Best Abroad Experience I Could Hope For Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

There was a lot of studying involved, but it was never unmanageable--probably at most 3 hours per night. But the amount of Chinese I learned mad the studying enjoyable, since you knew you would be using the very same vocab and grammar the next day in class, or on the street talking with a friend or stranger. Plus, the largest language class I was in only had 6 students, so there was a ton of individual attention. Outside of the language classes, I chose to take two area studies courses, both in the Political Science area. One class was Politics and Government of China, taught by a visiting professor from Australia, and the other was Social Movements and Labor Change in China, taught by a Chinese professor who works daily in that field. I have to say both classes were fascinating, the work load was never more than a few hours per week, and both professors kept small classes. The larger of the two only had 12 students. Plus the best part about classes--and this includes the Chinese language ones as well--is that they only met 4 times per week, since we had no class on Wednesdays.

On-site administration of your program

The Center Director was incredibly helpful from restaurant recommendations to safety and security around the city. All of the staff members in Beijing were considerate and really cared about our well-being.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in a dormitory owned by IES on the campus of Beijing Foreign Studies University. The dorms were nice, although the room are a lot smaller than most American college students will be used to. I also lived with a Chinese roommate, who was a student at the university. The best part about the dorm was that our classrooms were located right down the hall from our dorm rooms, since we didn't take classes directly with the university. But the halls and bathrooms were cleaned every day, the building was air conditioned for the warm months, and it became a very cozy and comfortable place to relax and unwind.

You can't beat the food in Beijing. China, like most countries, has particular regional cuisines, but since Beijing is the capital, all of the best cuisines can be found within walking distance of any part of the city.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Since we lived with Chinese roommates, it was quite easy to integrate into the host culture. Plus, since everyone around the city was so friendly, it is hard not to make friends out of strangers.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

As our Center Director always said, the best part about living in a police-state is that there are cameras and police everywhere, so crime is relatively low. Even though I was in Beijing in October 2013 when the the car exploded in Tiananmen Square, I never once felt unsafe, even when walking around late at night.

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

Beijing has to be one of the cheapest cities in the world, since I spent at most $200 every 3 weeks to a month.

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

We had a 24/7 Chinese only language policy while on campus, so it was Chinese all the time. This really improved my language skills though

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans

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• Americans

• Traveling throughout the semester
• Using Chinese all the time
• Food and social scene

• Choice in roommates
• More organized activities

The Academic or Linguist