Disappointing, I feel like I paid for my grade Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

While some of the lectures were interesting, most were dry and incredibly hard to follow due to the heavy accent of some of the lecturers. Program is not rigorous, lots of handholding and incredibly easy to pass. Essentially, the $10,000 price tag of the trip buys your grade.

On-site administration of your program

Very little interaction with administration.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Hotel we stayed in during the majority of our time was fine. Safe, clean and good location. Wifi was incredibly slow or nonexistent, most likely due to the 20 college students trying to stream movies. You don't need wifi for the assignments but it would have been nice to have a more reliable connection.

Lots of restaurants within walking distance, you'll quickly learn which ones to stay away from. There's a few "American" and international restaurants across town that are all safe and have consistently good food.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Met 1 local person the entire time. Felt very isolated. Was very difficult to communicate with locals as Mandarin is incredibly hard to learn. Locals learn english in school but they don't get the chance to practice very often. If you're trying to communicate in english try writing it, it's easier for them to understand.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

There was multiple instances on my trip where the trip leaders completely ignored our health concerns. It was incredibly concerning and frustrating. 1- My roommate found out she had scabies on the trip. I asked to be moved to a different room, trip leaders refused, saying it wasn't contagious. They did pass out medication, (sulfur soap) to all students but didn't explain why we were supposed to use it. 2- A student presented with parasites, when they asked if they could have antibiotics leaders denied medical attention and said it wasn't necessary. 3 - I had done some traveling in SE Asia in the weeks before the trip. By the 3rd week of the course I had had dysentery for 5 weeks and had already lost 20 pounds. I couldn't keep food or water down and was miserable. I asked to be taken to a doctor, they offered acupuncture and herbs. There was no relief from the treatment they offered. Despite my repeated requests and inquiries wouldn't help me see a western doctor to get antibiotics.

Felt fine walking around alone, lots of cabs everywhere to offer rides back to the hotel.

The quality of the lectures and overall program was far below expectations. This program comes with a hefty price tag and I feel as if I paid for my grade. The teachers were kind yet neglectful towards student health needs. There was very poor communication between teachers and students throughout the entirety of the trip.

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

SIT gives out a weekly stipend for food in local currency. Most students ended up spending additional personal money in addition to this.

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

While all students took Mandarin, it was not emphasized in lecture and wasn't helpful for use in the community.

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• Hotel

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Day we spent at the hot springs
• Some of the food
• Lecture on HIV/AIDS

• Communication between teachers and students
• Attention to health needs of students
• Lecture content

The Academic or Linguist