Thank you to all of the spring 2021 incoming exchange students for your cooperation during your 14 day 'self-isolation' on campus. 

This article is intended to shed some light on the possible routine for incoming fall 2021 exchange students who are currently applying for Hallym University, as well as to offer you some 'tips' and advice from students who have just completed their 14 day 'self- isolation.' 

*Please be aware that routines and procedures are subject to change, depending upon national or regional governmental advice for the fall 2021 semester. *

A similar 'self-isolation' is likely to be required for all incoming fall 2021 exchange students.

Updates will follow for all nominated fall 2021 exchange students in due course. 

ISSO Team

Hallym spring 2022 exchange nomination is now open

Nelly from Switzerland: 

Why did you choose to study at Hallym for your exchange period?

It was already clear for me, that I wanted to go to South Korea or Japan, which was my second option. I chose Hallym University, because I saw that a lot of students from my university went there and always recommended it.

Please describe the procedure from landing at Incheon Airport to arriving at Hallym University for any fall 2021 incoming exchange students.

In Abu Dhabi, they checked my PCR Test (not older than 72 hours) and it must be negative otherwise I wouldn't be able to fly to Incheon. 

At the arrival in Incheon I had to download an app on my phone, which the airport staff needed. After that, they took my temperature and I had to go to a place where they entered information about me into the app. 

I also had to go to a second place, where I think they checked my information and called someone at Hallym to confirm they were expecting me. After those steps, I could go to the place where they checked my passport and took my fingerprints. Finally, I was able to pick up my luggage and could go out. Outside, I went to the staffs who were responsible for the bus that takes the students to Hallym Campus. They told me to wait until X time, then a bus would come to take the students to campus. 

Having travelled a lot and lived on my own in different countries, I wasn't afraid of anything, neither surprised. Best recommendation here is to be prepared for anything and don't be afraid of anything! Just go with the flow 😊

Please describe your routine for your 14-day self-isolation period at Hallym.

I'm not a breakfast person, so every morning I got up at 9:50 am to measure my temperature and entered it into the app (which I downloaded at the airport) and took the breakfast we got (usually sushi rolls, sandwich or kimbap) inside. 

After that, I went back to bed again and around 12 pm I took lunch inside and ate it. Since I had to work on my thesis in Switzerland, I had time to do that during the day. Every day at 3:30 pm we had our daily Zoom meeting, where International Office gave us information and we could keep in touch with the other exchange students. 

Around 5:30 pm we got dinner. After dinner, I actually watched Disney plus until 7:50 pm, the time we had to take our temperature again and enter it into the application. My shower time was at 8 pm so I took my shower directly afterwards. In the evening I mostly face timed with my family, my friends and my boyfriend since it's around lunch time in Switzerland. Haven done all that, I tried to get back to work on my thesis until around 3 am in the morning (I'm a night owl) and went to bed.

What 'tips' or suggestions would you give to future incoming exchange students who may face a similar 14-day self-isolation next semester?

Even though I'm Asian and already eat rice pretty much every day in Switzerland, it's just not the same when you're in quarantine and don't have anything else to snack on, or even when you want rice with side dishes that you like. You can't have it. Therefore, I recommend to take snacks with you such as crackers, bars, chocolate or crisps. 

The first week I slept too much, which is actually not good! Try to get up at least at lunch time, otherwise you'll be very tired all day.

What to you hope to achieve from your study period at Hallym/living in Korea?

For my exchange semester, I expect to go back home with a lot of unforgettable experiences, memories and new friendships. I also hope that I pick up a bit of Korean, so that I'm able to have a basic conversation with Koreans.

Lorna from France:

Why did you choose to study at Hallym for your exchange period?

I chose to study at Hallym University because it was one of the most beautiful universities I have ever seen and also because it was in an Asian country. Therefore, I could learn more about the Asian country within a safe environment and a human-size city (Chuncheon).

Please describe the procedure from landing at Incheon Airport to arriving at Hallym University for any fall 2021 incoming exchange students.

The procedure from landing at Incheon airport to arriving at Hallym University went by smoothly. When you get out of the plane you can't get lost, people are there to help you and guide you if needed. 

You have to go through the first gate where your visa and passport are checked. The best thing you could do is put all your papers (visa, passport, papers that you have to fill in the plane etc.…) in a file that you carry with you ready to be used, that way you will save a lot of time. Either way, each gate has a large glass that protects the person checking your information from the incoming passengers. On the glass, there are photographs of the papers they wish to check.

Then you will go through a large corridor with many standing signs on either side of you, those signs show the same thing, it tells you to install the app in which you have to put in your temperature. It is really important you scan the first sign you will see and download the app because the next gate you have to go through is the gate in which they check if you have the app and make sure it is ready to be used. The next gate will do the same thing. (Don't be surprised if your information is checked twice in a row). However, this gate will require the phone number of your university. Show them the paper Hallym International Office sent you with the contact information and address of the University. They will call the university to check that they are waiting for you.

Those two gates are the only two gates in which you have a chair in front of the person that checks your information, so you'll be able to sit down.

Then you will have to go through another gate, once again check on the protecting glass prior (If you have time) to see which documents they want you to show. The next gate will check the same information. You are now ready to go get your suitcase, the good news is, it is already on the rolling mat ready to be picked up. The checking took about 10-15 minutes (without the wait from queuing). Once you have your suitcase, you will go through a final gate (the customs) which will check the two papers you filled in the plane prior. Once your free and out of the checking zone, there are people ready to guide you to where you want to go (just tell them you're a student and want to go to Hallym University in Chuncheon).

Then you will have to follow the arrows on the floor (once again, everything is well organized, and everyone is willing to help you if you get lost). Another man will ask where you want to go, just say Hallym University and Chuncheon, they will guide you to a booth in which someone will organize your bus trip to Hallym. Tell them your name and show them the paper Hallym International Office gave you.

The person managing the booth will then make you wait for everyone (if you're the first one there), then guide you outside to the bus. Most of the people that were on the bus weren't going to the university so don't be surprised to see a young lady with a toddler.

The bus stopped after about an hour in a car park where an ambulance car was waiting for us. They didn't speak English but try and listen carefully if they shout “Chuncheon” or “Hallym”. If they do, get out of the bus, grab your suitcase and go in the ambulance. 

The ambulance will drive you for another 30-45 minutes to the medical center. Just wait next to the line, a lady will wave you over, they will ask for your information such as name and date of birth. They will also give you a bag in which there are thermometers and booklets in Korean (amongst other things). Then you will have to go through a PCR test. They will swipe the back of your tongue and then the back of your nose. If you are from Europe brace yourself because they are a bit rougher than we are used to 😉.

Please describe your routine for your 14-day self-isolation period at Hallym.

My routine during the 14-day self-isolation is quite simple I wake up, get my breakfast (8h50 am), try and exercise, watch shows, wait until it's 11h50 for your lunch, then try and exercise some more, read or play games on my computer. Then, International Office will call, and we can talk about the courses, news of the country and discuss the problems we could encounter (if any). Then exercise some more, read or play games on the computer until dinner time. 

Then I take a shower (depending on the shower time you'll get assigned to.The time you have is 1hour). Then I try to stay up until 22h.  

What'tips' or suggestions would you give to future incoming exchange students who may face a similar 14-day self-isolation next semester?

The 14-day self-isolation period can be rough if you didn't bring any snacks. Bring some! 

In the bag Hallym will give you, there are snacks and two meals. The food can be quite spicy. You should also bring books, a computer to watch Netflix (avoid food shows otherwise you'll just torture yourself). It's a good idea to start doing some exercises so you'll stay in shape. 

Every weekday, Hallym International Office will chat with all of us on zoom so you will be able to meet everyone there. Try and make a group chat with all the other students that way you can talk to them!

What are you most looking forward to about the start of the spring 2021 semester here at Hallym?

What I'm looking forward to the most is meeting everyone. We only got to see each other of the zoom chat or talk on the group chat. I'm looking forward to meeting them along with the local students and my teachers.

Camilla from Germany: 

Why did you choose to study at Hallym for your exchange period?

I chose to study at Hallym University for my semester abroad because first of all the available courses for exchange students appealed to me, such as the course “Encounters with Korea”. This course teaches you different aspects about Korean culture. The second reason why I chose to go to South Korea: experiencing a different culture. 

Please describe your routine for your 14-day self-isolation period at Hallym.

In the beginning it was hard to get into a routine because of the time difference. After around three days it got much better and I started to get up around the time you have to self-diagnose (10 am). For the rest of the day, I didn´t really have a routine. I tried to exercise every day and started studying Korean. The daily group zoom calls also helped planning my day a bit. 

What 'tips' or suggestions would you give to future incoming exchange students who may face a similar 14-day self-isolation next semester?

I would recommend doing at least one productive activity a day and do some sort of exercise, it makes you feel better and sleep much better. I got sick of watching Netflix pretty soon, so I signed up for some online coding classes, since it was something I always wanted to try. I also facetimed my family and friends every day to keep in touch with the world outside.

What to you hope to achieve from your study period at Hallym/living in Korea?

I´m hoping to broaden my horizon during my time in Korea, learning about different customs, the history, food, art, music, language and so much more. I would also love to try the different extracurricular activities at Hallym University, of course if it´s possible taking COVID into consideration. 

I´m also looking forward to getting to know the Korean students as well as the other international students. I also hope I can travel during my stay here. 

Since the Corona restrictions are much less strict here than in Germany I´m also very excited to gain a bit more freedom back. The first thing I will do when I get out of quarantine is going for a very long walk by the river. During quarantine we also got these amazing donuts and macarons on one day, they´ve been on my mind ever since, so I will definitely go and buy some.  

Jessica from Austria: 

Please describe the procedure from landing at Incheon Airport to arriving at Hallym University for any fall 2021 incoming exchange students.

Before I came to Korea I was nervous about how to get to our isolation facility and scared of the isolation period. 

We got a lot of information which was good but still could not take all of my concerns. 

However, when I landed at Incheon airport the staff were really helpful and I met a Korean girl that helped me get around. 

There was a lot of paperwork to fill out but it was all translated into English. 

Also, some of the staff spoke very good English (and some didn't). We needed to answer a lot of questions about the countries we visited recently and symptoms. The staff checked that we downloaded an app for the time in isolation. 

We were brought to a waiting area and were picked up from there when our bus came. In the waiting area we met some other people studying at Hallym. Everything was organized really well and we got to take a free ride in an ambulance to Hallym University.

Please describe your routine for your 14-day self-isolation period at Hallym.

The isolation period was quite relaxing. I slept in most days and was woken by the people bringing breakfast. 

In the mornings I tried to be productive; doing university stuff, etc. 

After having lunch, I relaxed for a bit and joined the daily zoom meeting. 

When I was motivated I did some workouts, the room is definitely big enough to do that! The rest of the day I spend my time watching Netflix, reading, eating etc. 

What 'tips' or suggestions would you give to future incoming exchange students who may face a similar 14-day self-isolation next semester?

Take something to read with you. At some point watching Netflix gets really boring! 

Also if you like doing sports bring a sports mat or something. You don't move a lot so it is amazing to do some fitness instead. Also, if you do not eat meat, get used to having it on your plate anyway!

What to you hope to achieve from your study period at Hallym/living in Korea?

I hope to get an insight into the Korean culture. I want to meet people from other countries and connect with them. 

I hope to improve language, cultural and social skills. I would like to see some great places around Korea and try as many dishes as possible. 

What are you most looking forward to about the start of the spring 2021 semester here at Hallym?

I am really looking forward to have some courses in person instead of online. 

The courses sound really interesting and different from what I know from my home university. 

It sounds like most courses have a lot of practical work, I am really looking forward to that. Also I am really happy to use the university gym and do some sports again!

If you would like to hear more about incoming exchange at Hallym, please check out our incoming multi language exchange PR video here . 

You can also see more information about Hallym International Dorm and its available scholarships here .