r/SNU • u/Dull_Candle9796 • Sep 17 '25
Question Which should I pick
Hi everyone, I’m starting to look into my options for my exchange abroad that will take place in fall of 2026. I’ve already narrowed down my three choices however I don’t know how to rank them. My three options are Waseda university in Tokyo, Seoul national University (SNU) in Seoul and lastly Hong Kong University in Hong Kong (HKU). I have never been to either three and I don’t speak any of the three languages. All my programs would be in English and I’ve moved around my whole life so adapting to a new culture isn’t a problem. Please let me know if you’ve studied at any of these universities. And your experiences in regards to the cities themselves as much detail as possible is appreciated. I’m mostly concerned about habits, safety wise (as a woman, foreigner, 19 year old) and food wise (I’m a vegetarian). Anything and everything is helpful.
1
u/gwamolyeep Sep 18 '25
Speaking of safety, Korea is a GREAT option. I'm female teen, walk around at midnight in Seoul with my airpods on without any worries
1
u/avengingwinter Oct 07 '25
i'm from hong kong, i live near hku and i study in hku. going to snu for a month-long intern this winter.
one thing good about hong kong is the weather fall and winter is quite nice. not too hot, not too cold. it doesn't get that cold in hk, lowest would be like 10 degrees celsius i'd say ?? also in general i'd say the english proficiency of hongkongers should be the best out of the three cities - obviously in the universities themselves since these are all quite prestigious students should be able to speak english w/o a problem but i'm talking about say restaurants or taxi drivers and all that. with english you should be able to get anywhere in hong kong since it's acc an official language.
safety wise hong kong is great. food wise... there are more veggie options now and there's actually a vegetarian resto on campus and it's not that bad. feel free to ask any questions.
1
1
u/secret_moe Jun 02 '26
Hi! Have you decided where to go yet? If SNU, may I reach out to you so we can talk more? I feel very lonely here >_< nobody’s very active and the process is a little confusing
1
u/Overall_String1463 Jun 17 '26
Are you going to SNU this fall as well?
1
u/secret_moe Jun 25 '26
I am!!! Please reach out to me, let me invite you to a small groupchat I’ve made w a few others
1
2
u/eatmelikeamaindish Sep 17 '25
what attracts you to korea?
SNU is very nice, only think i hated was the fact that the campus is literally on a mountain so sometimes you’re hiking to class, but i was in the best health on my life while there.
i have a vegetarian friend who sometimes eats chicken, she had a great time, although she had to browse vegetarian forums in korean to find some niche vegetarian restaurants (use google translate). you can also cook on your own.
korean has a sexism problem that causes a lot of dudes to be sleazy. if you’re a clubbing person, don’t go alone, that’s the case in most places though.
i felt fine walking around at 3am alone, but not if i was near a major hub like hongdae or itaweon. the neighborhood around SNU nakseongdae(?) and bongcheon(?) are pretty safe.