My name is Ping Melchior; I am an international business major with a minor in Marketing and will graduate in the spring of 2024. After studying abroad in three places, I now call myself a world traveler. I went to Seoul, South Korea, in the summer of 2022; Athens, Greece, in the fall semester of 2022; and Bangkok, Thailand, in the spring semester of 2023. I used the same third-party provider, Education Network Abroad, but there were two different programs: ISA, their European program, and TEAN, their Asian program. Even though they were under the same umbrella company, they were very different. Below is my experience in these multiple places and what is essential to know about the locations I went to.
| Seoul, South Korea TEAN Korea University | Athens, Greece ISA American College of Greece | Bangkok, Thailand TEAN Mahidol University | |
| Pre- Departure | Visa: Semi easy Easy portal Not much-needed b/c shorter term Great response time | Visa: A lot harder In-person visit with the consulate Okay response time | Visa: Super easy Answers on the Website Slow response time All online |
| Orientation | All online Didn’t mention absences** No school orientation | No orientation, more a meet-and-greet with other people and on-site staff School had a whole tour and studied abroad orientation | Stayed at a hotel in the city Learned how to figure out the city Had a school orientation group as well |
| Housing | Two different housing options Weren’t told about the second Couldn’t choose No kitchen or anything in the building had to go to the CU down the road | 8 people to a suite No singles Very small Only two bathrooms Full kitchen & microwave | Regular dorm rooms With a fridge No microwave or kitchen Private bathroom Has cleaning services |
| On-Site Staff | Very welcoming Shorter visit Wasn’t very helpful | Very welcoming Office close to dorms Went to the hospital with me | Super welcoming Very knowledgeable Went to the hospital with me Went out with a group |
| Local Students | Little to no students there Summer Session KU Buddies: but they only interacted when required | Little interaction Had to make the social interactions yourself Not super friendly | More interactions A lot friendlier They would interact with you on their own |
| Study Abroad Students | Almost all from the USA Very open to meet Group Chat before getting there | Super clique Everybody had money Lots of trips out of the country every weekend All from the US | Very friendly Program group all from the US Other study-abroad students from other countries |
| Professors | Spoke English Very Understanding | Spoke English Some Greek to students before class Always English during class | Most teachers spoke English Some spoke Thai and didn’t bother translating |
| Clubs and Extra- Curricular | None since it was a summer program | Met once a week but not as much school support | Met three times during the semester Usually, during classes Can’t be a part of a club, but can go to their events |
| Homework | No Homework Different idea of studying from the US**** Only homework was from language class | Very little homework, most from language class Different idea of studying from the US | Some homework Most from language class |
| Grades | Like US standards | Different Easier standards, but harder to get those good grades Harder b/c only getting two grades | Little bit similar Didn’t know my grade until they came out at end of the semester |
| Free Time | Since it was a shorter term Less free time More trips/excursions during the weekend | Some free time Had class every day of the week More free weekends | Lots of free time Classes only two days a week Lots of free time |
| Budgeting | More on trips and shopping*** | Lot more Groceries, cleaning supplies, trips, excursions, shopping, nightlife, etc. | Lots more Eating out every meal Traveling to and from Bangkok Trips outside of the country plus visas |
| Excursions | One every weekend One weekend-long trip School trips vs. program trips Cost was a part of the program’s overall cost | One or two once a month More in the first month Only day trips School trips vs. program trips School trips were free, and program trips were a part of the program’s overall cost | Super fun Very flexible with excursions Multiple weekend-long trips Only program trips Cost was a part of the program’s overall cost |
| Food | Great food Very close to the school Not super cheap Lots of 7/11s | Very cheap food around the dorms School had a cafeteria, open weird hours Could buy meal tickets or just use a card | So much cheap food A good meal for $1.50 No real cafeteria More little cafes to buy from Lots of 7/11s |
| Taxis | App: Kakao taxi Good English Pretty safe Didn’t use b/c of metro | App: Uber Very limited English Safe Safety features on the app | App: Grab/In-driver* Easy to work Limited English Great safety features |
| Metro/Sky Train | Clean Cheap Easy to figure out Goes everywhere | Cheap Semi dirty Easy to use Limited destinations | Cheap Clean Super limited Doesn’t go out to the school |
*In-driver is excellent if you are going longer distances; it is an app that allows you to make your price. So, while Grab is a fixed amount In-driver, you can propose your price.
**Absences were something that got me in Seoul. We were not told about the unexcused absence rule. We were allowed four unexcused absences; if you exceeded that, you failed the class. In Bangkok and Athens, I needed to have a doctor’s note to get my absence excused if I was sick.
*** I had yet to consider budgeting because Seoul was my first trip. When I got back from Seoul and was checking my spending then, I started thinking more about budgeting. Since Seoul had a cafeteria, we weren’t eating out every meal.
****In many of these places studying is very different than how the US thinks of looking. In both Asian countries, the expectation was for every hour you had class; you were doing two hours of learning outside of course, which I felt wasn’t needed for me. Not only were the classes seeming kind of easy but there also didn’t seem like there was two hours’ worth of studying. Learning more throughout the semester was necessary in Greece rather than cramming the week before because you only have the midterm and final. Which I feel, in America, is very typical. The professors also gave no study guide, which was weird to me. Since in America, usually, the professors have some sort of study guide for us to look at.
Every study abroad will have ups and downs, but letting those downs not control the rest of the trip is how you can make the most out of every trip. Learn from those downs or mistakes and turn them into learning mistakes rather than mistakes that impacted the journey. I can tell many stories from each country of fun and crazy things I did. I have found friends for life, people who made my trip better. Those friends who, if they weren’t there, I’m not sure I’d have anything positive to say about that trip.
