How I got accepted by Seoul National University

I am a newly admitted undergraduate in Computer Science and Engineering and I am writing this post to help those perspective students.

A few questions loom large in my mind before applying:

• Where to get application guidelines about SNU?
• How would they evaluate me? Do they care more about my GPA&TOEFL or social activities?
• What is the benefit of SNU compared with an undergraduate program in the USA?
• What are curriculum, language requirements, Tuition, application season, scholarship, dorms, etc.

I shall answer the above questions in this post and hopefully they apply to both graduates and undergraduates.

Where to get the university application guide?

Do they have a department doing …? What is the application season and where to apply? Can I get a scholarship?

Most questions can be answered by simply looking up official website. Please google `SNU admission` or go to http://www.useoul.edu/apply/info

Click `Admissions for Undergraduate, Spring 2019`, where we could download the guide book.

Reading through the guidebook several times is vital to your application. It actually contains most information to get you acclimated to the entire application procedure.

In addition, to have some specific idea towards the curriculum of a department, you could google `Name + SNU` to search for the department official website. Also, googling `SNU course registration` would lead you to the course search system. Some courses are in Korean while others in English. Most major courses in SNU are worth 3 credits and some worth 4 credits. Same courses might be taught by different professors 4 times throughout a academic year.

Once again, check the application guideline and most of your questions can be answered.

What are the requirements? Other things to know before apply?

• Korean proficiency is not mandatory. English proficiency exams such as TOEFL, IELTS, TEPS are also recognized.
• Some courses are taught in Korean while some are in English. It truly depends on the department so you could possibly check SNU course registration to know what is the ratio of Korean lectures in your department.
• Scholarships may not be granted immediately at entering university. A list of scholarship is available on OIA website. Notice would be given once application begins but you have to check OIA notice board for their scholarship updates quite frequently and possibly send a few emails to the staff for confirmation.
• A list of tuition is on admission office website as I posted above. Around three thousand dollars per semester is comparably lower than tuition in most other top universities in the world
• There are two application seasons and Spring season would commonly have a larger quota on totally admitted students. Some scholarships are only given in Spring season so please read the official guideline carefully before you apply.

How difficult is it to be accepted by SNU?

As a foreign applicant, I would presume it is on the level of some lower ranked ivy leagues. However, a background related to Korea might contribute to your success rate, e.g. high school in Korea, proficiency in Korean etc.

For you reference, my TOEFL score is 100 and my gpa is 3.86. I have the Chinese unified exam at 629/750(ranked around 2000 in the province). I have no certificate of Korean but I hold the highest level certificate of Japanese language. Additionally, I am also the founder of a international volunteering community and I’ve given a speech in an international conference. Regarding computer science major, I have also done some intensive projects that has been actually applied by companies and labs.

Statement of Purpose is vital to your application. I don’t think an interest in K-drama or Korean culture would be sufficient to support the decision of enrolling in a university in Korea. Convince the reviewer that your decision is after careful consideration and you are the person who has a promissory future after an experience in SNU. Also, it’s good to show you are well-prepared — — that you have acknowledged what is going to be taught, how you are going to dealt with language difficulties, or possibly how SNU spirit motivates you, etc.

From what I’ve heard, even top applicants with quite good aptitude might be turned down. And generally graduate program is easier to be accepted compared with undergraduate.

Anyway, good luck on your application and thank you for your reading.