Shanghai - home Past Review
By Isabela Byerly (University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh) - abroad from 09/04/2019 to 12/14/2019 with
IES Abroad: Shanghai - Economy, Business & Society
My chinese language level improved immensely, learning vocab that was directed more towards my business major. It was definitely worthwhile!
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I was placed in a 5 person suite, 4 students and 1 RA. This RA was not helpful at all to us, even when we had an emergency and needed her. She was unavailable to help us and it really brought down my opinion of the on-site administration program because when we told the IES administration, they brought our RA in to speak with them and said that me and another girl had a problem with her and then the RA came back directly to me and the girl. I believe that this should've been handled in a much more appropriate manner. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Amazing! Living right across the street from one of the best food streets in the world, how could I not have eaten good? |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not have any experience with Shanghai's healthcare system. |
| * Safety: |
The city is completely safe at all hours. Shanghai really is a city that never sleeps so there is always people around, and you can find a taxi at any hour, whether it be to get to a class that you're running late for or to catch a red-eye flight to take a weekend trip. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
This program gave me exactly what I wanted: the chance to study in Shanghai, the chance to form new relationships with people from all around the world, and the opportunity to improve my Chinese. I am very happy with IES abroad and if I could do it all over again, I would definitely choose IES. |
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 spent a lot of money every week, definitely more than I spend in the States because I was enjoying my experience to the fullest. Trying every new thing, even if that meant I couldn't finish it which I know seems wasteful, but I wanted to try everything I could in the short amount of time that I was there. But, you could definitely live off of less than $100/ week for all of your expenses. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $175 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Take the metro, or Didi (China's version of Uber). Sometimes, if you're with 3-4 people, it can be cheaper to didi and less time consuming than going by metro. |
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 |
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| 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? | CHIN002 |
| 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? | Starting with HSK 1 and 2. Those are the real basics of the Chinese language and help you at least have a start at trying to communicate with the locals. Also - sometimes locals don't want to talk to foreigners even if you're saying everything right. It's not something to take personal, but if you need help with directions or something, just keep asking. There are way more people out there impressed to hear a foreigner speaking Chinese and want to talk with you than there are people who don't. |
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? | Bring lots of medicine that you know works for you when you get sick. Also - bring some snacks from home to eat when you're feeling homesick or even to share with new people you meet. For me, personally, I wish I had brought Twizzlers to share! Lastly, the IES website lists a various number of classes that are offerred for students to take, but the number of classes that are actually available upon arrival are significantly less. So, it might be nice if the IES website could upload classes available from previous years that way students could get a general idea of which classes are available and which aren't. |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
CHIN351 |
| Course Department: | Chinese Language |
| Instructor: | Hanshua |
| Instruction Language: | Chinese |
| Comments: | My teacher was very well prepared for every class. We learned new concepts every lesson and she made the time go by fast, by playing games that related to vocabulary and new content and she also took us outside of the classroom to learn from time to time so that we could experience more of Shanghai while we were there. I participated a lot more in this class than I do at the University of Pittsburgh because my class was just me and one other student so our teacher focused all of her energy on the both of us. We were assessed multiple times throughout the semester through written tests, speaking tests, and also through a video we had to make at the end of our study abroad experience in which we had to come up with a story line and were only allowed to speak Chinese. This class was challenging, but very rewarding! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. I had this class signed off on before I left from my home institution so there were no problems with credits transferring. |
