I can't imagine living the rest of my life without returning to China! Past Review
By Claire W (Neurobiology and Neurosciences., Tulane University) - abroad from 06/07/2013 to 07/06/2013 with
China Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
This was an incredible program! It integrated me into the culture, taught me to improve my speaking quickly and efficiently, allowed me to make friends from all over the world including China, and made me a more confident person. I had endless opportunities to practice my Chinese, friends to hang out with all day every day, and the program allowed us to experience so many new things. The program was excellent about taking us on adventures, feeding us new foods, and introducing us to new tidbits of culture. I loved the program and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Review Photos
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. |
We had at least 4 hours of class time every day, which definitely made me improve faster than I ever have before! We also adored our teachers. However, it's definitely more of a program for beginners - as an intermediate student, I feel like the program didn't fit me quite as well. I also think that perhaps the classes should be solely conversational. I learn out of a book at home! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration and all of the mentors were constantly reachable, perpetually helpful, and always warm. They are part of what made my experience in Tianjin incredible! They are a wonderful group of people who care about international students very much, and I would trust them with my life. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The dorm was a little bit gross, had terrible internet, and was full of mosquitoes. However, it felt like home after a week. It's close to everything important and it certainly worked well enough! |
| * Food: |
I loved the opportunity to eat Chinese food every day at the canteen. There were so many things to try. Even better than that were the mentor dinners! They were always fun and delicious and interesting. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I think I had wonderful exposure to Chinese people through tutors, mentors, and others on campus and on the streets. I certainly had plenty of opportunities to speak Chinese and be a part of the culture every day. I probably would have gotten more integrated if I didn't make some amazing friends who were also international students in the program, but I loved them so it was still worth it. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
INTO itself did a great job with health issues. I had a friend who got very sick in the middle of the night (3 in the morning, I think) and called one of our mentors because she didn't know what to do. He ran the whole way to our dorm and was there in 5 minutes! He took her to the hospital right away and she was fine. Unfortunately, she said the hospital was dirty... |
| * Safety: |
I felt safe the entire time I was there! Well, except for maybe inside taxis ha ha. The streets are CRAZY. As a pedestrian, you have to pay attention to all of your surroundings constantly. Don't be afraid to stare down a car and jaywalk, but don't think that you're in the clear just because you've gotten across the main street. Bicycle lanes are very busy too! Keep an eye out for bicycles and scooters as well when you're walking. |
| 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) |
Everything is very affordable in China! My pocket money lasted a long time, and the money on my meal card went a long way. I ate large, filling meals from the dining hall all the time and bought plenty of snacks and bottled water from the student store, but I still had over 100 yuan left on my card when my program ended. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Maybe around $15 USD |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | DO NOT BUY SOUVENIRS DURING YOUR FIRST WEEK OR TWO. At the beginning, everything might seem cheap compared to home, but after the first couple weeks you get used to what standard prices are for certain types of items and you'll be able to save much more money by buying the most reasonably priced goods. ALSO, HAGGLE WITH YOUR HEART AND SOUL. You can pretty easily get anything in a market or little shops down to 60% of the asking price, if not further. My crowning achievement was getting it down to 40% once, but our Chinese friends claimed they could get it even lower. You first just ask the vendor if they can make it a little cheaper - "Ni keyi pianyi yi dianr ma?" and frequently say that it's too expensive - "Tai gui le!" and I also would say things like the fact that I was just a student and didn't have a job, or that I wanted to buy it as a nice gift for my mother. After a couple minutes of haggling if it isn't down far enough, you can try walking away and they might pull you back and offer you a better price. If they don't pull you back, you can either return later or find it at a different shop. |
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 |
I think the program could have done a better job of getting the intermediate students to use Chinese all the time. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate Chinese 2 |
| 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? | Be shameless! Do not get embarrassed if they laugh at you! (It's never mean laughter - they just think it's funny.) Try every day, everywhere, all the time! Just talk, and you'll get better. |
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'd known a little bit more about how to be polite from the perspective of Chinese culture. When someone compliments you, don't accept it or say thank you! Deny it or say "nali, nali." Don't be late. Don't be too blunt or do anything that could embarrass someone else such as asking them a difficult question in front of other people. Oh, and also, unrelated things: the toilets are weird and you need to carry around your own toilet paper, do not order pork in restaurants or the dining hall because it will be 90% fat, and taxi rides are really cheap so you should explore everywhere every day! |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
