Q&A; Yonsei Korean Language Institute

2013 Fall Term Graduation Ceremony
(2013 Fall Term Level 6 Graduation Trip / 2013 Fall Term Level 6 Graduation Debate)

Wow, has it really been a year since my last post? I really thought I’d be able to update with all my experiences whilst in Korea, but I just couldn’t afford the time to. Yonsei KLI’s Regular Program was really intensive! I also got really busy when I came home, hence the quietness.

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email asking me about KLI, and since I’ve been getting similar questions, I thought I’d just put them into a list for easy reference. Any future questions will also be added here. Please check if your question has been answered before asking.

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PERSONAL; Visa Collection

Here to collect my visa~~ :3 Lol, one guy came in complaining that he has to take a queue number and that it’s taking so long, another guy has his earphones on and he’s singing out loud. xD Ooh, they’re playing Speed Scandal on the TV! Aw, hearing 사투리 behind me. ^^

PERSONAL; D-4 Student Visa Application

 

Okay, so I had to go to the Embassy of the Republic of Korea twice. Why? Because they insisted on the original copies of my birth certificate and my school certificate. Now it’s not like I didn’t research on the internet as to what I needed before I went there, because I did! And NO ONE mentioned that ORIGINALS were needed, so here I am to inform you all that you need to bring originals in addition to photocopies. They will return the originals to you after checking it against the copies, which they will keep.

What you will need for a D-4 student visa application in Singapore:

• Valid passport (make sure to check the expiry date!)
• Visa application form (you can fill it out there)
• Original certificate of admission + 1 copy
• Original certificate of graduation + 1 copy
• Financial statement if you don’t have a Korean sponsor (original bank statements from the past three months of more than $3,000 (EDIT: $5,000 as of Jul 2013); make copies for yourself if need be as they will keep the originals)
• Original birth certificate + 1 copy (if your parents are sponsoring you and you are using their bank statements)
• 1 passport photo
• Application fee: S$66

Note: All Singaporeans have a 90-day visa exemption when travelling to S. Korea, so you’ll need a visa if you’re staying longer than that; there is no way around this, unless you are willing to get out of the country and back to renew your tourist visa. Calculate the duration of your intended stay to see if you’ll need a visa.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment and I will try to recall what I had to do, lol.

PERSONAL; Waiting For My Turn

Waiting for my turn. :3

PERSONAL; Applying for Visa!

Getting ready to apply for visa. 히힛! ^^ Hopefully it’ll take just the minimum four days~

LEARNING JOURNEY; 다시 학생으로 변하기 Becoming a Student Again

YES, I finally get to post this! Been keeping it in my drafts because I didn’t want to jinx anything, wahaha.

25 December 2012

It’s Christmas, and I finally applied for the Spring semester at Yonsei KLI!

I initially wanted to apply for the Winter semester, but Mum kept stating her concerns about how I wouldn’t be able to take the cold, and I didn’t want to let her worry (though I really wanted to see snow T_T), so I waited. This year is also apparently the coldest winter Korea has ever seen, so it might have been a good thing? I don’t know. Part of me really hopes that the crazy weather keeps up so I get to see snow when I get there anyway. xD

8th January 2013

So many preparations to be done! D: Whilst waiting for the acceptance letter, Mum’s busy helping me shortlist accommodations and I’m busy listing down things to bring and going through her list. I’m not applying for SK Global House (Yonsei’s hostel) because the prices are unbelievably expensive for a small room!

Been searching the net for accommodations and for people’s experiences/recommendations. There are a couple here and there saying that one shouldn’t reserve or insist on reserving as you might regret upon arriving and seeing that the room is not up to your standards since 고시원 (goshiwon) and 하숙집 (hasukjib) don’t really have reservation cultures. Of course, you’d have to have a place to stay first in order to begin your search, so either hotels or a friend’s place (if you have a friend there).

Getting more and more anxious as days pass and I don’t see the acceptance letter in my inbox. Mum says it’s a sure thing that they’d accept me, but WHAT IF (for some godforsaken reason) THEY DON’T?!, so I’m just trying to be patient. It says on their website that it’d take one to two weeks to process applications, and it’s only been a week since Mum transferred the application fee (ugh, bank transfer fees amount to almost half of it!), so patience… Dx Hopefully I’ll get good news soon!