Make the most of what you've got Past Review
By Belinda P (economics, Harvard University) for
CET Beijing
I gained a lot from having local Chinese students as our roommates, as we got to learn about their culture, lifestyle, and ways of thinking in a casual setting. The program's greatest asset is the Chinese roommate, but they have not yet made full use of this aspect (though I suspect they will in the near future).
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was too heavy for the three weeks but then was too light for the rest of the semester. The grading system and methods varied from teacher to teacher. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program administrators were very accessible and offered good support. In terms of extra-curricular activities, it seemed like there was actually too much flexibility.. plans were made last-minute, and everything seemed a bit disorganized. The program was tiny (only 7 students), which made things very difficult in a way, as we were all very different with different needs and interests, and although the program tried to accommodate everyone, it was often impossible to do. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was convenient that classes were held in the same building as our dorm, but since we were in the international students building, the students in our building were more foreign than local, meaning that we didn't interact as much with the local students as we might have otherwise. The location of the campus was very inconvenient, as it was not near any subway stations. We did not have to buy sheets, blankets, or pillows, which was very convenient. |
| * Food: |
The food was good, though you often needed to ask for less salt, less oil and no MSG. The cafeteria had a lot of options, which was nice. It was difficult to find very healthy food, though. Many things were greasy or covered in sauce, and dishes usually contained little meat or protein. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program trips to Xi'an and the Great Wall were both great (especially the trip to Xi'an since we were able to experience China's overnight trains, though it would have been nice to have been given some idea of what to expect from the trip so that we could adequately prepare and know what to bring beforehand). The cooking class in the teacher's apartment was also very fun. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I did not have any serious health or safety issues. |
| 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? | Proper meals in restaurants were usually about 30RMB per person (if you get a table and order dishes to share). The cafeteria food is cheap, usually about 10RMB a meal or less. Street food is even cheaper, about 3-7RMB. The subway and public transportation is very cheap, 2RMB regardless of distance on the subway, and less than that for the buses. Taxis are cheap but sometimes hard to hail. The most expensive is probably around 60RMB, aside from the ride to and from the airport, which is around 100RMB. I probably spent around 300RMB/week on food. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Remember to budget for travel during fall break and possibly weekends. ATMs are everywhere, though, which is nice, and most of them don't have any surcharge (though your bank in the USA will probably charge you). If you want to go shopping in the markets, bargaining is a no-brainer, but some places are cheaper than others (usually for good reason- for example, the markets in Chaoyang generally are more expensive, but that's because their merchandise is more suited for Western tastes. Remember though that that does not necessarily mean they are better quality). |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced language with everyone, as we had a full language pledge and could only speak English with friends at home. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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 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? | If you want a rigorous academic program, this might not be the best for you. If you are accustomed to having many resources presented to you, this might not be the best for you. With this program, you need to be EXTREMELY proactive and ask the right questions when it comes to filling up your free time.. Things are unstructured and it's up to you to organize yourself and make the most of your abroad experience. |
