Beijing- Cultural Immersion Past Review
By Dan'Elle B (Business Administration, University of Central Florida) - abroad from 05/21/2012 to 07/21/2012 with
Capital Normal University: Beijing - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
The language. It was very worth it.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Captial Normal Univerisity- Mandarin, Internship |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The teachers were a bit confused onm what they were supposed to be teaching me in the beginning. The Mandarin they were teaching us at the beginning was in my opinion, was not applicable to what I would need to know to communicate outside of the dorms or when haggling. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The CAPA staff was very helpful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing situation was great as well. |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
This was a power packed, cutlurally intense internships to Beijing program through CAPA. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in China. I was educated before I left, but overall there was no need to worry about safety. |
| 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) |
The amount of monies CAPA supplied us was adequate to live. Again, it was pretty much an all-inclusive program even including food. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | abo9ut 40-50 dollars (RMB equivalent) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | N/A |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
There was no push to use the language. I decided to on my own. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | N/A |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Get Rosetta Stone or and app that will speak the language and you can repeat. |
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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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 10+ |
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? | More of the language. |
