Amazing summer through KISLP!
KISLP study abroad is a hidden gem of a foreign exchange program. It’s located in the small city of Cheongju at Chungbuk University and has an academic rigor well-suited to those who have already started on their Korean learning journey and wish to accelerate the language acquisition process. I'll go into more detail about specific aspects. Academic life: In my experience this program is best for those who are serious about improving their Korean. When they say Korean Intensive Summer Language Program they’re not lying about intensive! Class is for three hours straight every weekday and there is at least one hour worth of homework and another hour of study if you want to keep up. Through just one summer we go through two semesters of content. Don’t worry though, as long as you study what you need to, the teachers present the content in a very meticulous and methodical way that makes the information stick. There are equal parts vocabulary, speaking, writing, and listening, and I did not feel that any aspect of the language was being neglected in the classroom. Classes are taught in full Korean which was frustrating sometimes, but the textbooks have English explanations of things if needed. Also, you’re given language partners who you study with at least twice a week for an hour. Personally I studied around 2-3 hours each meeting time. Culture events: Every single week we had a cultural event such as Hanbok wearing and traditional tea ceremony, k-pop dance class, taekwondo, japchae cooking at a cooking school, and etc. They’re done in full Korean (but AC/Chungbuk staff will help with English when needed) and are about 2-3 hours in the afternoon. I appreciated the blend of traditional and modern Korean experiences and the new phrases and vocabulary we learned from them. It really brought excitement and diversity to the program experience considering we were in a classroom/studying/homework for several hours every day. Living situation: We were in student dormitories and used the student bathrooms, cafeterias, trash/recycling, etc. There weren’t Korean students living with us, the whole floor was just us Americans. There was air conditioning! However the laundry was frustrating. Win some lose some. The dorm food was not as good as the restaurants but still good! The kitchen staff are careful about allergies. My friend had an allergy and they printed out a daily menu for her and each time she came in explained what was OK/not OK to eat. Value of Cheongju: This program isn’t in Seoul like a lot of programs but rather in the small city of Cheongju. During my time, there were so many people I met who said I was the first foreigner they had ever talked to. At cafes, they always took my order in Korean. At stores, they spoke to me in Korean. Of course I was a foreigner but people didn’t approach me like I was a tourist. Though this program is not in Seoul, we do spend the last week fully in Seoul doing a bunch of activities so you’ll still get those classic Seoul experiences (lotte world, museums, namsan tower, famous markets, etc). In Seoul, everyone always spoke to me in English and it felt like I was a tourist more than a student. One time in Seoul I merely ordered a coffee in Korean and the employee was completely shocked—an experience I never had in Cheongju. I believe the program being in Cheongju enables you to get a more authentic Korean student experience than studying in a large tourist-filled city like Seoul. Community: The best part for me was the community I made there. You get 20 or so peers from all around the United States and are also paired with local students from Chungbuk university as language tutors, so you get a very large social circle. I made great relationships with both Americans and Koreans who I still keep in frequent contact with. Eating out, studying at cafes, karaoke late into the night, board game cafes, big soccer games, workout partners, trips to other cities, and etc—in Cheongju my life was very fulfilling thanks to all of the people the program acquainted me with!
