Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Stressful to no end, but worthwhile is a sick sense? Past Review

By (International Affairs, George Washington University) - abroad from 09/01/2016 to 12/05/2016 with

Hamilton College: Beijing - ACC Intensive Language Program at Minzu University

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned what it means to be enrolled in a total immersion program. The teachers are very nice, but you just cant escape the work. It is endless and will break you. In terms of improving my Chinese, the program was worthwhile. But in terms of a well-rounded program, it was not. My friends in other program that were Chinese immersion had a much better time and I would visit them often. This is good for Chinese majors I would say. My grades were pass/fail so I didn't care that much but I still worked my ass off. Worthwhile if you only want to improve your Chinese.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

ACC Beijing is really great for those who want to vastly improve their Chinese in a fairly short period of time. Thus, saying this program is difficult is a VAST understatement. You will spend your days studying, and I mean studying for hours late into the night. You do not ever have a break from the work and it often feels like an endless wave of work. The weekends are the only respite, but you are just utterly exhausted from the previous five days that many stay in. There is a dictation daily (in addition to homework) with an average of over 80 vocab words/phrases to memorize. Homework isn't graded very hard but it just adds to the stress of the work. Tests are every friday and are fine if you study throughout the week for them. If you want a program where you have free time to explore, immerse yourself in the culture, and experience China ACC IS NOT the program for you. You are a literal slave to your work and it is constant from the beginning to the end. Everyone was stressed all the time and it showed the further I progressed through the semester. While I liked the other students, most were from Hamilton so just keep that in mind. Would I choose to do this program with the knowledge that I now have, I have no idea. Yes my Chinese improved a lot, but at what cost? My mental state definitely took a hit as did my lungs from the Beijing air. Stressful as s**t with NO break from the work really. If you want a fun time where you get to really explore and understand China, this is NOT the program for you. If you really want to improve your Chinese and that's it, ACC is perfect for you.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

It was fine and they took care of everything. They had an RA who spoke really great english and he would go out with us on the weekends. He would club, go to bars, and drink with us which was really fun. The admin does a good job at communicating.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

simply putting, it was bad. The Russians and Central Asians would always smoke and blast loud EDM at all times of the day. The beds were like a piece of slate and the bedding was changed maybe 2x per month. Bedding was kinda gross so I would bring my own if I'm honest. Hot water would go out for days and internet was spotty. Getting a VPN is necessary but as the internet was so slow getting on Facebook and such was difficult. Heating a cooling also was just horrible with not real ability to control the temperature. Be prepared to sweat your ass off and freeze as well. Also bring your own towel, Chinese towels are horrible.

* Food:

food was really great. Their dining hall has TONS of Chinese food options and it is CHEAP ( at most USD $3 for decently sized lunch). The food options right outside the west gate were great and were also quite cheap. Great Korean and Ugyhur food as well. The food was one of the highlights. Again, its mega cheap.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Really not much, Yes we had language partners and host families but meeting up with them was a pain sometimes due to simple mere exhaustion. You spend all your time with all the other Americans in the program which doesn't allow you to meet others. To make Chinese friends I would go to the on-campus dining options and just talk to other students.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

They took care of any and all health needs I had.

* Safety:

Super safe, it's China.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

While I said no, I am on the fence. It's super hard and my Chinese definitely improved but at a high cost-my sanity. I was stressed 24/7 and was DONE by the end of the program.

Finances

* 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)

Super easy. Eating at chinese places was stupidly cheap, but western food places are comparable to American cities as they target the well-off Western visitors. If you have money they were really nice breaks from China, but I wouldn't go if money was an issues. But i highly recommend the Western micro-breweries and bars.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? around USD 20-50. I spent on average more than others as I ate out almost everyday. Also my costs would increase if I went to clubs and they had cover charges.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? eat on campus during the weak and save it for the weekend. Clubs drink could be expensive as cab fares across the city to the clubs in Sanlitun. Ride the subway to get to places if possible, its cheap, modern, and super efficient. Get a rechargeable blue pass, it'll be your lifeline,

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

langauge pledge, don't speak english in the academic building and speaking at normal tone when walking around on-campus. We would run into teachers sometime and quickly switch over to Chinese. Everyone spoke english in their room,.

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? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? 3000
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? Honestly this program will break you, just get ready and be prepared for it.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Food
  • other students
  • Guo ( you'll meet him)
* What could be improved?
  • HW/dictations
  • Tests
  • Housing
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? how f#$%ing stressful it was!

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.