7 Amazing Months in Shanghai Past Review
By Gregory P (Franklin & Marshall College) - abroad from 06/18/2014 to 08/18/2014 with
IFSA/Alliance: Shanghai – Summer in Shanghai
Learned a lot about myself professionally and personally and could not be happier about it.
Review Photos
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. |
Classes were not too hard but a lot of useful content and a different perspective were learned |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The apartments were really nice and hospitable. |
| * Food: |
Chinese food was really enjoyable. Easy thing for me to get adjusted to. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt as if I could speak enough Chinese to talk to the mainlanders and get around pretty well on my own which was a big confidence booster |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The administration in the program was very helpful when someone needed to go to the hospital or if something was wrong. A supportive group that made sure its kids were healthy |
| * Safety: |
I actually felt safer in China than I did sometimes in America. I felt incredibly safe and Shanghai is not a place to worry about danger. |
| 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) |
If you spend your money fiscally and intelligently, you could very easily spend below that aforementioned dollar amount a week.I had no trouble spending money smartly over there, but it is easy to get carried away with it. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 200-300 Chinese Kuai per week. Very cheap living |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Some of the best food you'll eat in China is the cheapest. Spend your money on food from 5-16 kuai and you'll be very set. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Too much English speaking in the program, but then again it is with a bunch of Westerners so it is inevitably going to be difficult and awkward to use only Chinese |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Upper Intermediate Chinese |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Get out of your room and use the language right on the streets. Do not only learn the language through a book. It won't help as much in the long run if you aren't speaking to people everyday |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | Looking back, not a whole lot. I really did not feel I missed out on anything big before departure. I prepped for this experience very well. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
