My semester in Shanghai was exciting and fun, and gave me a great understanding of China. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

chinese was challenging and extremely well taught. The other classes had little work. They were not interactive and required almost nothing from the student. I learned about the topics though only because I paid attention in class.

On-site administration of your program

The staff was very willing to help students with travel plans or any other issues we had. They were very friendly and helpful, yet they were very disorganized so you had to prompt them to do things and double check everything. They were chinese so they understood how to work within the country.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The neighborhood was mostly safe. The housing is quite large, bigger than my home institution's dorms or apartment style living. I had to buy a number of items when I arrived. I wish I had chosen to live with a host family because my roommates and I never spoke chinese at home. The program was based far out of the city so it took at least a half hour to get anywhere in Shanghai proper, where the nightlife is. However there is still a lot around our living area, such as a gym, restaurants, and Wal-mart.

no meal plan so I mostly ate out. You could cook in your apartment, but I don't really like cooking and the kitchen was not equipped with anything. The restaurants on Wudong Lu are great, especially the Hunan restaurant, if you like spicy food. Explore all the streets around our apartment complex and you'll find plenty to eat.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The program organized a trip to Tongli, a nearby water city. I had been before so it wasn't that exciting. We also planned a trip to Taiwan, which was amazing, although they scheduled too many activities for us so it was too busy. The other students on my program were amazing and we bonded very well. We took several trips on our own around China because there were many school holidays.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I got a few shots before going to China, but overall I was fine. Most people get a stomach bug at some point because we're not used to the food and the health standards (or lack thereof) in China. The program was helpful for students when they got sick. Safety was fine, although I wish the program had better acquainted us with the public transportation in Shanghai. They also did not notify us about major safety incidents that occurred while we were there, such as a shooting and a huge fire.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Most people in China did not speak english so I had to use my chinese all the time. In chinese class, we only spoke chinese. I also could practice with my peers or any other chinese person I met. People were very patient with me and loved when I tried to speak, even if I spoke poorly.

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