IES Beijing: Can I Go Back Now Please? Past Review

By Leigh A (International Studies, Spanish, Chinese, Trinity University) for

Beijing Foreign Studies University: Beijing - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

Yes. Even if I hadn't loved my program, which I did. Going abroad is an experience every student should have. At your home university, it is so easy to get caught up in the little things and to think that grades and classes are all that matter, but when you're abraod, your whole perspective on life changes and you begin to see the bigger picture. Now that I'm home, I still do my homework and go to class, but I have loved getting more involved off campus and getting to know MY community and culture better.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	I feel like IES Beijing (language intensive) has the academic experience down. They know what they are doing. The classes are challenging and engaging, but not so hard that you can't go out and have fun. Because of the language pledge and the intense focus on Chinese language, my Chinese truly improved much more quickly than I had thought it would. The teachers are fun and engaging. They all have interesting life stories and love sharing their experiences and teaching about Chinese culture. One last great thing about the Chinese classes that I would note is that the lessons actually applied to things (vocabulary) a college student needs to know, not random topics that have no application to our lives.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The IES Beijing administartion is great. There is a combination of Americans and Chinese working together to get everything set up for the students. Having an American as a program director was really nice because he fully understood when students would have issues with the culture or with homesickness. At the same time, he and most of the rest of the administration have either lived in China for quite some time or are Chinese-natives, so they understand how Chinese culture works and are able to run the program smoothly. The program size when I was there was about 75 students, which at first seemed big, but for an entire semester, it really wasn't. I loved getting to know the other students and it was fun having a lot of different people to hang out with.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I chose to live with a homestay, which turned out to be the perfect situation for me. My homestay was in an apartment complex where the program director and 3 other students lived and was only a 20 minute (max) walk from the IES building. I was close to the subway and close to school so I never had problems if I wanted to go out at night or meet up with people. Living with a host family definitely helped me to better understand Chinese culture better and allowed my Chinese to improve significantly. I know some people worry that living in a homestay restricts your ability to go out, but really if I wanted to go out, it wasn't a problem, my host parents were totally fine with it. I did try to spend at least one night or all day Saturday with them just to bond because weekdays were so hectic. But honestly, I could not have asked for a better living situation. By the end of the program, I really felt like a member of the family. When travelling, with the program, we typically stayed in fairly nice, 3 star hotels (unless otherwise specified- like a yurt or a tent). When I went travelling, I stayed in hostels that I had found out about online or from other friends, and I really had great luck with it! Oh, and one last thing... Bring towels! While pretty much all other items are provided, towels in China are not the greatest, and I really wished I had brought one with me from America.
* Food:	I like Chinese food, so I really didn't have a problem with the food at all. I did get tired of it by the end and every once in a while, I needed a good burger. (IES knows where to go to get one.) People in China don't fully understand the concept of Americans choosing not to eat meat, and being vegetarian can be an issue, but it's not the end of the world. Chinese people love their eggs and vegetables so it's not to hard. Also, be prepared to gain weight, especially if you live with a host family. My host family always thought I was too skinny and continually shoved food in my face. So, I recommend getting a gym membership or doing something because if you don't work out the entire time you're there, it can be bad.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	IES Beijing plans awesome trips for you to take that are seriously unlike anything I've ever heard another program doing. We travelled for two weeks in smaller groups around different areas of China, learning about the culture, and it was a life-changing experience. You begin to realize how diverse China really is. The program was also just great about informing us of cultural events going on in Beijing that we could go to.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	You're in China. Basically just be prepared for the pollution. IES Beijing knows how to deal with health issues, especially those related to allergies and pollution. They are directly affiliated with a foreign-run hospital and know how to work the system. Also, in terms of safety, like any large city, Beijing does have some crime, but I never experienced it first hand. I always felt safe as long as I stayed with a group of people. Just use your common sense and listen to the advice they give you during orientation and you should be fine.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* 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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	I would say I spent roughly $50 a week (if that?) on food and personal expenses each week. If I went out twice on the weekend, maybe more, but not too much more. While travelling, plan to spend more like $100 a week on food and personal expenses.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	For the most part, none of my expenses were unanticipated. Be prepared to buy clothes there though. You're clothes will get kinda gross after a few months of wearing them, and you will want more. Also, things in China are cheaper, but at times that means you disregard how much you are actually spending, which can be a big mistake.

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?
Language acquisition improvement?	The language pledge at IES Beijing forces you to use Chinese, which at first is kinda scary and a little annoying, but you get used to speaking in Chinese with everyone (throwing in the occassional hand motion or English word if you have no clue how to say it in Chinese). Also, with the language intensive program, the focus on the language classes really forces you to study the vocabulary and make an effort to learn the Chinese from class. Everyone is assigned a Chinese college student as a tutor, and you have to meet with them once a day, 4 days a week for at least an hour. I loved my tutor and while at times it seems like a hassle, my Chinese improved so much just from hanging out with her and talking about what we learned in class and our different views on life. Also, if you're really stressed out or sick, the tutors understand if you have to cancel for a day. If you do the language intensive program with IES Beijing, be prepared to use your Chines A LOT but also be prepared for your Chinese to be amazing by the time you leave.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Hostel Hotel Dorm Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Host Family Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Contemporary Issues in China
Course Department:	SO301
Instructor:	Brian Eyler
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	I really loved this course. It was so amazing to be able to learn about the major issues facing Chinese society today while in China. The class was a good amount of "challenging"... I tried to do the readings for the most part, but I could still understand and participate in the class discussions if I just skimmed, which was nice if I had a lot of Chinese homework the night before. Also, we got to take some really interesting field trips around Beijing to gain firsthand experience about the issues we were talking about in class. The major thing to consider when looking at taking this class is that there is a large ethnography due at the end of the semester. All the students in the class have to pick a group of people (I did my Chinese host family, other people picked groups like an ultimate frisbee team or a group of dancers), spend time with them and write notes/observations, and then write a final 15-20 page ethnography. The paper is actually a lot easier to write than most people would think because it is a lot like a narrative, but it is still a large paper and something to consider if your Chinese level isn't that high.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No. It counted for a common curriculum class for me (For Trinity students reading this--Understanding Cultural Heritage) and because it's a 3-credit class I don't think any of my friends really had difficulty transferin the credit.

Course Name/Rating:	Chinese Calligraphy
Course Department:	AR180
Instructor:	Fang Laoshi
Instruction Language:	Chinese (w/ English translator)
Comments:	TAKE THIS CLASS! Seriously it's awesome. Fang Laoshi is so chill. He would just give us some characters or a phrase to practice in class and we would just sit and listen to him talk about the old days of Mao Zedong and Tiananmen Square while we practiced. He didn't mind if you listened to music, just as long as you were putting forth effort. There is homework but it's just practicing the characters, and the only major grade we had was a final, where we turned in our best copy of a phrase we had practiced all semester long. Seriously, the best class at IES Beijing! Oh, and Fang Laoshi is an internationally-renowned calligrapher.
Credit Transfer Issues:	As of right now, it's only a 2 hour class so some colleges won't accept it, and it didn't fully cover a common curriculum requirement for me. However, we mentioned this to IES and they might be changing it to be a 3 hour class so as to allow more students to have the opportunity to take the class.