Adventure in the East Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

This was an excellent educational experience for me as an International Relations and Economics major, the IR and Econ courses offered were rigorous and informative. I learned a great deal about the global environment and international politics from a Chinese perspective.

On-site administration of your program

Amazing staff! Helpful in every way and organized some incredible excursions.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Clean and well-maintained service apartments right in downtown Shanghai. Walking distance to some of the most amazing sites and restaurants, as well as museums.

The apartment is surrounded by restaurants - from small local joints to larger family-style restaurants, there's a variety of delicious and cheap food to choose from right outside home. Moreover, delivery of food is huge in China - the staff will help you download the apps and you can cheaply have any restaurant in Shanghai deliver food to your door.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The cultural excursions as part of the Chinese language class did a great job of this. Independent travel and exploration play a huge role as well.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I dislocated my shoulder during the last few weeks of the program and the staff were very helpful in taking me to a hospital and ensuring I knew how to use the insurance we were provided.

China is one of the safest places in the world - Shanghai in particular. Nobody in the program had any safety-related incidents - not even pickpocketing or other conventionally thought of travel incidents.

IES Abroad's Shanghai Economy, Business & Society program is an incredible opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone and learn about yourself, the rest of the world, and how the global environment is shaped by students and travelers. I had a wonderful experience in Shanghai with IES Abroad. The staff are excellent - a small enough office that you get to know everyone very well, and they are supportive and welcoming. The staff arrange exciting excursions and trips, assisting with all types of registration (for example visa reentry applications) that would otherwise be an arduous solo task. The program is structured in such a way that you have plenty of time to travel independently and explore Shanghai, but there are also plenty of excursions with the cohort that immerse you in Chinese culture and bond you together. Whether it's visiting an ancient water-town or learning about traditional Chinese medicine, you're going to be exposed to so much of the rich and diverse history that China has to offer. This is an abroad program unlike any other. You aren't going to Europe and staying comfortable with Western practices and keeping the ability to navigate with English. In this program, you're going to learn Mandarin (and some Shanghai-dialect Chinese!) no matter what your language level is on arrival. Students who came in as intermediate speakers of Mandarin left with advanced proficiency, and students who had never studied before left with the ability to comfortable navigate the city, ask for directions, order food, shop (and haggle) and so much more. This is a truly valuable experience because no matter your intent to return to Asia, you are learning about a part of the world that will undeniably contrast what you're familiar with, and you will grow from that exposure. During a school break I was able to travel to several cities in China and hike through the world's deepest river gorge, into a mountain range in Western China. Travel and accommodation is accessible and inexpensive, especially compared to Europe or North America. For the budget-minded traveler who wants to get the most out of a semester abroad, China is the place to go, and IES Shanghai EBS is the program to choose. Our living arrangements were fantastic - clean and modern service apartments right in downtown Shanghai. This meant that the commute to classes was short, but we also lived within a 10-15 minute walk from some of the most bustling sites. Museums, restaurants, art galleries, bars, malls, markets. Everything is accessible. American students I met through classes at Fudan University who were enrolled in other exchange programs were much less fortunate in their housing placement - they had to commute a considerable way to get to any night life or daytime attractions, and this made their experience less enjoyable. They were restricted by their location and thus couldn't fit as many activities into their time abroad. Shanghai Economy, Business & Society has no such problem. Part of the program was a week-long trip to Seoul, South Korea, where we experienced a completely different variety of Asian culture. Having free time in South Korea to explore and understand some of the nuanced differences between Chinese and Korean culture despite the underlying similarities from Confucianism was extremely rewarding. The Asia-Pacific region is one of the most geographically, culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse regions in the world. By virtue of studying there, you have the liberty to travel and visit parts of the world you may otherwise never get the chance to. I couldn't recommend this program more strongly.

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

You can easily minimize your costs and cook for yourself in the apartment. Produce and other food in China is extremely cheap. An average lunch meal would be about $3, and similar for dinner. Breakfast can be $2 - if eating at the local restaurants and food vendors. If you cook for yourself, you can spend $50 or so a week and have full rice stir fries with vegetables and fruits. Extremely affordable.

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

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans
• International Students

• Housing Location
• Low Cost of Living
• Ease of Travel

• Visa restrictions for easier travel to other Asian countries
• Greater focus on speaking Chinese on excursions

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer