IU East student designs own study abroad to South Korea: IU East: Indiana University

Education student Alina Fore dreamed of a study trip to South Korea.

But when she began her search last fall, she faced a hurdle: Indiana University East doesn’t have a study abroad program that would take her there.

IU East students will travel to Belize, Costa Rica, India, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Guyana and Europe this school year. But not to South Korea yet. So Fore researched, designed and implemented her own month-long study abroad trip to Yonsei University in Seoul, the capital and largest city of South Korea.

She also paid her own living expenses after efforts to obtain financial support from national programs failed.

Playing alone wasn’t a problem for IU East. In fact, she was encouraged to do so by Julien J. Simon, professor of Spanish and director of studies abroad. He said other students could do the same.

“She made all the arrangements herself. I helped her a little bit, but she did everything else on her own,” said Simon. “She just needed to make sure the courses she took counted toward her degree.”

He said Fore’s study abroad trip was more significant as it was a first for a student of the education department. The 21-year-old from Eaton, Ohio, is the daughter of Cindy and Jason Fore. Alina Fore is on track to graduate next May with a major in elementary education and a minor in special education. She is the first in her family to attend IU East.

There’s something to be learned from her groundbreaking study abroad experience, says Simon: “Even if students can’t find anything at IU East or in the IU system, they can still study abroad on their own.”

Fore said it was worth it to go her own way.

“I would definitely encourage others to do something similar,” she said.

Simon said one downside to going solo is that it is difficult to get university funding, but students may qualify for government aid, such as the Gilman Scholarship. Four IU East students were recently selected to receive Gilman financial support for their education abroad.

Fore said she faced some uncertainty, but Simon and Carla Bowen, her advisor at the Department of Education, helped her through it.

“They have been very supportive of my efforts and trying to make this happen,” Fore said. “No matter what hurdle we encountered, we made adjustments.”

She has conducted extensive online research on American companies that specialize in study abroad. She planned her trip with the help of a consultant from the Education Abroad Network (TEAN).

Fore said another closely related resource is the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). Information about these programs can be found at https://teanabroad.org and ciee.org.

Before embarking on her trip, she joined a Zoom meeting via TEAN where she shared tips on things like packing, transportation and banking. TEAN provided off-campus housing that looked like an extended stay hotel and offered some sightseeing tours. The students ate their meals at school.

Fore left on June 22nd and returned on July 26th. She spent two additional days sightseeing in South Korea. She paid for the trip with her own savings and a loan from her parents.

The roots of her journey lie with New Student Orientation when she first started at IU East. Students were encouraged to “think about a place they might go one day (on a study abroad trip).”

She began her search in earnest in the fall semester of 2023.

“I really wanted to go to South Korea for a while, to a different, unusual place,” she said. “I also looked at other places to make sure I was ready to go.”

Why Yonsei? Alina Fore holds a parasol in front of Yonsei University.

“It is known for being very beautiful, has many international students and is the setting for many Korean films,” Fore said.

She took a beginner’s Korean language course with nine fellow Americans whose home states ranged from Texas to Tennessee and from California to Pennsylvania. Other participants came from Australia, Hong Kong and Japan.

“We learned about their alphabet, how to introduce themselves, how to count and order (in restaurants) — the basics you need in South Korea,” Fore said of the course.

She enjoyed the exchange with her American fellow students:

“We were very close. It was a great experience.”

Many maintained contact via Instagram. Students enjoy treats in South Korea.

Fore wants to work as a second-grader at an elementary school in Ohio.

IU East will offer six study abroad programs during the 2024-25 school year. One this fall, Spanish in Costa Rica, and five in the spring: Business in India, Nursing in Belize, Mediterranean Food in Italy, Spain and Morocco, Sustainability in Guyana and Psychology in Europe. Students can still take part, with the exception of the nursing course, which is fully booked.

For more information, visit IU East’s study abroad website.

Some of them have a Canvas page with additional information, Simon said.

It won’t be long before more students travel to South Korea for school-sponsored study abroad, he added.

A course entitled “Business in Korea” is expected to be scheduled for spring 2026. It is led by Sanga Song, assistant professor of marketing.

Images from Seoul, South Korea and Yonsei University provided by Alina Fore.