Hangzhou: A Peach Blossom Spring Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/13/2019 to 06/01/2019 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Hangzhou
cultural differences, us/china relations, human nature
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was honestly not prepared for the living conditions. I knew that it was going to be chilly weather in the 50s, but I was not prepared for cold rain for an entire month. I was also not prepared for the conditions of the room. I understand that it is an old dorm with little insulation, but had I been told beforehand and given an accurate photo of the dorm rooms, I would have been more prepared and happier the first few weeks while adjusting. It was so cold the for all of February that we wore our winter coats inside during classes, something I would have been prepared for had someone told me beforehand. |
| * Food: |
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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? |
Personally, I never had any health issues that I had to take care of, but I was upset with the lack of support for one student in the program. The student had chronic migraines that debilitated the student, so that the student couldn't make it to all classes. When the student first brought the issue to administration and asked to drop one of the classes, the student did not receive support. Eventually the student was able to drop one of the classes, but I think that for the student's sake and wellbeing it should have been dealt with in a more respectful and fast manner. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved the program, and the city, and would completely do the program again. I did mention the dorm conditions were not what I at all expected, but after getting used to it I could forget the first week of acclimation. |
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) |
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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? | Advanced |
| 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? | advanced |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
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? | what the dorms looked like, what the weather was going to be like |
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: |
Chinese Film |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Shi Laoshi |
| Instruction Language: | Chinese |
| Comments: | This course was great for getting exposure to Chinese film, but the actual structure of the class was frustrating. In my opinion, this film class should be discussion based, but how the professor taught the course was extremely frustrating, as she spent most of the class time feeding students specific sentences she had previously written, rather than express our own thoughts. I think whoever teaches this course should be confident in leading discussion, as was not the case that I had in the spring of 2019. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
