Amazing! Past Review
By Angie Z (International Relations And Global Studies, The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 06/12/2013 to 08/12/2013 with
CET Shanghai
Arriving in Shanghai will all of the skyscrapers and overwhelming amount of people, I felt pretty insignificant. Balancing Chinese class, a mini-elective history course, and my internship taught me to be more confident in myself. This experience allowed me to realize that I can survive in China in the future.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The language classes were extremely intense and overwhelming, but I have never had such exceptional teachers before. I wish I had more time to explore the city, relax, etc. but I really did learn a lot. I will definitely come back to China in the future |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Great! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Great! It was even better than my dorms at Jester. |
| * Food: |
DELICIOUS AND CHEAP :D |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Amazing. The Dong Hua roommates were incredible. I had a really bad roommate but everybody else there made up for it! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I got pneumonia during the trip and went to the hospital. I spoke with a doctor fluent in English and everything went smoothly. I took two weeks to recover because I was unable to rest from classes/work/homework/etc. but other than that, everything was great! |
| * Safety: |
I remember one of the UT kids got drunk and lost for a good three hours and nothing happened to him. Another kid from Florida lost his wallet on a bus and it was actually returned to him, with all of the cash inside. I lost my phone at a club and a person found it, called my friends, drove over to our University, and returned it to me. I love China! |
| 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? | 200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There's no need. Everything's really cheap in China |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I have never taken a formal Chinese course |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Don't speak English! Force yourself! Keep a language notebook (any notepad where you can jot down Chinese words that you've learned) |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | I wish I knew how to eliminate distractions. |
