IES Abroad Beijing: Seriously the Best Out There Past Review
By Leigh A (International Studies, Spanish, Chinese, Trinity University) for
Beijing Foreign Studies University: Beijing - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
YES! I loved it, and would never have done anything different.
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. |
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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? |
At the beginning of the program, I lived in a dorm with the rest of the students for our orientation. Then a week in, I moved in with my host family. I would HIGHLY recommend living with a host family. My Chinese improved so much because of it and I feel like I truly became part of the family, which was an amazing feeling. I lived only about a 20 minute walk from campus, in a complex with the program director and several IES students. Not only was I close to campus, but I was close to the subway, which was really convenient! On our long trips (and on my own trips with friends) we stayed at hotels, tents, yurts (in Mongolia), guesthouses, etc. (On my own trips we stayed in relatively cheap hostels.) The hotels used when we were traveling were always up to par, and I never felt unsafe. Oh, and one last thing... Most host families should provide sheets, towels, hangers, etc. But if you plan on living in the dorms, BRING TOWELS (Chinese towels that students buy are kinda dinky.), but the dorms do provide sheets. |
| * Food: |
Chinese food is different from Chines food in America. So be prepared. Also, if you live with a host family, be prepared to have your stomach stuffed full of food every night. I was always told that I didn't eat enough and that I'm too skinny. But my host family had delicious food, so it was okay. I ate most lunches at the school cafeteria or at a small restaurant off campus, but the meals were never more than $2. If you are vegetarian or have dietary restrictions, eating in China can be difficult, especially because Chinese people can't believe that a person would choose not to eat meat, but it is possible. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
IES informed you and would help you get involved with a lot of cultural events happening around Beijing. Also, everyone was encouraged to go out and experience the nightlife just because it is a growing culture for young Chinese people. For my classes we took some really interesting field trips. Also, IES Beijing takes you on a 2-week long trip and a weekend-long trip during the semester. They were wonderful! I felt like I got to know Chinese culture so much better through the trips. It allowed me to understand the complexity of Chinese culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Beijing isn't the safest city in the world, but if you're smart about staying in groups, not drinking too much, and just in general being aware of your surroundings, you shouldn't have any problems. One thing that IES did advise us on is to not just say "yes" to every question a Chines person might be asking you when you don't understand because it can get you in sticky situations some times. When people got sick, IES would help us get to the hospital with the help of an RA. The program has a special relationship with a foreign-run hospital and they were really helpful with helping us understand the Chinese health care system. The only major health issue to worry about in Beijing is the pollution, especially if you are a runner. It can definitely cause breathing and allergy problems. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I would say, depending on the week, I would spend anywhere from $50 to $80 a week. Most of my money during the week was spent on food or going out, but sometimes I would buy small souvenirs. On the trips, I spent more... Maybe closer to $150 per week. For the most part, China is a lot cheaper than the US, but remember you will have other random expenses (like gifts and buying items you may have forgotten) that you didn't have back home. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you plan on traveling by yourself, be prepared to pay for plane or train tickets. Other than that, IES informs you of most of the expenses you will have. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I did the Language Intensive program of IES Beijing, and my Chinese improved a lot. I practiced my Chinese mostly with my host family, my tutor, and other IES Abroad students. Knowing Chinese was a must for this program, and I definitely had to use it most of everydays. Because of the language pledge on campus, my friends and I didn't really speak English on campus, but when we went off campus we typically switched to speaking in English. |
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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Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Contemporary Issues in China |
| Course Department: | SO301 |
| Instructor: | Brian Eyler |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | I really enjoyed this class. We talked about a variety of issues regarding contemporary Chinese society, including marriage, migrants, housing, etc. I loved learning about these issues especially since we were in China learning about them. We also go to take field trips that related to what we were learning which was really helpful. The reading was sometimes a lot, but I would skim over it if I had a lot of other work to do. We had a mid-term paper and a big ethnography at the end of the semester. My final paper was 17 pages long, but because it was written more as a narrative and analysis of my Chinese host family. Overall, I really like the class, and Brian (Ai Laoshi) is a great teacher. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Chinese Calligraphy |
| Course Department: | AR180 |
| Instructor: | Fang Laoshi |
| Instruction Language: | Chinese (with English translation) |
| Comments: | I really loved this class. It was very chill. It was a once a week class where we went and practiced calligraphy. Fang Laoshi would talk to us about his experiences living in China under Mao Zedong's rule and we would practice the calligraphy he'd assigned to us for that day. It was a very relaxing and fun class, and I honestly think my calligraphy improved! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Because it was only a 2 hour course, I didn't get full credit to cover a requirement for common curriculum at my school. And I know some schools don't accept only 2 hour credit classes. |
