Shanghai, I'll Be Seeing You Again Soon Past Review
By A student (Chinese Studies, Trinity University) - abroad from 02/15/2016 to 05/28/2016 with
IES Abroad: Shanghai - Economy, Business & Society
I gained so much. I gained an appreciation for Chinese culture, an appreciation for the diversity of Asia, and an appreciation for my skills and handwork. It was incredibly worthwhile and given the opportunity I would do it again in a heartbeat.
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. |
The intensity of IES Abroad Shanghai definitely showed in the amount of work for Chinese classes. There was homework every night, quizzes everyday, and tests every two weeks. The homework was tedious and classes long. Ultimately there was a lot of payoff and the classes were enjoyable. However, I feel like IES suffered in terms of classes offered through Fudan and Shanghai Jiaotong. They were oddly situated in the week/day, and had very few graded assignments. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was very nice and quick to reply. They weren't incredibly involved in student life outside of the classroom or in regards to any questions students may have. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The accommodations were very nice. After traveling throughout China, we were living in what seemed like a palace. Apartments the size of ours are hard to come by. although the bedrooms were tiny, the kitchen and living room area definitely made up for that. I also had the opportunity to live in a single, which was really a plus for me. |
| * Food: |
Food was great. Cooking in the apartment was difficult since Chinese don't have stoves and only use on stovetop burner. And finding quality produce was also difficult. However, there were accessible grocery stores around the corner from our apartment and you can literally find any type of cuisine in Shanghai. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We were essentially right in the heart of the city and also situated geographically in a location that made it easy to travel North and South. I think it comes down to what you make of it. Rather than staying in the International areas of Shanghai, we tried to integrate into more local culture. Eating from Chinese restaurants, riding the subway, playing basketball with locals at the park, etc. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had very few health issues if any at all. Just being careful where you buy food from and making sure to bring hand sanitizer is super important. |
| * Safety: |
I felt incredibly safe in China. More safe than I ever feel in the United States. I felt comfortable walking alone at night back from the subway if I had a late class, or even riding the subway alone. Of course it's important to be on guard, but I had no concerns. It was also nice because our apartment had a security measure where the only way to use the elevator was if you had a keycard for a room in the building. Furthermore, when you would scan your card, it would only take you to your corresponding floor. This definitely avoided random people wandering around on our hall. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Overall I loved IES Abroad. It incorporated just enough rigor and just enough free time that you had a chance to grow in your students and experience Shanghai, as well as the rest of China. The small program size was really awesome and I made a lot of close friends. We were almost like one big family. The only thing I wish I could've changed was that I met more Chinese and fostered those friendships. |
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) |
I think that IES really underrated personal expenses. I was lucky enough to have my tuition covered through grants which allowed me to allocate my funds to food/travel/personal expenses etc. But I spent far more than I anticipated. Probably close to triple, if not more, than the amount that IES and Trinity advised I put aside. I think it is better to overestimate than underestimate these costs, seeing as it is naive to think that students won't choose to travel outside of their host city (which is where most of my spending arose). The reason I chose a 2.5 and not a 2.0 was simply based on the idea that I probably could've watched my spending more closely. However, everyone on my program experienced the same shock when they added up their spending patterns. Especially for individuals who are paying both a tuition and an out of pocket expense for extracurricular activities, money plays a big role. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Approximately $200 per week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Set a budget. A very, very detailed budget. Track your spending habits for the first couple of weeks and adjust if needed. When you're in another country, especially China, where a US dollar goes much further than it does in the states, it's easy to get caught up in the idea that "everything is so cheap! I can buy so much and spend so much less!" But that's not really what ends up happening. The budgeting that IES lays out and what Trinity laid out was very very general. I'm relatively good with money and didn't spend nearly as much as I did when I was in China. But also remind yourself that this is a once in a lifetime experience (at least for some if you don't plan to travel again), so splurging every now and then is okay. Just don't let it become a habit (ESPECIALLY ON FOOD AND EATING OUT. this was my pitfall.) And here is a tip for eating in China: Eat the Chinese food. Don't go out to international restaurants every night. If you buy local food, you can absolutely eat on a budget and spend half of what I did. |
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 |
The professors essentially spoke strictly in Chinese to us and encouraged us to practice as much as possible. At times they would personally take us on field trips and make us talk to locals to utilize our Chinese. It was really helpful. |
| 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? | Level 4 |
| 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? | Don't be shy. I was someone who went to China with 7+ years of experience studying the language, and yet still got nervous speaking with locals. Locals won't judge you, they'll actually get excited and encourage you. Once I stopped caring how I sounded or if I would make mistakes, that's when I really started to gain proficiency in speaking, writing, and listening. With a language like Chinese, there aren't a whole lot of opportunities in the States to utilize what you've learned, so I tried to throw it all out there in Chinese. Also, forcing yourself to think in Chinese, read Chinese on signs instead of the English, and listen to TV programs and music in Chinese are all aspects that can help. |
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? | How incredible China is. I absolutely underestimated the intrigue of Asia. But I fell absolutely in love with every, single city I visited. You always hear about how homogenous China is, but I think that is an incredibly inaccurate stereotype. China is incredibly diverse, incredibly warm and kind, and so unique. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
