Exchange semester at KAIST

As I am writing this, I am wrapping up my exchange semester at KAIST. It has been three very short months, and I am now on my final stretch, practicing for my exams and feeling a bit melancholy. I would therefore like to share some of my experiences here at KAIST, and why I decided to go to KAIST.

Why did I do an exchange semester?

My decision to go to KAIST was mostly based on a whim. I met a friend - a graduate student above me, who had just come back from his exchange from South Korea. At the time, I had no interest in doing an exchange, but hearing about his experiences caught my attention. He also told me about the low cost of living, and that the exchange was almost free because of that. This further piqued my interest.

I knew that an exchange semester was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I therefore looked more into it, and decided to apply! It is scary to go on an exchange semester. You get a bit of cold feet, especially as I was going to the other side of the planet, with completely a complete different culture and way of life. I also got a part-time offer, which made committing even harder. However I was set on going, even though I was a bit nervous, and faced a dilemma.

The dorms

The dorms are pretty okay. I knew beforehand that I had to share a room with someone, but as I was sharing it with my friend from Norway this was not as daunting. Here are some pictures of the dorm.

The cleanliness is okay. These dorms are pretty old, and they do not check if it is cleaned well when you enter the dorms. Also do not look under the bed. It is disgusting. The cleanliness is pretty hit and miss. Some students had such bad rooms with so much mold that they got a guest room while their room was being cleaned. Therefore, you should expect the unexpected and be ready to clean when you come there.

The dorms are very cheap. I paid around ~1000kr each month, almost 1/6th of what I pay in Norway. In addition you do not pay anything for electricity or internet. You are also located in the same dormitory as other exchange students, which is nice as you often just plan stuff spontaneously in the halls. You also have air conditioning, heated floors, and the dorms are divided by gender.

Education at KAIST

KAIST is a university known for its STEM education. They take a research-oriented approach which is different from how it is at NTNU. A lot of the school work is reading papers, doing literature reviews, and writing papers. I found this difference interesting at first. However later you realize the experience is not as expected, due to the sheer amount of work you have to do.

Due to this research orientation, assignments are heavy and time consuming. In addition to KAIST giving a lot of homework (there are homework between each class), it is not suprising that you get completely cooked in assignments. KAIST students therefore work a lot. They work late in the evenings, so much that you can find many students sleeping in the library in the morning.

When you add the faster pacing of the semesters, it is difficult to find the student life at KAIST enjoyable at times. Academic motivation was therefore something I struggled with sometimes. At times there were so many assignments and projects to do that I felt so overwhelmed that I was afraid to even start.

However, not everything was gloomy. I enjoyed that KAIST had frequent quizzes and midterms. It forces you to constantly stay focused, and keep up with your classes. It is also easier to track your progress, and assess areas and courses you should focus more on.

Travels

As I only needed to pass on my courses, I was able to travel and do a lot of other stuff. I was able to visit a lot of Korea. I went to Sokcho, Seoul, Busan, Suwon and Jeju. Here are some pictures of my travels.

I like the streets in Seoul. They feel a bit crammed but still cozy.

In Seoul you can try on Hambok (The traditional korean dress), and enter the Temple. It was fun :).

The lights during the night are beautiful. Makes the city vibrant and lively, even during the night.

There are small trams you can take in Busan for a view near the coast. They were pretty expensive so we did not take them.

Busan's coastline is beautiful.

When we were in Busan there was cherry blossoms; I was expecting the cherry blossoms to be more pink, but it is pretty white.

The trip to Sokcho was probably my favorite one. This picture I took there looks like a Ghibli movie.

There are great hikes in Sokcho. Go there if you want to enjoy the nature.

Jeju also has beautiful nature

The tangerine cafes in Jeju are also great

In Udo Island we rented bikes and biked around the island.

My final thoughts

Even though i shitted on KAIST it is a good school if you want to do strong research. It is a competitive school because of this, but it is a school where you can accomplish a lot. However if this is not what you are looking for I would probably look elsewhere.

Lastly I would like to show my gratitude for the great friends and people that made my exchange the way it was. Without them it would not have had as much fun. I am going to miss you, and I hope I will be able to visit you again.