Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Challenging but worth it! Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/17/2019 to 05/24/2019 with

CET Kunming

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Tons of language improvement and self reliance skills.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Highly rigorous and consistently forced me to improve my Chinese.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The on-site administrator of the program could not have been more helpful. Li Rong made this experience an amazing one, and always was looking out for students and their best interests.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The housing situations in the hotel were quite nice. Occasionally, it was frustrating not to have your own independence / living alone, but living with a roommate gave you the opportunity to improve your Chinese.

* Food:

We were forced to pay out of pocket for our food. While it was delicious, if you only went to the dining hall, the food became a bit monotonous and added up.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I often personally struggled with feeling like because we could only interact with our program, we did not have the opportunity to adequately engage with the larger community -- Chinese or expats. There was a culture of looking over your shoulder to be spotted speaking English or interacting with someone who the teachers did not know, which became frustrating and tiresome.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Incredibly well. Almost everyone had to go to the hospital, but was always supported by the program leaders and never left alone.

* Safety:

No safety issues whatsoever other than occasional food problems like food poisoning.

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)

If you went to the dining hall exclusively, quite easy, but this was not really livable for four months.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 50 USD

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

So much! This program was incredibly helpful in improving my Chinese.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? 300 at Middlebury
How many hours per day did you use the language? 10+

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Teachers
  • Language Skills
  • Locations
* What could be improved?
  • Mild culture of fear within the program
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Nothing!

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Business Chinese
Course Department: Chinese
Instructor: Li Rong
Instruction Language: Chinese
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues: