It was life changing. Past Review
By A student (University of the Pacific) - abroad from 09/02/2018 to 12/15/2018 with
CIEE: Shanghai - China in a Global Context
I learned a lot about the culture and met new friends. What I love most is the opportunity to be myself without the weight of the reputation I had made in my home university. It was not like I was different person, but it was freeing.
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. |
The courses were very interesting from an intellectual standpoint, but the requirements in terms of work were not a strict, aside from the Chinese Language Courses. I found the course load manageable and not too difficult |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I did not interact very much with the onsite administration, but from what I observed they remained very professional while juggling the needs of numerous students. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with a local roommate. The dorm rooms were comparable in size to a double at my home university, University of the Pacific. I loved living with a local student because they provide a perspective of the younger generation in China. |
| * Food: |
I love Chinese food so the food in the cafiteria was amazing. While you do need to be able to order in the local language, the food was incredibly cheap and good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I made my own connections with the local culture through my roommate, volunteering and connections back home. However, the program did have several cultural activities which could be very helpful. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/a |
| * Safety: |
Shanghai is a very safe city so long as you adhere to proper safety procedures. Walking around at night is nothing like walking around at night in a city like Oakland or Stockton. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
They have an amazing language department. The teachers teach in the style of ECNU, which consequently is the Univeristy the program is based on. Shanghai is a great city to study abroad because transportation is easy and for its historical importance as well. |
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) |
If you do not eat as very fancy foods often you can easily live off around $100 on food and personal expenses a week. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | ~$40 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Do not eat out a lot at expensive food places. |
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 |
They had this language commitment which they required students to speak Chinese in the language building in, especially if you were of higher language skill level. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | CHIN 125 |
| 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? | Use everything you learn as much as possible even if it is wrong. The locals will help correct you. |
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 knew that Shanghai had a lively art scene and how to use the bike sharing system. |
