Insightful Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/15/2017 to 06/02/2017 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Kunming
I learned how to deal with mental illness and travel on my own. I'm glad I had that experience but I don't want to do it again in the same way.
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 |
Alex Nickley (AD) was terrific, the program director was very unliked by most of the group for her disrespectful comments, blatant favoritism and unwillingness to adapt the rigor of the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * 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? |
Alex was always willing to take students to the hospital if they felt they needed it. I needed the typhoid vaccine for this program. The mental health options were great as well. |
| * Safety: |
I would recommend not traveling alone late at night as a female. Always watch your personal items as well. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
yes and no, I was proud of myself for making it through the program but not proud of the stress the program created |
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 attended therapy once a week which increased the cost of living in Kunming |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Food wasn't included our program - I spent around $50 on it per week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Eat at the cafeteria! |
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 |
I upheld the language pledge the entire time |
| 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? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 411 - Classical Chinese 1 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Talk to your roommate! |
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? | It will be a long semester, but you WILL get through it |
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! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Classical Chinese and Ancient Thought |
| Course Department: | Chinese |
| Instructor: | Yang |
| Instruction Language: | Chinese |
| Comments: | This was my most challenging Chinese course to date. The daily texts were pretty lengthy and difficult to decipher, and I didn't like how the tests were always cumulative as there is no way to memorize Chinese history |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
