Beijing: An Experience Not Easily Forgotten Past Review
By Gabriel I (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences (Pre-vet), Pennsylvania State University - University Park) for
Beijing Foreign Studies University: Beijing - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I really would love to go back to China. I learned so much about China, myself, and about how people feel and are from different parts of America. I plan on going back to China this summer and for the next year if I can swing it. Definitely recommend it!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
IES Beijing had a lot of work to do. This program isn't for the party-goer-do-nothing student. At IES we had a lot of reading and a lot of studying to do for our language courses. This was not an easy journey. With that said, however, it made us all closer together and made you appreciate both the time you had and the culture/language in China. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
All available for help and guidance all the time. They really made my stay comfortable and pretty lenient with scheduling. Every now and then people weren't enrolled the classes they wanted, but it all worked out! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I love my host family. They were handpicked by IES staff and go through a rigorous process to ensure that they are good for the program and hosting students. I did not speak any English with them because they couldn't speak any! They supplied everything that i needed besides snack foods that I was craving. I also lived right near campus! It was sooo convenient and I loved spending time with them. |
| * Food: |
I love authentic Chinese food, however Vegetarians and people with food allergies must beware: many Chinese people do not understand what vegetarianism is and will put meat in the dish anyway (but cut up really small so it's hard to see). Similarly, food allergies don't really mean much to them, so you really have to state and make sure they understand that you CANNOT eat a certain food. This was only with eating out though, because host family's were really accommodating. Also, food is really copious! A GREAT THING! AND REALLY CHEAP! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We had two long weekends, where I took advantage of one to go to Chengdu, Sichuan. This was amazing and i highly recommend utilizing these long weekends. Similarly, we had a two week trip in which I went to Yunnan, in South-Western China. This was academically oriented, but we all had a lot of free time to do what we wanted and really have a great experience. We also all went to markets to shop and eat good food, as well as go out and experience the night life in China. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I honestly did not have to have any vaccines that I did not already need when living in the United States. Also, Beijing was a really, really safe city. I know people who walked home really late (2-3AM) and felt completely safe. I, myself felt really, really safe, especially for a city. |
| 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? |
Most people spoke Chinese. this was important for the immersion process. We also had a language pledge where we were only allowed to speak Chinese to each other. This also helped quite a bit with learning Chinese, especially with each other |
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? | Take advantage of everything that Beijing has to offer. Speak with natives in China. Be yourself. Be patient, and realize that you're VISITING a country. Don't try to shift the world around you to yourself, you have to bend to the world around you. "Imagine yourself as a cup filled with water from all the experiences here. Try to empty that cup and refill it with things you have learned and take away from China" |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Understanding China |
| Course Department: | HS 220 |
| Instructor: | Jeremiah Jenne |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Great course, again. Jeremiah really knows a lot about the Chinese culture and history. he made the class very enjoyable and really helped me become immersed within the culture that I was living in. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
A Changing China In International Affairs (2011 Fall) |
| Course Department: | IR 301 C01 |
| Instructor: | Chad Futrell |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Really was helpful in understanding China on the stage of the world spectrum and the history of china. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Chinese 302 |
| Course Department: | Chinese |
| Instructor: | Lv Laoshi |
| Instruction Language: | Chinese |
| Comments: | This course was entirely taught in Chinese. I also was one of two students in the course, making it very hands-on and really intense. I learned so much from this course though! GREAT COURSE. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | n/a |
