Come to China if you're serious about learning Chinese Past Review
By Katie M (International Relations- International Security and Economics, Tufts University) for
CIEE: Shanghai - Accelerated Chinese Language
After this experience, I have a better understanding about how I want to use my Chinese language skills in the future.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | East China Normal University |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The Chinese pedagogy is very different from the American style. We were assigned 70+ vocabulary words a day, which is just a lot of work compared to what is usually expected by American teachers. We came to realize that the standards were being set ambitiously hard to coax us to work harder, but that we didn't actually have to achieve at that level. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Things in China are done on a very different time frame than in the US. While the program made every attempt to keep us informed about activities, there were occasionally times when it felt like we weren't fully in the loop with what was going on. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The dorm was actually nicer than my American dorm. We did need to buy some things like towels to settle in, but sheets and pillows were provided. |
| * Food: |
Food in China is delicious but can be a little overwhelming. ECNU is great because there is a large back gate area where you can get good, inexpensive food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We had an awesome trip to Xinjiang. It was definitely the highlight of my entire experience. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Shanghai is a very safe city in terms of crime, but very unsafe in terms of accidents and transportation. You just need to be very careful while out and about. Health care in Shanghai is very good because there are a number of Western hospitals that cater to expats. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It is very easy to live in China on a small budget so long as you are eating local food. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
If you are serious about learning Chinese language you need to have a Chinese roommate or do a home stay. Even though I could communicate only in Chinese, I found it nice to speak in English with my American friends so that we could get better acquainted in our native language without the complication of miscommunication. |
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 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? | Come to China only if you're interested in seriously studying Chinese language. Don't come if you don't have any Chinese language background because you will miss 80% of the culture and what is happening around you. If you're in it for the the long haul (fluency in Chinese) you need to come to China, because you can really only advance past a certain point if you've been in an immersion program. |
