Studying Abroad in Korea as a Woman in Her Late 20s (Part 3): What is Student Life Like at the Yonsei University Language Institute?

The nerve-wracking level check test

When you enroll in the language institute, the first thing you do on day one is take a level check test. You enter a classroom, take a written test on reading and writing, and are called out for a speaking test while you are in the middle of it. You take the speaking test in a separate room where a teacher is sitting alone. You provide basic self-introductions, such as your name, and answer several questions from the teacher.
If you don't understand the questions at all from the start, it seems fine to say "I don't know" (in which case you start at Level 1). My impression was that the questions became more advanced as the test progressed. The reading and writing test felt like it was testing how much you know of the grammar taught at each level.
Don't push yourself too hard; just do what you can!

Orientation and class atmosphere

There are orientations where classrooms are divided by Japanese students, Chinese students, and students from other countries. (This really makes you realize how much Japanese and Chinese students make up the majority of the student body.)
You are just sitting in a large room like an auditorium, so there is no need to be nervous.
It is a time to hear about how the school works. Once that is over, you gather in the classroom of the class you have been assigned to. The class assignments are announced online, so you check that and go to the classroom.

I started at Level 3 this time.
There are about 20 classes within each level, and it seems that classes are divided within a single level based on the students' proficiency. In my classroom, I was the only Japanese person, and it was an interesting, international class with students from Chile, the US, Spain, Indonesia, China, Iran, and more. It seems to vary, as some classes have many Japanese or Chinese students.

Friendships for students in their late 20s

For those who might be curious about the age range of students at the language institute, some are around 20 years old, having come straight out of high school.
On the other hand, there are many working adults in their 30s, 40s, and even some in their 70s, making it an environment where those in their late 20s can easily find friends.
In reality, while I did have friends my own age, I became very close with the students in their early 20s in my class, and we would go out to eat and drink together. I felt happy when everyone would affectionately call me "Unnie! Unnie!" (or "Oppa!" for men).
Since people gather here with various dreams and goals—some aiming for graduate school, others aiming to find employment in Korea—everyone is highly motivated. You can talk about each other's lives, and I think you can make wonderful friends regardless of the age gap.

Level of difficulty and class progression at Yonsei Level 3

As someone who started at Level 3, since the very basic parts were already covered in Levels 1 and 2, my impression was that it suddenly started with advanced grammar.

Yonsei focuses heavily on grammar, so the first and second periods are classes using textbooks centered on grammar and vocabulary. The teacher changes from the third period. The third period is reading (long-form comprehension) and listening, and the fourth period is speaking.

There are textbooks for grammar, reading/listening, and speaking. At Level 3, you might be puzzled by the length of the passages at first, but you get used to it. Speaking is a fun time because you practice case conversations from the textbook with classmates, but depending on the difference in speaking levels between you and your classmates (whether they are better or worse), you might have a hard time...!
The textbooks are heavy, so I recommend buying the digital version and viewing it on an iPad.

There is also a class called Cultural Experience, where I hand-carved a Korean seal! A craftsman came, and it was also a chance to speak, as I had to ask for help in Korean when I needed it.

What about the tests and homework you're worried about?

There are midterm and final exams, and you pass if you get 60%.
I think you can pass if you review the textbooks diligently.
Homework depends on the teacher, but for both Level 3 and Level 4, my homeroom teacher never asked us to submit it, and nothing was said if we didn't do it.

There are also speech tests for the midterm and final, and the preparation for these is quite difficult.
In Level 3, you give speeches introducing content you like or about your future career path.
I don't think you get many chances to speak for 3 to 5 minutes in Korean without looking at anything, so it's a good learning experience, but it took a considerable amount of practice time. (Bitter laugh)

Level of difficulty and class progression at Level 4

In Level 4, if you get into one of the higher classes, it becomes quite advanced, to the point where some students have already obtained Level 6 on the TOPIK. The grammar learned so far naturally appears in writing and conversation, and if you get a teacher who has also taught Levels 5 and 6, they will ask questions at a speed comparable to native conversation.
The amount of long-form reading also spans two pages, and there are more difficult words that you cannot understand at first glance. Even if you don't do the homework, the amount of material is too much to cram before the test, so I think it is essential to preview and review for class daily.

And for the speech test, you have to speak for about 10 minutes. It's called a newspaper presentation, where you choose one article from a newspaper published in Korea, summarize it, create materials, and give a presentation. You also have to handle a Q&A session from the teacher. It's a great opportunity to read the newspaper and is very educational.

After all, since you are studying abroad as an adult at your own expense, I think you will feel at the end that it was a good study abroad experience if you approach it with the mindset of learning as much as possible so as not to waste your time and money.
I also cannot forget the refreshing feeling of heading toward the school gate under the sunset after leaving the library, where I had spent time previewing and reviewing. Thanks to my efforts, I was able to get scores of 90 or above on all my tests, and I was very happy that my teachers told me it was a waste that I wasn't moving up to Levels 5 and 6, even though I was a scholarship candidate.

Recommended spots at Yonsei

From here, I will introduce some recommended spots at Yonsei that only students would know.
When class ends at 1:00 PM, I head out for lunch.
Some people go to Sinchon, but I was the type to eat on campus.
The student cafeteria has two floors in the Student Union Building, with the first floor mainly serving Korean food and the second floor serving things like pasta; both are always bustling.
Eating among the current Yonsei students made me, at over 30, feel young again.

Going straight home after lunch is certainly an option, but going out with friends is a special privilege of being a student again and studying abroad.

Also, speaking of student privileges, you get to use the university library!
I love the atmosphere of a university library where students are silently studying toward their dreams, so both during my time in graduate school in the UK and while at Yonsei, I would go to the library after lunch. I would do my homework or, before exams, take my time to summarize the grammar and vocabulary I had learned.
Studying abroad as an adult allows you to truly appreciate the luxury of having time to focus only on the studies you want to do. Yonsei University has two library buildings, and they are huge and very beautiful. The only thing I felt sad about when my study abroad ended was that I wouldn't be able to enter these libraries anymore.

I hope this can provide a little encouragement to those who have started working but still want to take on new challenges, and that it will be even a little bit helpful for your study abroad life! I will continue to answer questions sent via Marshmallow or DM, so please feel free to reach out♡

X is here: https://x.com/v_et_moi/
Annyeong🇰🇷👋