I have been studying at Yonsei University for about three months now. Not only has time flown by, but I have recently realized that studying in Seoul feels different than studying in California. These differences come from the different academic cultures and traditions, and noticing them is a normal part of the study abroad experience.
One big difference I have noticed is that students in Korea have a different attitude towards studying than students in the U.S.A. While studying is important to American students, it seems to be even more important to Korean students. For example, there are so many study cafes all over the city! Back in California, there are not many independent coffee shops near my college, but in Korea, you can probably find a minimum of two cafes per street. Korean students usually study for long hours and even go to 24-hour cafes to accomplish work during very late hours. During midterms, I studied at cafes every day of the week for a minimum of three hours a day. In the U.S.A, I would usually study at the library or my room, but here it is more popular to go to cafes.
Back at my college in the U.S.A, I am used to having a very strict schedule because I have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time.
