Preparing for my semester abroad in South Korea

Hello friends! My name is Justin, I’m 24 years old, from Münster, and I’m doing my Master’s in Business Administration with a focus on Finance. Since my youth, I’ve always wanted to travel to Asia – not just for a vacation, but to really immerse myself in the many different cultures. The best way to do this, of course, is to study there and experience the everyday life of the country firsthand.

Now, as I am approaching the end of my Master’s degree – and for whatever reason, I had no interest in doing a semester abroad during my Bachelor’s – it was clear to me: if not now, when? For me, this was the last realistic opportunity to study abroad, and I definitely wanted to seize it. I quickly decided on the SolBridge International School of Business in Daejeon. It is a partner university of my home university, which made many things easier. I was also intrigued by the fact that Daejeon is a large city with 1.5 million inhabitants, but not as internationally influenced as Seoul. This way, you get a more authentic experience of Korean life – while the university itself is extremely international, with over 75% international students. For me, it was the perfect combination.

Looking back, I can say that it is really important to start organizing early. The preparation period was much shorter and more intense than I had originally imagined – and, honestly, it tested my patience at times. Of course, you know that a lot needs to be arranged for a semester abroad, but you only realize how much once you are actually in the process – and understandably, not everything goes smoothly:

1. Application to SolBridge: The application went through the International Relationship Center (IRC) at the University of Münster, and World of Students was my constant companion, helping me with any questions. Everything was well-structured, and the SolBridge staff were also supportive. Still, I had to gather many documents, write motivation letters, submit transcripts, and prepare other required paperwork.

2. Financing & Applying for Study Abroad BAföG: The financial aspect was, for me personally and probably for most students, the biggest hurdle. Tuition fees at the university were over €3,000, so I would never have been able to choose this university without support from Study Abroad BAföG. Fortunately, the cost of living in Daejeon is reasonable to very cheap. The only expensive items are fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, I submitted my BAföG application a bit late, so make sure to do this as early as possible to have funds available from the start! The application itself was a bureaucratic project: proof of performance, rent receipts, insurance documents, and much more had to be submitted, but in the end, it was crucial support. World of Students, along with the Weltbürger Scholarship and PROMOS, also supported me – without them, I could never have afforded it all.

3. Visa process: The visa was by far the most nerve-wracking process. On top of that, I didn’t even have a passport. It wasn’t much better for my fellow students either. Most of us only received our visas 2–3 days before our flight. The reason was mainly that we had to complete the “9-Step Admission Process” at SolBridge first. Since we finished this only in mid-June, the next available appointment at the consulate in Bonn was mid-August, and it takes another week after that to actually receive the visa. I chose to send my application via Berlin, but my letter didn’t arrive, which made it tight. The Berlin process also costs €70. Therefore, I would recommend booking your visa appointment early – even if some documents are missing, it’s much easier to cancel the appointment than to miss your flight, haha. When I finally held my visa in my hands two days before my flight, it was an incredible feeling of relief.

4. Accommodation & subletting: In Daejeon, I consciously decided against student dormitories because, based on experience reports, there is a curfew from 11:00 PM to 5:30 AM. If you’re late, it’s your own responsibility and you won’t be allowed in. You also share a room with 1–3 other people, so you don’t really have privacy. For these reasons, I chose an apartment instead. Fortunately, apartments here are very cheap – I pay only €260 per month for 26 m². At the same time, I had to sublet my apartment in Germany, which also required careful preparation: rental contract, handover, communication with potential subtenants – everything had to be organized in time.

5. Other To-Dos: International health insurance, international credit card, checking and updating vaccinations, adjusting mobile phone contract, pausing gym membership, organizing a SIM card, booking flights, comparing packing lists with classmates, and much more… A real highlight during this process was the support from World of Students. I could ask questions at any time – whether about the application, the visa process, or other organizational details. My contact, Marisa (who is no longer part of the team), always responded quickly, clearly, and helpfully. It was incredibly reassuring to have someone like her by my side who knew the process and kept track of everything. Especially during stressful phases, this was extremely comforting – and I can really recommend that you don’t hesitate to ask questions and seek support.

The preparation for my semester abroad was challenging – organizationally, financially, and emotionally. But now that I am finally in Korea, I can say that it has been worth it in every way! So if you’re thinking about studying abroad – go for it! You won’t just get to know another country, but you’ll also grow immensely as a person.