Best program for learning Chinese Past Review
By Charles C (Chinese, Economics, Tufts University) for
Capital University of Economics and Business: Beijing - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Capital University of Economics and Business (首都经济贸易大学） |
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2008 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Hands-down the best program for learning Chinese in China. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Top-notch administration. Could not have asked for me. I could get help at any time of day or night. They helped me through a visa problem, took me to the hospital when I got sick and stayed with me the entire time, put me in contact with a number of ACC alumni who helped me with my independent project, and generally went out of their way to ensure my well-being. The program head is extremely knowledgeable about Western culture and higher education and has traveled abroad extensively. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Simple but comfortable living conditions. First-term students live in a dorm with a roommate and have personal bathrooms, desks, beds and a locking safe. Second-term students have the option of living off-campus with a Chinese roommate. <br /><br /> The dorm, the classrooms, a cafeteria and a small cafe are all in the same building, so it could not be more convenient. Western supermarket directly across the street, as well as a gym. 10 minute walk to the Dawanglu (大望路）subway stop. Sanlitun, a big nightlife district, is a 10-minute cab ride away. The only part of the city that takes a long time to get to is the northwest corner (Wudaokou 五道口）where Peking U and Tsinghua are located. |
| * Food: |
The cafeteria food is pretty good but most people eat at nearby restaurants. There's a fair amount of variety, but as with all Chinese dining, if you want to eat quickly or by yourself, you're pretty much limited to fast food (Chinese or Western). Our program had people with every kind of dietary restriction and the all managed to find things they liked. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our trips (during my term we went to to a suburb of Beijing, Xi'an, and a choice between Shanghai and Huangshan) were all extremely fun and a good break from classes. There are several very successful school-hosted parties, and optional field trips every weekend. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Beijing is a safe city (crime-wise, anyway) and I never felt threatened. Traffic is heavy and at times chaotic, but people obey traffic lights and if you're careful you shouldn't have a problem. One of the city's best hospitals is a 15-20 minute cab ride from school. I ran a fever one weekend and a program administrator personally accompanied me to the hospital, dealt with my paperwork, stayed with me and brought me food until I had recovered. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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 spent perhaps 35 yuan on an average day--5 for breakfast, 10 for lunch and 20 for dinner. I lived fairly frugally, eating almost exclusively at Chinese restaurants, not shopping for clothes or DVDs, not going out drinking very often. In all, I spent perhaps $900 or $1000 USD on living expenses, entertainment, traveling, etc. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Almost everything is transacted in cash in China, so make sure to keep enough money in your checking account at all times. Also, carry a credit and debit card with you at all times in case of medical emergency. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
As a result of the the language pledge, the small class sizes and the overall rigor of the program, I am convinced that my Chinese could not possibly have improved more than it did. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | As I say above, this is the ideal program for a hardworking student who is serious about learning Chinese. Like any program, you get out what you put in. But if you are willing to work, you will find unlimited instruction and support of the highest caliber, and your Chinese will improve dramatically. Many students make time to travel over weekends or breaks (classmates of mine went to Qingdao, Inner Monolia, Xinjiang, Yunnan, Hebei, Suzhou, and other places during the course of the term), and many people find time to go out on the town, go shopping, explore the sights, etc. But the real strength of ACC is the instruction, so if you're looking for a place to slack off for a term, see the sights, etc., there are definitely better programs out there. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Chinese |
| Course Department: | Chinese |
| Instructor: | All |
| Instruction Language: | Chinese |
| Comments: | There are technically 4 different courses but they're all basically just Chinese. Your first class is called "dabanke": 8 students and one teacher go over the vocab and patterns from the night before. Your second class is "xiaobanke": 4 students and one teacher drill the vocab and patterns you just reviewed. Next is "duihuake": two students and one teacher discuss a (usually extremely interesting) topic which you usually write about the night before for homework. Finally, "danbanke" is just you and a teacher. You go over the lesson one more time, then depending on the teacher, will usually just practice conversation and correct individual problems. The teachers rotate every day, so even if you don't like one you're never stuck with them. But in my experience, with few exceptions the teachers were all fantastic, well-prepared and dedicated. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | None as of yet. . . |
