TOPIK

My paperwork has arrived in Korea and now I just wait for it to be processed.  I'm guessing it'll take a week or so, so no more updates on that front for a bit.

Meanwhile, I've been looking into prep for the TOPIK. (Click the link to read about it on Wikipedia~)
For those of you who didn't click the link, the TOPIK is basically a Korean proficiency test with levels from 1 (you know basic survival Korean) to 6 (you're practically fluent, congrats).

In order to study at a Korean university (as a full student - language programs and exchange programs can be different), most schools require a TOPIK score of 3 or higher.  Pretty much any job other than native English teacher will ask for your TOPIK score on your resume.  There's even a separate business TOPIK, but I'm just taking the standard exam.

The first exam after I get to Korea will be in October and there's another toward the end of November, so the first thing I'll have to do is decide which one I want to take.  Registration for the October exam is in August (right around when I arrive, actually), and registration for November isn't until October.  I'm thinking I want to take the October exam so I can get a measure of my abilities as close to arrival as possible.  Why am I not waiting until I've learned a bit more and gotten more practice so I get a better score?  Because this test doesn't actually affect anything.  I don't need to take the TOPIK until closer to the point where I apply for grad school, but I want to be able to see just how much I've improved over time.  TOPIK scores are valid for 2 years, but I'm considering taking the test every year so I can measure improvement better.

One of the first things I'm going to have to get for myself once I get to Seoul is another TOPIK study book.  (I say that like I'm only going to get one. Ha.)  I recently bought one online for $30 because it looked helpful and was all digital, and so far it's looking like money well spent.  It has tons of helpful things in it, including a 47-page pdf of idiomatic expressions, grammar separated into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, and a pdf of the 6000 most common Korean words.  On top of all that, there are video files (that I haven't looked at yet) with analysis of each section and what constitutes a "good" answer in non-multiple-choice sections, and practice tests.

I'm trying to study now, but I just can't motivate myself to do much of anything yet.  Everything seems too far off.  Hopefully my friend Ashley, who's going through the EPIK program instead of a private school recruiter like I am, will be placed in Seoul as well so we can study together once we're both in Korea.