China was the Time of My Life! Past Review
By Elizabeth Madison Y (Foreign Languages, University of Memphis) for
IFSA/Alliance: Shanghai - 21st Century City
Yes, I absolutely loved it, and I hope to go back after I graduate.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The Chinese classes were amazing. I learned so much, and my Chinese level increased dramatically. The business classes were pretty bad. I took international Econ and International Finance. If you can avoid taking these, I would. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were helpful in everything! I had no issues with my dorm that wasn't fixed quickly. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my dorm. I had the best Chinese roommate. She helped me with anything I needed! |
| * Food: |
Food was amazing. There really wasn't a place to cook your own, but that's ok because the food was so cheap. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Loved traveling throughout China. I learned so much about my heritage, etc. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There is a lot of smog there in China. It sometimes made it hard to breathe. But for the most part, that was ok. The safety was never an issue. Just take care of your things. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The teachers and shop owners etc were very helpful. Most people did not speak that much English, so that was helpful in learning it. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Travel throughout China as much as you can. |
