The Best Summer Experience Ever! Past Review
By Joanne C (Marketing and Psychology, University of Stirling) - abroad from 08/02/2012 to 09/01/2012 with
China Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
The INTO China program was definitely worthwhile. I learned a lot more Chinese than I expected to in such a short time while making new friends from all over the world. I would recommend this program to everyone!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I learned so much more than I expected to during the 4 week course. My teacher was very friendly and patient with us. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program was coordinated very well by all of the INTO China staff members. Every afternoon we would do a different activity to learn more about the Chinese culture, for example one afternoon we were taught tai chi and the next afternoon we practised Chinese calligraphy. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt safe in Dalian at all times. I felt safe to walk around at night on my own. |
| 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) |
It was really easy to live on a student's budget because everything in China is much cheaper than in the UK. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | £50 |
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? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Higher Spanish |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Practise speaking Chinese as much as possible. After class my classmates and I would try to speak to each other in Chinese and we always tried to have conversations with local taxi drivers. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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 had got a VPN from my university before going on this program as it makes it much easier to keep in contact with friends and family at home. |
