To check into the dormitory at Ewha Woman's University, all students must have a negative COVID test result (either 48-hour PCR or 24-hour RAT). This meant that I needed to take a third COVID test, as my Incheon Airport test did not meet the time frame. I ended up taking a RAT test at a clinic in Sinchon right next to Ewha. It was a little bit difficult because none of the workers spoke any English and the paperwork was in Korean. One thing to note about Korea's COVID test difference is that they stick the nasal swab up so high that the whole stick goes up and touches your brain (not an exaggeration). This is a saying in Korea.
I was able to check into the dormitory the following day and was culture shocked to say the least. I didn't know exactly what to expect but I was surprised. I was given a double room with an en-suite bathroom. I was fortunate to get a bathroom in my dorm room and lots of storage space. The part that shocked me the most was the bathroom. It is very common in Korea for the bathroom and shower to be all in one, called a wetroom.
Dormitory students were required to pay for the dorm within one week of the official check-in day (August 24, 2022). Students had the option to pay either through cash or wire transfer.
From August to December, my dormitory costed 1,223,640 won which at the time was equivalent to $901 USD. The best option for me was to pay via cash. This was a stressful process in itself as I needed to create a bank account in Korea as well as transfer the funds from my Hawaii bank to my Charles Schwab account in a timely manner. Prior to arrival, I opted to get a Charles Schwab account for Korea so that I could use that account to withdraw cash from the Korean ATMs.
COURSE REGISTRATION:
Registering for classes was a battle in itself. As a DAP Shidler student in my sophomore year, I have to complete my pre-business courses by the end of the academic year. I planned to enroll in 12 credits for this semester which is equivalent to four classes. There were only about four business class options that I could take at Ewha that would fit my requirements. My plan was to enroll in three business classes and one elective course. Prior to registration, I created a course registration spreadsheet so that I would have a higher chance to get the classes I needed.
Ewha's registration is much more stressful compared to UH Manoa's course registration. Ewha's course registration was on August 26 from 9 AM- 5 PM. During this time, students could drop or add any available class. In contrast to UHM's registration, Ewha's course registration required us to manually type in the course number and course section to enroll. During this time, I was only able to get three of the classes I wanted as the registration was EXTREMELY competitive. One of the business classes I needed only accepted five exchange students.
Luckily, I was able to enroll in the classes I needed during the Add/Drop period. The hardest course to get into was the Practical Korean 101 class. After the official course registration date, so many students, including myself, asked the school to offer another beginner Korean language course. Ewha ended up offering another class during the Add/Drop period.
3/4 of my course are online asynchronous. I only have classes on Tuesday/Thursday every week from 3:30-6:15 for my Korean language class. At first, I was bummed out about having a majority of my classes all online again but it works very well with my schedule.
Tips when Registering for Classes:
- Make a pre-approved spreadsheet with all the class options before registration. Make sure you include the course number. This was extremely helpful during registration and staying organized.
- Get on stable wifi! Ewha's dormitory wifi was not that stable so I opted to register for classes elsewhere.
- Be prepared on the website before registration opens.
- It is okay if you do not get your courses on the first try. I had to petition to the professors and explain my situation so that they could allow me to enroll in their course.
Offical Registered Classes for the Fall 2022 Semester:
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