I opened an account with Citibank Singapore. There were several Citibank ATM machines in Seoul, making my access to cash almost hassle free! Some of my classmates mentioned that they faced language barriers while applying for services in Korea but luckily for us, staffs of Sogang University applied on our behalf! In terms of cash, I would recommend that you bring extra in case of emergency or unforeseen expenditures like too much shopping, utility bills and even shipping even though shipping from Korea is generally cheaper as compared to Singapore…

I chose Korea for my exchange studies because I wanted to explore countries within Asia that are more foreign to me. Korea seemed like a good choice at that time. When I first arrived in Korea, the biggest shock I had was the level of English proficiency; I had a lot of difficulties communicating. There were many areas for shopping though and groceries can be conveniently purchased from E-mart and Daiso. Decent Cafes and restaurants can also be found around Sinchon and Ewha. I would recommend the Chinese restaurant on the road to Sinchon Station! On top of that, the university was not too far away from the city (just 20minutes away) so we managed to save on transport by taking the train spending just about SGD50 per month.. On the other hand, campus life was rather dull as the university had pretty strict rules regarding the time we were required to return to the halls. I would recommend staying in the accommodation if you are financially constrained otherwise, it would be better to stay with your friends.. For SGD400, my room was not too small and was well furnished with basic necessities including wifi. It’s also located within a minute walk away from the nearest school building.