I loved studying abroad in China. Past Review
By Katharine L (International Relations and Affairs., Tufts University) for
CIEE: Beijing - Intensive Chinese Language
I loved studying abroad, it was the best experience. I met so many new people and had so many new experiences that I will never forget.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was a bit difficult in the beginning to find the right level of classes to be in, but once classes began the work load was definitely a good amount. 4 hours of classes a day was fine, any more would have been too much. The semesters are different in China, they end in January so our program had us leave before the semester at the university was officially over which was nice to be home for Christmas, but also made only 2 exams count towards our grade instead of three. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was very helpful in anything we needed. When my laptop was stuck in customs, someone went with me twice to the customs office to get it back. They were very helpful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
LIving on the dorm was better than living in the hotel because it allowed me to be on campus so I was closer to all my classes and I was able to eat the dining hall food which was very cheap and authentic Chinese cuisine. |
| * Food: |
Eating on campus in the dining halls was a stressful experience at first but then very helpful because I learned to try great Chinese food and I had to speak Chinese to order it. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program arranged weekend day cultural excursions and two weekend trips to other parts of China. These were very fun because it allowed us to become close with other students in the program and also see parts of China I may not have seen on my own. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I never had to experience the healthcare system in China, but the program instructed us on what to do if we had to go to the hospital, they were very informative. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Due to the fact that I mostly ate on campus, I did not spend that much money during the week. I would say I spent about 150 yuan per week, which includes going out to dinner and clubs on the weekends. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It's always better to have more money than less, most places dont take credit cards, and rarely anywhere takes American Express. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Chinese 4 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
All of my classes were language classes, so I had to speak Chinese all day in class. Also I had to use Chinese all the time in everyday interactions on campus and off-campus. Most people in China spoke no English. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Any student would benefit from the CIEE program, because you can make it what you want it to be. |
