Accommodation for Exchange Students

Retrieved from my Instagram. Yes, I take really random shots.

Can't stop LOOKING for places to stay near 고려대 (Korea University) - I was advised against staying in Annam 2 Dormitory in Korea University itself (which is cheaper than other options) and hence I had turned my attention to CJ International House in KU (For NUS students, CJ is kind of like our  U-Town - it caters to exchange students' needs.) Here's a link to the 2 residences I've just mentioned above and you can check out the room types here.

The rooms in CJ look pretty classy, spacious and they supposedly all come in suites - CJ house seems to have really good facilities for International Students and indeed, after checking out some Youtube videos, the rooms do have "hotel" quality. A single room costs 2000,000KRW in Fall Semester (Dear me, I've chosen the most expensive season to go on exchange haven't I?) and a double room would be 1580,000KRW per semester.

As for Annam 2 Hall, it's way cheaper because you have a community bathroom instead of a private one. It's 780,000KRW per semester - really tempting but I heard it's disappointing. But seriously, the price difference is too big!

Moving on, since I've already emailed reslife.korea for details on advance student booking, (taking the possibility of curfews into account) I shall keep my options open and look at what the OYSTER can provide (I mean GOOGLE/WWW hahaha)

Since I'm NOT going to plagiarise anything from anywhere, I'll just link you guys to some great sites that'll be good headstarts for first-timers including me!

Oh by the way, do check Seoulistic out on their webpage and Youtube channel! (I was rather surprised, I thought they were only on Youtube! HAHA)

If BUDGET is your main concern because you would rather spend all that hard earned won on drinks, clothes, entertainment, travel and education etc. etc. then these should be on top of your list! *points below*

1. Goshitel 고시텔/ Goshiwon 고시원
2. Hasukjip 하숙집 
3. Studio Apartments

Goshiwon고시원

From what I know, Goshiwon is a small room around 5 sqm (ranging from 200,000 - 400,000KRW per month, the bigger the place and the better equipped ones might be more expensive) for students, workers, travellers, and even the unemployed who can't afford permanent housing. As such, it IS important to check the Goshitels out, rather thoroughly before nailing any deal. This wiki resembling webpage apparently provides some useful tips! 

While Agoda is usually a rather decent place to start your search (since the hostels/guesthouses are required to be registered) I've come across another site "Habang" that have a list of registered Goshitels.! However, I don't think there's any located anywhere near KU? (But if you're looking for accommodations near Kyung Hee University, Hongik University or University of Seoul etc. you're in luck.)

If you're a college student like me, I believe goshipages.com would be a fine place to start as well :) The search engine operates via universities or subways - it IS quite an awesome page. 

Hasukjip 하숙집 

Hasukjib's are typically owned by 아줌머니s (Ahjummeoni-s) (a more polite way of saying Ahjumma or "aunties")  ***So if you want to nail that discount in Dong Dae Mun, try not to call the elderly ladies Ahjummas!***

Meals (perhaps breakfast and dinner) are usually provided and so if you're lazy to COOK, voila! Go look for one ㅎㅎㅎ (this means H-h-h or Ha-ha-ha)

 Hasukjips are usually used by students who prefer a closer accommodation to their universities. That said, because Hasukjips are run by Ahjummeoni-s who might not be tech-savy at all, it's usually harder to find online. However, most websites or blogs I've came across so far seem to conclude that the signs are not that hard to read since you'll find an abundant of hasukjips scattered around the vicinity of the universities! 

All right, I think I shall stop here tonight, Dad's home! 큰일을 났어!!! "BIG TROUBLE", it's 1:44a.m. and I'm supposed to report to work tomorrow*

Anyway, from my previous travelling experiences (all right, there's only ONE experience in Korea and ONE in Hong Kong) one can never be truly OVER prepared for an adventure - so it's all right to over prepare and absorb as much information while our neurons still can handle all that excitement!

잘자 everyone! <3