Past Review
By Kimberly P (Clinical Psychology, Tufts University) for
CET Beijing
Very worthwhile. It changed my career path to wanting to do cross-cultural psychology. Had lots of great conversations with locals and my roommate that are irreplacable.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Beijing Institute of Education |
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
All the teachers were Chinese natives so there were differences in teaching style, strict and no messing around, but it worked. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program director, Zhu Li, is amazing, as is the office staff. They will help you out with any question you have all the way until it is finished and are incredibly encouraging and supportive. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Lived in a dorm building on the Beijing Institute of Education campus, 2 people per room, good size and nice quality, with a Chinese roommate <br /><br /> Sometimes hot water didn't work, a few bugs, and loud construction, but nothing you can't expect. |
| * Food: |
SO incredibly good and cheap! Cheaper to eat out than buy your own food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Classes were too intense to go out during the week, but we went on trips and to bars on weekends. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I got my H1N1 shot in China for free! Just as safe as any other large city, all you need is common sense. Go out at night with friends. |
| 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 about 200 kuai a week, generously. Breakfast was 6 kuai tops, which is about 1 american dollar. Clothes are cheap also, often for around $5 you can get any clothing item. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You need to buy bottled water constantly. Eating American food (Pizza hut, McDonalds) is much more expensive than eating like the locals tdo. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
We could practice our Chinese daily with our Chinese roommates which was incredibly helpful. Nobody in the area around the school, even though it's in Beijing, speaks English, so you need to use Chinese to get around. Students cheated sometimes when teachers were not around and spoke English (i.e. when we went out to bars) |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Call the Washington DC office and ask them every question you have- they will answer it. |
