Experience in Seoul, South-Korea by Hyewan

What is it like to live in Seoul? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

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Seoul is such a dynamic city. It is very busy and crowded, full of traffic and people all day. But at the same time, Seoul city never sleeps. There are a lot of cafes and restaurants opened 24 hrs. You can also watch movie at midnight and then eat Korean BBQ.

What is the student lifestyle like in Seoul?

Being a student in Seoul is kind of hectic because Korean people are into education very much. Due to the lower percentage of employment, we do work hard to get good grades and other stuff. But we also try to enjoy our student life. There are a lot of school activities and clubs to join, also festivals held in universities around spring time.

How much does it cost to live in Seoul?

It totally depends on where do you live in Seoul. But If you want to live near university, it will cost about $500 to $700 a month with deposit. I personally commute from parent's home to school it cost around $100 a month (I am using public transportation).

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Seoul? Is there any advice you can give?

I don't think so. But I can't guarantee for the quality of the accommodation. I think the best accommodation is probably the dorm or somewhere little bit far from university campus. There are residences for one or two people which is called "officetel" in Korean, Many of mine friends live in that kind of place.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

There are some disgusting foods in Korea especially seafood. But generally Korean foods are great usually spicy but good. There are also many western foods but slightly Koreanized. Personally my favourite dish is Korean-Mexican foods. Trust me they are amazing. One thing you have to be aware of is we do like sharing foods.

What places would you recommend visiting in Seoul?

Tourist Attraction - All the palaces near city hall,

• Myeong-dong

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• Insa-dong

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• Sanchung-dong

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Young, Festive hipsters go to - Hongdae, Sinchon, Itaewon.

Modern, Fancy, Expensive but cool - Gangnam, Sinsa.

Rather chill or local kinda place - Han river parks (Yeo-ui-do, Banpo etc).

Is it good to eat out in Seoul? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

Of course, I personally like places near Itaewon because you can see literally every kinds of food from Korean to Greek restaurants(My personal favorite is either Vatos or Buddha's belly). If you are looking for more budget friendly meals, normally restaurants near universities are pretty cheap. I recommend to go near Hongdae or Sangsu areas.

Is the nightlife good in Seoul? Where is good to go?

Because we love drinking and having fun, Nightlife is quite good in Seoul. But it depends what you are looking for.

1. If you are looking for fancy dress-up kinda night out : Gangnam, Sinsa, Chungdam clubs are good to go (Octagon, Arena, TheA, Ellui Answer etc).
2. If you want to just hang with friends and drink : You can do it everywhere (Monkey beach, Thursday party, Elixir and so on).
3. Specific music genre : Hip-hop (Hongdae area dunno exactly), House(pistill, Cakeshop), Electronic (most of clubs).

What advice would you give future students heading to Seoul?

Seoul life is going to be quite intense because everything is going so fast. You may think bus driver is kinda aggressive, Korean people are not that generous something like that. But I bet you can find good Korean friends pretty soon if you are willing to. Just getting ready for your passionate life with open-minded personality. It will be fun!