I wish I found a better program Past Review
By Cameron W (International Relations and Affairs., University of Arkansas - Fayetteville) for
IFSA/Alliance: Shanghai - Intensive Chinese Language
It was not worthwhile. I could have found a better program that would have given me better cultural and educational opportunities.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Fudan University |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were rarely there to answer questions. Everyone in the program had to learn to deal with things because none of the faculty were willing to listen to our concerns and do things about them. I have nothing positive to say to them. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The apartment was decent, especially considering living conditions in China. Tonghe Building 15 <br /><br /> The housing was not bad, and decently close to campus, but it was very far away from the city center of Shanghai. |
| * Food: |
Chinese food is very oily and heavy. The food was of decent quality though. Expect upset stomachs occasionally. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our director was horrible at planning cultural events. By the end of the program, all of the students would find excuses to not go on anything he had planned. The only decent outing we had was planned by the Beijing director. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
China can be scary at times, but usually the most serious thing that ever happens is petty theft. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Things are usually very cheap. I could get by on less than a dollar per meal, but most meals were around 2~3 dollars (and they were fairly large meals with multiple courses). Western food will cost you a bit more, expect it to be about the same prices (maybe a dollar less) than what you would pay for in the U.S. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The biggest thing you'll need to learn is to haggle when you go to the market. It's an artform that has to be learned through experience. Chinese people will try to jip you if you don't get the price lower. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
This program was a waste. I got A's in all of my classes, but felt that I could have made the same progress back home in the States. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | DON'T CHOOSE THE ALLIANCE! I've heard from friends that CIEE is pretty good. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Intensive Chinese Language 201 |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Zhu |
| Instruction Language: | Chinese |
| Comments: | The course was awful. Teachers have no flexibility in the lesson plans given to them by the education coordinator, and the text books used teach irrelevant vocabulary and grammar instead of material that could be used during your stay in China. The course was far too easy and was filled with assignments that did nothing to improve language ability. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | N/A |
