The phrase "if you cannot measure it – you cannot manage it" has become one of our key phrases at Seoul National University

 

During our first year in the Master’s Programme "Governance of Science, Technology and Innovation" we learned about an opportunity to study as exchange students at Seoul National University (SNU, South Korea). At that moment we were not familiar with the Asian culture and studying process there, which enhanced our interest in this programme. We filled out necessary documents, obtained recommendations from ISSEK professors, and finally were selected to participate in the students mobility programme. That’s how we got a chance to spend autumn semester in "the Land of the Morning Calm" at the second year of the Master’s Programme.

First weeks in South Korea were mostly devoted to everyday and administrative challenges: a language barrier, search for accommodation, arranging educational process and getting familiar with university campus life. However, SNU administration was ready to help foreign students to adapt to the new environment. Below you can read about our experience in South Korea which might be useful to students interested in the exchange programme offered by ISSEK.

Application procedure is quick and simple. A list of documents and submission deadlines are described in detail on SNU website. At this stage the main responsibility is collecting recommendations from ISSEK professors: quite often students hesitate to address such requests to the Faculty. However, it will be very welcomed by professors and we recommend to use this opportunity. 

Accommodation

Of importance to mention that SNU provides accommodation in dorms on a lottery basis: rooms are distributed between students in random order. At first a chance to get a room at the SNU campus is extremely small but you can be offered a place later (we have received an offer one month later and had to reject it). We recommend to search for accommodation in Seoul before your arrival, as there are several specific renting rules in Korea to deal with, for example, rental websites are not usually translated into English. We were lucky to rent rooms in Nokdu region which is next to university. Be ready for tiny sizes of Korean apartments – the whole space including kitchen and bathroom is about 10 square meters and, of course, it has no bed.

SNU Campus
SNU campus is like a separate town surrounded by mountains, which has everything for student's life: cafes and canteens, 24/7 libraries, shops, concert halls, hobby clubs, buses and taxis, beautiful nature and even a pond with golden carps. It took us about a week to explore the whole area that is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular and well-organised areas in South Korea. We were extremely happy to study at such a beautiful and inspiring place.

Seoul
At first sight, the multi-million megalopolis gives the impression of an uncomfortable and monotonous city. Due to the past relations of South Korea and Japan, Seoul was rebuilt from the scratch several times. Now all districts, including its centre and suburbs, are similar to each other. However, after a while we realized why Seoul is called "the Soul of Asia". The Koreans are very open and friendly people, they respect foreigners and are always willing to help them if they face problems in their country.

Curriculum
Students from the "Governance of Science, Technology and Innovation" Programme know about the unique profile of studying programmes in this sphere. There are just a few programmes in the world which are similar to the contents of ISSEK Master’s Programme. One of them is Technology Management, Economics and Policy Program (TEMEP) at Seoul National University. We experienced it in the chosen classes: while studying in Korea, we used to the full knowledge and skills gained in the first year of studying at HSE. However, it is worth mentioning that TEMEP Program has a more technical approach in comparison with the ISSEK one, as it is offered by the Faculty of Engineering and also includes industrial management. The phrase "if you cannot measure it – you cannot manage it" has become one of the key phrases for the whole academic semester. We strongly believe that we got a unique chance to combine both universities’ approaches to the STI management and broaden our horizons.

Student’s life
"SNU Buddy" organisation was our main guide in exploring the Korean lifestyle. This is a group of enthusiasts engaged in organising exchange students’ leisure time. We highly recommend future exchange students to join this club, where we met a lot of nice people from all over the world, visited with them different Korean cities and islands, and participated in awesome events.

 

After returning to Moscow we had to provide a certificate on earned credits. The transcript with credits and course grades is sent to HSE directly by SNU International Office within a month after our departure. In addition, it is necessary to provide a short report on the trip and be prepared to answer questions from first year students about life in South Korea. But this is another story...