More fun than work. Past Review
By A student (Austin College) - abroad from 02/20/2012 to 06/15/2012 with
IES Abroad: Shanghai - Economy, Business & Society
I gained improved language skills, a greater comfort with my speaking skills, and a few friends I'd like to remain in contact with.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Fudan University |
| 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. |
Classes are not challenging. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff was my favorite part o this program. They were always cheerful, helpful and fun to talk to. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I stayed in a homestay which was by far teh best decesion I made about studying abroad. |
| * Food: |
You can get any food you want in Shanghai but it's more fun to try local foods. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Any integration with the cuture you want to do will have to be on your own time. The program really doesn't do much about introducing you to the community or even other students on campus, |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no issues with healthcare but the friends who did have issues all said that things were handled in a professional way. |
| * Safety: |
I always felt safe in my neighborhood. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
Shanghai is China's most expensive city to live in. You can get by on $100 a week unless you're planning on going out most weeks. Then you'd better plan for $200. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent about $100- $150 per week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | 1)Styaing with a homestay saved me money on food. 2)With all the traffic, you might as well just save your money and take the train rather than spend it on taxis. |
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 |
There was mild encouragment to speak. |
| 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? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate |
| 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? | If yu really want to learn the language in this program, you will need to do most o the work on your own. Meet with your language partner often, stay with a host amily who will speak with you, and try to ecourage and challege your friends to speak with you. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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 had known that my classes were going to be the kind that you only get back what you put into them. |
