Getting Ready Part I

Today I received the most important email from Soon Chun Hyang (from now on referred to as SCH), this is the email that outlines the steps we need to take prior to arriving in Korea and what happens after.

In this lengthy email they clearly outline when we need to arrive in Korea (and a mandatory orientation we must attend), which visa we need to apply for (D-2), all the things SCH will help us with upon arrival, what is expected of us as exchange students regarding stipends-classes-attendance, and what is acceptable behaviour within the dorms.

They also instruct us to send them a copy of our passport so they can issue us an acceptance letter by mail. This letter is probably one of the most important documents you will receive from them, that is without this letter you will be unable to get apply for your student visa to Korea. So you should send them a copy of your passport (scanned or as a photo) as soon as possible.

Since they tell you your arrival date in this Get Ready email as well you can start looking into airfare. I emailed Josh (my main contact in SCH) and he assured me there is no time restrictions as to when you arrive in Korea, which is a relief for me because I was looking into a cheaper flight that would arrive at 9:30pm.

I have attached a link here for the list of documents that you will need to apply for your visa from the Korean Consulate in Vancouver website:
http://can-vancouver.mofat.go.kr/eng/am/can-vancouver/visiting/visacategories/index.jsp#d2

-->CLICK on the D-2 Visa Category<---

Also here is the link to just the main page. They have a lot of neat information on this website, even a site for learning basic Korean! So if you are just planning to visit Korea and want more info this site looks pretty darn helpful as well.

http://can-vancouver.mofat.go.kr/eng/index.jsp

The Acceptance Email =]

I received the official word of acceptance through my exchange coordinator, but to solidify the acceptance SoonChunHyang sends out an official email to congratulate and welcome you to the program!

This email makes the entire exchange seem real now. Even when my exchange coordinator told me I was accepted it almost did not feel real yet. When I saw this email in my inbox everything just fell into place.

From: 조슈아프리기

Subject: Welcome

Dear Students,

Congratulations! On behalf of Soonchunhyang University’s School of Global Education I am pleased to inform you that you have been admitted into the Spring 2011 semester. We are excited to have you on our campus and look forward to your arrival. Please look for an official acceptance letter in the mail sometime in the near future. If you would like your letter mailed to an address that is different from the one listed on your application please email the proper address to Mr. Jae Sam Lim. You can also expect to recieve another email which will further explain preparations needed prior to arriving in Korea(course registration, arrival date, pickup location, visa information ect.). Once again, congratulations on your acceptance! We look forward to further communicating with you as you prepare for your study abroad experience with us at Soonchunhyang.

Sincerely Yours

Joshua Prigge

Alright, now I'm just waiting for further instructions and details from them!

Application 1 and Application 2

So after you decided you want to go on the exchange of course the next step is to apply.

The first application is for the Langara exchange staff.
Before the deadlines (for the spring semester it's October, I don't know for the fall semester but my educated guess would be April)

The items you will need for the first application are:

• Fill out the exchange form (provided by the exchange coordinator)
• Official Langara Transcript (you need a minimum of a 3.0 GPA to qualify)
• A Letter of Recommendation from a professor
• A Letter of Recommendation from am employer
• An essay stating why you want to go on this exchange and why you would be a good candidate

Once you hand all that in exchange coordinator will then review them and then schedule an interview with you. Personally I thought this was the most challenging part just because I've never been in an interview that was quite as lengthy. The interview is about an hour long and they will ask you basic questions about why you want to go, how you think you will adapt, what challenges or difficulties you might have etc.

If the coordinators feel you are a good candidate after this interview process they will notify you to finish the application process to be sent to Soon Chun Hyang University (순천향대).

Now you will need to complete the second application which is the one that will be sent over to Soon Chun Hyang. Some items from the first application will roll over so you will only need to worry about 2.5 extra items:

Soon Chun Hyang exchange form (the exchange coordinator will give you a copy of this)

Medical Form (My family doctor is really business and it takes WEEKS to book and appointment so I booked an appointment with one of the doctors at the Langara clinic. If you are healthy and do not have any medical conditions the doctors there will be able to help you fill out the form. Best of all it's free! They do not charge you, unlike my family doctor. However if you have some medical issues they might tell you to see your family doctor, but it doesn't hurt to try them first.)

"Revised" Essay of Purpose (I say revised because Soon Chun Hyang specifies that they would like only one page double spaced. So if yours is too long you can alter it slightly. If not then you can just use the same one you gave to the exchange coordinators in Part 1)

There is also a letter of recommendation done by the exchange coordinator, but you don't need to worry about that. The faster you get this done, the faster they can ship your application off to the Korean half, which means the faster you will hear your results. Approximately a week after I handed in my entire application I got the go ahead!

I do not know if Soon Chun Hyang has a limit of students they can receive from Langara. I think you will have to ask the exchange coordinator that question. They only told me that nobody has been rejected yet...

To check out more about the study abroad program you can visit the Soon Chun Hyang website and read about it! (http://www.sch.ac.kr/english/index.jsp?menuID=20070830011127828343)

What is the next step??? That is what I am waiting on.
Be sure the moment I hear I will update!

How To Get Started?

Let me ask you this: Did you know that Langara College has an exchange program?
My guess is that most of you do not...

The few enthusiasts that do know probably have a similar story to mine.
1. You really wanted to go on an exchange therefore you tried to find out if Langara has that option.
2. You accidentally came across the program while searching for something else on the Langara website. (WHICH is actually very hard to find, that is because it has been placed under "External Studies". Anyway here is the link for your viewing pleasure: http://www.langara.bc.ca/external-studies/index.html)
3. Maybe you know someone that went or knows about the program and they told you

Now that we have established that Langara does indeed have an exchange program, before you get super excited the catch is it is a very very very small program. When I say small I mean you only have three options for countries to travel to Korea, Mexico or the United States.

If after hearing this you are still interested let me help direct you to the right person. I really hope you find this useful. I wish before I started someone was able to point me to the right direction. However, I had no such luck. I ran around in circles on the first day because no one really seemed to know which department I should be directed to. But at the end of the day my determination and well a bit of common sense lead me to the right place.

If you are a Langara student and you are interested in any of the exchange options please go to the HOMESTAY department (YES I really do mean homestay) - Located in Building A, the hallway beside the International Education Office in the main foyer. Once there you can ask to speak to Michael Allan the International Programs Coordinator.

Now I am going to update about my application process till the end of my exchange, which is hopefully next December 2011. If you are specifically interested in going on the Korea exchange to Soon Chun Hyang University you have come to the right place. I hope this will answer some questions you might have or just give you some pointers or references on the entire application process and what being in Korea will be like.

If you are interested in the other programs I think this is about as far into my blog you'll go but good luck to you!

I have applied and have been accepted for the Spring 2011 semester at Soon Chun Hyang. The semester starts in March, can't wait! So stay tuned for the application process. All I can say is paper work, paper work, paper work!

**Photo from May 2009: Taken at the Coffee Prince Coffee Shop in HongDae, Seoul**