living in the same space as me, and learn to navigate cohabitation with someone I had never met before. The likelihood of this happening again in America is lower because I have more connections here than I did there, but it still helped me to grow personally and realize the unimportance of certain preferences that I had before.

What advice you would offer students interested in studying abroad?: 

The best advice that I can offer to students planning to or interested in studying abroad is this: Be prepared, stay open-minded, stay positive, and be yourself. When things get difficult, remember that you can overcome anything that you set your mind to. There are people to ask for help if you need it, and you are never alone! For whatever reason you want to go abroad, whether you鈥檙e passionate about the country and its culture, you鈥檙e seeking academic experience for your resume, you have hopes and dreams worth chasing, or even if you鈥檙e just taking a shot in the dark and seizing an opportunity that you鈥檇 never had before, my advice is to do it! It鈥檚 more worth it than I even imagined. I am a completely different person since I returned home, and you will be too. Don鈥檛 be afraid of the unknown, rather embrace and learn from it. I hope you choose to study abroad too!

Maria Sylvester

Age (while abroad): 28

Degree(s): Public Relations

When did you go?Fall 2018 semester

Where did you study?  Seoul, South Korea

In what school did you study? EWHA Womans University in Seoul. This school is the largest women鈥檚 university in the world!

What was your prior language knowledge (if applicable)? I took a few speaking lessons the summer before I left. Instruction was in English.

Have you studied abroad before? No and it was my first time leaving the country!

Why did you do study abroad? I wanted to study abroad before I graduated. I had won several scholarships, which helped me afford the traveling expenses. I was also interested in visiting South Korea specifically because of the EWHA college and Korean culture.

Would you do this again? Absolutely