Studying in Beijing Really Did Change My Life, and I'll Never Forget It Past Review
By Joshua B (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., University of North Dakota) for
China Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
Yes. So worthwhile. I am a changed person, no joke. I feel like any "qualities/understandings" I gained were almost intangible and hard to describe, yet fully there. This experience has caused me to reconsider my entire future!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The focus was heavily on language, and we worked hard to keep up with the homework load and in-class demands—work that wasn't painful but helpful in increasing our language abilities. The teachers pushed us while keeping things fun, and we learned a lot of practical, applicable vocabulary. Unlike in the US, we spent three hours every weekday morning in language class, while two days out of the week we had two-and-a-half-hour afternoon classes in English (focusing on sociology, foreign policy, etc.). It was fantastic! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Han Bing. What more needs to be said? He got us everything we needed by guiding us and teaching us how to do things rather than just doing them for us. Really nothing else to say, really. The whole system was great. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
All good. |
| * Food: |
Great food everywhere in close proximity, and cheap! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We actually had an arranged trip to Yunnan, which was amazing (led by our program director). We also took a long weekend trip to Tai Shan in Shandong province and again, our program handled it all super well. Every weekend there was a cultural event led by our program director somewhere in the city, and I always felt like I was getting to know the country/city better and better. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
No major problems. Insurance covered us well for any trips to the (English-speaking) hospital. No issues with safety being threatened. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
We practiced every morning in class, and we each had our own language partners with whom we met separately three times a week for an hour (at least) each time. We had to use Chinese in every day interaction all over the city, and we also practiced a lot with other students at the University. We spoke English as a break sometimes (after class), but we still tried to keep the Chinese going. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Do it, and keep up with your studies. Don't stress, though. You're there to learn Chinese, and this program will definitely help you do so if you keep up with the work and are actually committed. You'll also have an amazing time seeing the city and traveling to other parts of the country. Do everything you can! Every cultural event and every field trip! Make friends! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
200-Level Chinese |
| Course Department: | CHIN 200 |
| Instructor: | Qin Qin |
| Instruction Language: | Chinese |
| Comments: | It was challenging but amazingly helpful. We had field trips each week where we had to apply the vocab./grammar we learned in class in a real-world environment. The teacher knew the answer to every question we had and was extremely helpful in every way. She made class incredibly fun while also pushing our language abilities to new heights. I definitely participated more often due to the small class size and speed at which we moved through material. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not really, but I had a good study abroad advisor. |
