Beijing Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

While the program and the experience was very educational, especially for somebody like me, who has never left the United States before this program, there was often a disconnect between the teachers and the students that was hindering at times. Chinese students and American students have been trained to learn material in very different ways, and many of the native Chinese professors did not understand this, and taught in a way that was not always efficient or helpful for us. I learned a lot, but did not learn all that I could/should have.

On-site administration of your program

For the most part, the administration knew what they were doing. However, there are still some issues with how they approach American higher education.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The dorms were nice, because classes were all in the same building, so you never had to worry about being late or running to class in nasty weather or smog. It's kept separate from the rest of the campus and the native students, unfortunately. It would have been nice to have more integration with the community.

The food was the best part about the country. GO TO THE STREET VENDORS! Surprisingly, everything they serve is safe and cheaper than most restaurants. You'll have a hard time finding good dairy in the country.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

If you felt sick, you HAD to go to the hospital. Beijing felt self, regardless of the time or location.

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

Practicing the language was imperative to success in Beijing. While there were some shops that could understand a little English, to get anywhere or do anything, you needed to be able to at least ask basic questions or make simple statements in Chinese. The people are also much more accommodating the more fluent that you appear to be, or how fluent you can tell them that you want to be. Using Chinese was used to give directions to a taxi driver, order food, and even to have conversations with people on the street. Most people (mainly older generations) do not speak English. College and younger students are taught English, but confidence (and thus willingness) to use it varies from person to person. Some people will want to practice their English with you, others wanted to to help you speak Chinese. The only people we could speak English with were each other or other foreigners. However, the program has a very strict language policy that encourages using the native language and punishes using English, so speaking English happened rarely and always off campus.

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• Dorm

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• International Students

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• Americans