A Transformation Journey Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Compared to my home university, the courses were less intensive and the work load was pretty much non-existent. The most effort that I had to put in was on the language courses, those were very aggressive and challenging, which is why I learned the most from them and had a great experience.

On-site administration of your program

The offered a lot of support and were mostly accessible if anything was needed. There were times when communication was bad and information didn't get to the right people when it needed to be. But there were very helpful in trying to manage these issues and work with students every step of the way.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Our apartment was centrally located to the downtown area, transportation accessible, and yet also small enough for the neighborhood to feel like your own.

All of the food was different to anything I ate at home, but I believe that is apart of the experience so I came at each meal with an open mind and empty stomach!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Once you feel more confident with the language it makes it easier to try and connect with people. That was when I started making friends with my Chinese students and faculty to understand their daily routines and how similar they are to my own. Also living in the city for so long made me feel very comfortable and I began to feel like a local. I knew where the best places for food were, and how to navigate around, it really felt like home.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had two health issues during my study abroad. The first was an injury to my elbow, where I had a large laceration that needed to be addressed. This was handled well by my RA and she was very engaging and helpful, which I appreciated. The second instance didn't go so well. I ended up contracting a very severe case of strep throat, which resulted in me having to go to the hospital emergency room. This was a very serious situation because I had a high fever, and was pretty much unable to take care of myself. The staff for some reason were inaccessible and I didn't know what to do to get to the hospital or what to bring. It was a very stressful situation that should have been handled in a more effective way, had we been informed on what to do in a emergency health situation

Traveling abroad can be very scary, especially when you're traveling to a country where you don't know that language well or anyone your familiar with. Deciding to go to China and deciding to go with IES were two separate decisions. I always wanted to go to China and I knew that I would find an opportunity to do so. Once I learned more about IES, I discovered that their programs were more structured and supportive than other abroad programs. They were more structured in the form of organized tours and activities that help strengthen our knowledge of the cultural and history of the country. We often traveled as a group, which helped you feel less vulnerable or anxious in an unfamiliar territory. While at the same time, we had a lot of freedom and autonomy to travel and explore the city/country around us and it gave you the feeling of independence and personal growth. I couldn't have asked for a more influential program experience, this semester abroad has changed my life.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

The exchange rate between the US and China is high, so you can afford a lot more stuff in China with small amounts of USD.

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• Apartment
• Hotel

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• Americans

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• The freedom and autonomy
• Location of our apartment
• Language course

• Try and recruit more international students into the program, all of my program peers except 1 were American and I was hoping to learn about new cultures from my peers as well
• Faculty structure: a lot of responsibilities and work were pushed onto our RA who was a student at the time herself and it was just too much to be asked of her. She did her best, but the other administrators need to take on some of the burden because it just seemed very unfair to her.

The Outright Urbanite