Amazing Once in a Lifetime Experience! Past Review
By Misty Corley (Stephen F. Austin State University) - abroad from 05/15/2016 to 06/02/2016 with
Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA): Traveling - Education in China
I gained knowledge of Chinese culture and learned a great deal about international schools, which was very informative and opened up new doors for my future career. It was absolutely worthwhile.
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. |
I learned a great deal about the Chinese culture. The trip was geared toward education majors and while we did get to visit international schools, I would have liked to visit some Chinese schools and get more insight into their education system. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Our professors that accompanied us were amazing and the professors we met while on campus as well as all of our tour guides were great too! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The hotels were great, but the dorms were definitely a culture shock. It was nice to experience it and be a part of that culture, but it was definitely not what we are accustomed to. |
| * Food: |
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the food! It was amazing! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our whole group stuck out in this setting as we looked so physically different than our host country citizens. I felt like a tourist most of the time. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A we did not have any health issues while in country |
| * Safety: |
The areas we visited seemed very safe and we had no incidents while there. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
This trip was absolutely amazing! Our professors were the perfect teamed complimented each other very well. We got to do so much and experience so much and it was something I would recommend to everyone. |
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 most of my money on souvenirs and did not have much additional cost while on the trip! It was great! |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I took $500 cash with me and spent it while I was there but most of that was on souvenirs and not needed. I would say only about $150-200 of it was for food or necessities...maybe even less than that. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
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? | Wish I would have had a crash course in the language before going. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
