I am a Korean-American student born and living in the States, and I am considering applying to KAIST, Korea University (parents’ alma mater), or Seoul National University. I researched a bit and found that it is quite easy to enter these top schools as an international student, a lot easier than competitive schools here in the US. Plus, the tuitions are much more affordable in addition to the generous scholarships given to international students.
Besides filling out the application and paying the app fee, there’s no extra work involved - no extra exams or essays to write, nor recommendations - so I’m definitely going to give it a shot, but if I am accepted should it be a serious choice to go to SK for an engineering degree? I have always wanted to live in Korea, my motherland, but I could always opt for a study abroad semester or two at a US school if it’s not worth it.
Do top universities in SK have a good reputation internationally/in the US (specifically for engineering)? Would a degree from SK be worth anything?
[I think I have good chances of getting in. I’m going into senior year at a challenging STEM magnet school in Illinois and have a 3.46 GPA. I have a 35 on the ACT as well as 720 Chemistry, 760 Math II, and 780 Physics for SAT subject tests. No AP’s as of now since my school doesn’t offer AP courses.]