Really Want to Improve Your Chinese? Then, Go. Past Review
By A student (BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES., Brandeis University) - abroad from 06/15/2010 to 08/15/2010 with
Harvard Summer School: Beijing - Harvard Summer Program in Beijing, China
Varies from different to person, especially because I am Chinese..for me it was just improving my writing and speaking skills. I've been to Beijing many times before.
Personal Information
| 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. |
Really intense and very stressful. At times, I didn't know why I even signed up for it, but in hindsight, I'm so glad I did... |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Amazing teachers. Helpful, kind, funny, willing--everything you're looking for in your teacher. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Single room with AC and TV. Living with other students down the hall. |
| * Food: |
Good, but it's Beijing...sometimes not sanitary. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Getting the opportunity to stay in China's capital and speak in Mandarin ONLY. Weekend outings and such..what more can I ask? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Fine, but a bit tricky for foreigners. |
| * Safety: |
Feels pretty safe, living inside BLCU, the school we study at. |
| 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) |
Beijing is still "cheap" so go soon! |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 500+ RMB |
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 |
Strict language rule. Only Chinese no English. |
| 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 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | It was good I didn't know how intense it was going to be, otherwise I wouldn't have joined. But for those of you like me, trust me go. It's an amazing experience you will learn to love.. |
