The other students can be... eclectic in terms of age, personality, nationality... some odd balls, but for the most part everyone is cordial. The speed is very fast in my opinion. I lived in Korea for a bit and have studied informally in a Korean cultural organization, but regular conversation is hard to come by. Anyone have experience there? They also include common phrases and useful travel expressions.Home to more than 2.6 million users, Forvo is a reliable source for foreign language diction. It is common for students to fail the tests. you did the TOPIK, right? I can honestly say that my semester there was probably my favorite thing that I have ever done, the most stressful, and most rewarding thing. I was learning a lot, but I wasn't really going out to use what I had studied. Cost per semester is roughly 540K won, but it has been worth it--especially because the school is fairly close to my house. A lot of partying and sexing goes down because of this university location, so if you are weak of heart, that might be an issue. The way I'd like to organize this is by having it separated by school, then by specific level and program and finally a description of your experience. It really does focus on daily speech and I can say that it helped me in my day to day life so much. Babbel is a language learning app that allows users to choose up to 14 new languages to learn anywhere, anytime. Lexis Korea only requires learners to, besides doing assigned work, enroll for at … The quality of instructions was quite good. Students take a placement test and are assigned a level based on how they do. The following are other programs which unfortunately do not have first hand reviews. Since level 2 the class is mostly Chinese and Japanese. For the summer language program it's very intensive. However, if you do take this class, I implore you to be serious in your studies. This merely forms a basis of your learning but if you really want to excel in your foreign language skill then I would suggest that you pay a visit to the great country of Korea. I have fond memories. Way too many people ask the same questions and instead of telling them to "google it" or "search box it," we are hoping to expand the FAQ.We ask that if you have knowledge on the topic, please post it on the comments, and I will continuously update this post for 2-3 weeks in the hopes that we have enough exposure to fill it up. I'm entering university in the fall so I'm applying for KAP200. The teachers were joking around and they even brought a lot of candies from time to time lol. There is a ton of homework, such is the Korean way ;) It's definitely doable as long as you're not like me. This page will give you a brief rundown of the Korean language programs on offer in Seoul and how each course stacks up based on several important factors that are likely to affect your decision. Let's take a look at the best language learning apps so you can find the one that is right for you. Kinda rambling cause it's late here. Looking for ways to learn Korean online? I did SNU level 3 a few years ago and I thought it was a load of shite. Having non-English speaking classmates and friends undoubtedly helps a lot. Why ask me?" Download the ORIGINAL PPTX here. See movies and concerts. Now you get grammar patterns that don't have strict equivalents in English and understanding them with the booklet and the teacher's explanations alone didn't do it for me. The DLI Korean Basics course is written primarily for use in an intensive language program of twenty or more hours per week; but it can also be used for other situations, such as a language program which one or more part-time students attend class for three to six hours per week, or for individual study with the aid of recorded audios. I'm currently studying in Korea on Yonsei's regular programme (4급) and have friends on the regular programmes at SKKU and Korea University. Easy. Hello everyone,We are starting these stickied Mega Threads (paging /u/koji150). But that could be because I'm used to self studying and setting my own pace. language BA, MA, and PhD programs. And instead of 4 hour classes, they do 5 hour classes + 1 lunch. As for class - You only really cover about 16 grammar points for each level. Some teachers are better at English, obviously. This class is truly meant as an introductory class. The other activities were all super fun! The exposure to real content and not content made for a book helps self confidence in watching tv for example as it doesn't seem unattainable anymore. I mean I didn't get perfect grades although I finished level 5 with 94% but exams felt like too much rote memorization.-for intermediate learners (advanced ppl figure that out themselves) it's as if we're taught Korean without mentioning it's an agglutinative language. Practice your 시s (not the poem). Just do your best to keep a good flow of conversation going. A couple of years ago the books were updated but I'm not sure what exactly changed about them. Oral presentation and small "debate"too. A subreddit for news, culture, and life on the Korean Peninsula. Since the class is only 15 hours, absences are not allowed. That'll give you a good idea of what level to shoot for. Has anyone studied there (or any short Korean language program)? The teachers are awesome and really love teaching. The first two days of classes is mostly people looking over curriculums and jumping up levels or moving down. Every day is an opportunity to practice and learn stuff, so you'll get what you put into it. Go to the bookstore ahead of time and check out the grammar in each level. The book is quite small for level 0 and I think it only cost 7,000 won.Level 1100 hoursI think you are allowed to miss 20 hours, but I am not positive on this number. This class moves much quicker and is taught entirely in Korean. Intermediate 2 introduces a lot more vocabulary related to business (drawing up contracts) and home affairs (doing laundry, addressing relatives during holidays) as well as real life situations (one character contacts their insurance company after getting hit by a car, for example). This commute can make socialising within the institute difficult (but not impossible) as most people tended to head home after class. The teachers at KHU were so nice and funny, I didn’t feel forced anymore to go to my korean classes. I didn't and totally regretted it. Would love to hear your take on it afterwards. Essays get longer, from 10 lines in cute 요 to 2 pages in neutral form (하다/한다/했다). I'm in Seoul right now and considering this one. A baseball game, Kpop show taping (this has limited seating, show up to the sign up sheet really early if you want to go), hikes, tons of fun stuff. Because CUK share… This lesson is designed to introduce some general information on Hangul and the philosophical foundations for its invention. Most of my classmates wished they hadn't gone. Just being there learning it all each day in and out of the classroom. The teachers were nice enough, but the materials were utterly dull and the attitude of the department as a whole was a curious mix of dour, officious and arrogant. If you are visiting or staying in a different country but still wanna enjoy League of Legends on that specific server, it can be a great hassle sometimes as there are no options in League of Legends client to change the language you desire. The dialogues in Elementary 1 and 2 come with English translations below, these are no longer present starting from the Intermediate books. -the learning is very trigger based and makes exams a tad debilitating. The teachers: you will be taught by three teachers and never have the same teacher two days in a row. The institute: I was happy with all of my interactions with the institute. I can only give a review for the class at 노원구. It's really fun. I believe that SNU is in the middle ground between Sogang's conversation focused approach and Yonsei's grammar focused approach. If you want to read more about a specific program, just click on their link at the bottom of the page to read Asia Option’s in-depth review, as well as reviews left by other previous students. Classes were 4 days per week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I've regressed a good bit since returning home 1 year ago, but that's largely due to stress and not making time to study or practice. In my experience it was a tedious level as we were still stuck with dialogues in the same pattern as from level one onwards (difficulty adjusted ofc) and repeating and learning those sucked. Some of the grammar sections in the English editions contained unclear explanations so I hope that's an area that was addressed. They’ve been the market since 2004, so you can definitely trust them. I think the other reviewer's comment that SNU classes were "very 'high school' in style" could be applied to any language program in Korea. wasn't that extremely hard? But I made a bunch of good friends to explore the city with and had a great time! I personally wouldn't mind returning to SNU because I liked the Gwanak campus but if you are looking to hang out in hongdae or myeongdong every night, maybe choose a program closer to the nightlife. Program design was much better, there was no common language (besides Korean) between the students. Older folks tend to understand the need to practice their speaking so go to them. Here are 13 websites every Korean cyber-learner should know about. I went to high school after all, where classes sometimes go from 8:00-16:00. with the B course, did you had a different teaching style compared to the A courses? I mean I didn't get perfect grades although I finished level 5 with 94% but exams felt like too much rote memorization. Studying through to level 6 (pretty much complete fluency) would be 1 year. Although there was speaking before, you can start saying so much more I really advise to find a chatty classmate to sit next to but also to change tables regularly. Of course you need to use the patterns that are appropriate to the questions asked. One of my teachers couldn’t speak English or something, so it was easier to communicate in korean. You will be expected to study the vocabulary on your own outside of class time and to practice the grammar at home as well.The grammar taught in level 1 is excellent. In my experience it was a tedious level as we were still stuck with dialogues in the same pattern as from level one onwards (difficulty adjusted ofc) and repeating and learning those sucked. You learn the alphabet the first day and move on to phrases and vocab the second day. I'm glad I went, and I would recommend it to others. All lessons include Hangul text, romanizations, and sound files. The course will run you ~1,600,000won/term, the private room on campus will be something like ~900,000/term. The reason why 20% of the vocabulary was somewhat irrelevant for me was due to the fact that the class is "tailored" for foreign housewives. This Korean language software includes a whole range of activities and features that will keep you engaged: quizzes, fill-in-the-blanks, matching games, and more. I was a few years older than most classmates, and married, so socializing wasn't a huge focus for me, but everyone was friendly and my classmates did socialize with each other and Korean students on campus. Yes, that would be great! Shop around a bit until you find people who are good at explaining things. That always made me feel like I was lagging a bit behind from not having the extra source of help. Work and life are crazy...! their doing a good job. Majority was taught through Korean or context. There's a presentation to do. I´m thinking of taking B courses if they are more in a western style (less memorization, more creative talking), but if there is no difference, I take the challenge and choose the A course. The midlevel classes will fill up the fastest, so if you think you want to switch, switch fast! The instruction tended to be a little rote at times and relied more on textbook dialogues than I cared for. Would you like to hear from summer immersion program students, too? Currently I'm in 3급 at SKKU's program. Or was it just slower? However, the classes are 100% in Korean, which can make it challenging. You have to just write about half a page (not too long! Spend up to 2 hours every day 'studying' however you want. I was a pretty good student. The first 2 hours were focused on Grammar and speaking and the last 2 hours were focused on reading and pronunciation with a different teacher for the two different subjects. My instructor was really good at finding my limit in that short amount of time, I think. It's designed around audio and Chinese dialogues, much like Rocket Chinese. Just make sure to do research and find one that fits you. Such a heavy focus up front is not an effective way to learn (at least, not for me). After an hour we had a short break where students could socialize or relax while the teacher checked homework assignments. They say Sogang students are better in conversations. I am in my early 30's and I live in Korea. This app doesn’t have a built-in language learning aspect, but it does give you free access to quite a few Korean language radio programs. The grammar taught in level 1 is excellent. Just give a good effort and you'll pass with flying colors. We also only had the course in korean, that was really a help. i had lost my wallet and had to pick it up from the local police station, but when i went to get it they essentially had no idea what i was talking about or anything. All levels welcome. The exposure to real content and not content made for a book helps self confidence in watching tv for example as it doesn't seem unattainable anymore. Usually speaking was with a partner and we'd talk about the thing we were supposed to talk about but then there's often some more time that you should use to breach out the discussion and just talk more. It could have been a bit more fun, but I think they focus on the Taiwanese and their speed. Decompress. FYI, the academic program is at their campus outside of seoul and the general one is at the Seoul campus. For Culture class there is only a presentation at the end, no final test, so don't stress if you're bad with names, dates, and geography (like me!). You also have the option to transfer to an A class by taking the screening exam. The textbooks are constantly being updated and are of good quality. Homework assignments involved fill-in-the-blank work, answering questions based on a picture, verb conjugation (irregular forms, present progressive, etc. B classes are more diverse. The program focus heavily in grammar and reading and neglect conversation, so this would be a more suitable program for people who are planning to do or continue their higher education in Korea. The other day of the weekend (and the evening of the tutoring day) you go have a social life. It really does focus on daily speech and I can say that it helped me in my day to day life so much. Last chance for submissions! Please review it here. If you are married to a Korean citizen though, then this would be very useful for you to know. It's heavily focused on grammar, less on speaking. So my biggest piece of advice is just speak up! Older folks tend to understand the need to practice their speaking so go to them. Outside of class, you're assigned a ton of vocabulary to practice. I haven't been to either or any bias but I'd love to hear your thoughts. What was the focus? I would recommend the morning class because you will have more opportunities to do things outside of classes with the rest of your time. Korean Language free download - Easy CD Creator International Language Update, Notepad++ (32-bit), AsianSuite X2, and many more programs Although there was speaking before, you can start saying so much more I really advise to find a chatty classmate to sit next to but also to change tables regularly. 환영합니다! Besides regular language courses you also get a chance to discover more about the Korean culture and traditions. Untact Korean 15 is a part-time but still intensive run-through of the language. This program is designed and implemented by the Ministry of Justice, through its Social Integration Division. At a beginner level I get it, you learn by blocs so that you can immediately use your new knowledge outside but when you're intermediate and dwelling into harder grammar patterns, you can be confused by hearing someone order by saying 주시고 ... 뭐 뭐 주세요 but it's simply 주+시+고 verb stem + honorific + connector. You take a placement test if you are a new student. Lots of Japanese and Chinese students in the A classes because it's easier for them to memorize the vocab and the grammar is similar to their native languages. I don't have answers, although I certainly have ideas. What about Incheon National University's Korean language program? The other homework is pretty easy, and once a week you do some kind of presentation or performance. This alphabet is phonemic with syllabic demarcation. The seven months I attended was a strong enough foundation that when I took the (old) 초급 TOPIK test I scored at ~95%, then I took the following 중급 test and scored just enough to qualify for Level 3. As mentioned above, the teachers write evaluations with each level test the students take, and I think the cut-off is something like 60-70% to progress to the next level. -the oral exam part, as I learned the hard way, isn't about showing off how many different patterns you know but really having a fluid and good conversation. It's good and fascinating too. Instruction-wise, spending 20 hours a week in a Korean-only environment was the biggest help. Classes are Monday-Tuesday-Thursday from 7 to 9pm. If money is no object, let's say that is........2,500,000/2 months? They spoke in Korean the entire time, but if you speak to them in English, they understand just fine. Interestingly, we had a special reading class once a week. In level 1 it was a folk village, in level 2 it was watching a Korean movie (you got to pick which one, they showed 3 different ones). I attended Hanguk University of Foreign Studies (한국외국어대학교, '외대') in Spring 2012 (my god how time flies). Classes were organized so that we would read and practice the dialogue, learn new words from the dialogue, start studying grammar from the dialogue and then practice pattern drills using the newly-learned grammar. really saved my ass (unfortunately it was after i had cancelled all m cards in it but i still got all my stuff back). The tuiton is cheap, you will improve fast (they test vocab, grammar, listening, reading, speaking and writing). The way I'd like to organize this is by having it separated by school, then by specific level and program and finally a description of your experience. But many of my classmates were not satisfied. The materials for this were good- semi-authentic articles or essays, usually about Korea but going into a little more depth than "Do you know kimchi?" I listened in class, did my homework, watched Korean shows (to practice my listening) and did language exchanges, so I got really good grades. Additionally it provides points towards an F2 visa. I study them my own way and keep lists. Most are Yonsei Uni graduates so they're pretty smart. Please review it here. I was commuting from outside of Seoul every morning (maybe ~75 minutes), studied at the academy for two hours, made the commute back to Uijeongbu for work, finished working at 8:00 or 8:45 depending on the day, then went home to spend an hour or two on homework each night. Have you taken a Korean Language Program here in Korea? The one I attended is in Jongno, near Jonggak Station, while the other branch is near Gangnam Station. They offer a FREE Korean course for foreigners up to TOPIK Level 4 that can also help get you points toward an F-2 VISA or other VISAs later on. -while I criticized the curriculum, I fully recommend the program as what I see are shortcomings can be studied alone whereas occasions to talk and speak outside the classroom were few and far between for me. Foreigners get a pass for mistakes but by stretching that logic you might as well only learn how to say 안녕하세요. This is the 'fun' studying. The Korean Language Center of KMU IIE will be exerting the necessary efforts to become established as a representative Korean language institute in Korea by being equipped with an highly advanced educational environment and multimedia facilities and by … Still, I do remember quite a bit of pair/group work, and I definitely made very solid gains in ability. I'd recommend writing in written style if you can, just so you can show them that you know what it is. The hours are from 9-1 or 1-5 depending on the class. I'll add more later if I remember anything, but feel free to ask Qs :). I consider Babbel to be the best overall language learning software. Look up things like 더라, 는데. It's frustrating to me, as I explained to them that i have a serious illness that prevents me from even getting out of bed sometimes. Teachers were fine, but way too much focus on rote memorization. Food on campus is relatively subsidized but will run something like 400-500,000/term. The teachers ditch the questions fast if they see you going one way and just want to continue the dialogue.-while I criticized the curriculum, I fully recommend the program as what I see are shortcomings can be studied alone whereas occasions to talk and speak outside the classroom were few and far between for me. I can't create a language partner but I can dive into grammar books. Foreigners get a pass for mistakes but by stretching that logic you might as well only learn how to say 안녕하세요. The book is quite small for level 0 and I think it only cost 7,000 won. Korean Wiki Project Wiki-style Korean lessons. The activities are very similar each year, it seems, so I'm planning on looking at their 10 week courses instead next time I go.