Extremely intense academic schedule Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Extremely intense academic schedule. Four one-hour classes a day (one with a tutor, two in large groups, and one in a small group), plus homework, class prep, and the inability to get out of hearing Chinese, even if one wanted to, means about an 85 hour week, plus 4-8 extra hours on weekends. It's stressful but an immersion program like this will certainly improve your language skills very quickly, even if you feel like you're floundering. We quickly formed study groups between ourselves. Besides our study groups and our teachers, we also had native-speaking language partners who were available almost any time and whom we met with at least twice a week. Every weekday also had office hours in the evenings. We used one full textbook and very nearly completed the entire thing by the end of the 8 weeks.

On-site administration of your program

The program was very professionally run - there was never any hiccup on getting schedules to mesh or having to modify plans on the fly for unexpected circumstances.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I tried to not get my hopes up before arriving in Taiwan, but I was pleasantly surprised at our accommodations. At the last moment, the program's students were moved into the grad student dorm, where each student had a Taiwanese roommate (which I saw as a benefit in terms of immersion, for the most part). Each dorm had a shower and bathroom, which I did not expect. Beds were very simple but we got used to them quickly. Each dorm also had its own air conditioning unit, and a certain amount of the program tuition was allocated to pay for its use, up to a certain amount.

Taiwanese food is amazing. I tried to have as much variety as possible, but I could not find a restaurant or food stand that I didn't like. Food is very cheap and easy to get, from carry-out restaurants, food trucks or stands, or from convenience stores. If you aren't used to Asian food, you might miss Western food. I myself expected that I would find myself wanting some food from home eventually, but that moment never came. I would also add that it's much easier to eat healthy in Taiwan than in the US.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

National Cheng Gong University, where we studied, is right in the middle of Tainan. There was no part of our lives that we didn't have in common with any other student who was studying there that summer. Every week, we usually had some kind of cultural class in addition to our regular work, and we often took one- or two-day trips to other cities.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Although I did not have any serious health problems while in Taiwan, the impressions I gathered from the other students of the program are very good. There is a major hospital close at hand - right across the street from the main campus. The only common problem might be the heat, if one doesn't keep hydrated.

In our host city, no area that I visited (and I explored quite a bit) seemed very sketchy. I felt much safer walking the streets of Tainan late at night than any city I've been in in the US.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Living expenses were very cheap in Tainan. Although the tuition did not pay for the vast majority of our food or transport, both are cheap and convenient.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Because this was a total-immersion program,

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