A Culturally Rich and International City: Beijing Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

While the study abroad classes were not as challenging as the courses I usually take at Trinity, they were extremely invigorating and educational. I learned a lot about Chinese culture and history and thoroughly enjoyed the trips we took as classes.

On-site administration of your program

The on-site administration of my program was very kind, helpful and efficient. Dr. Caroline Tong, our program director, helped me a lot throughout the semester as a mentor while also being a great seminar professor.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

There was excessive mold in the rooms at Tsinghua University. However, they are known to be some of the best dorms on campus, being single rooms with private bathrooms. I did like the single room aspect of housing a lot. We had housekeeping every other day on the weekdays, which improved the living standards. Overall though, the mold in the room was very worrisome.

The on-campus cafeterias and restaurants had a very broad selection of foods at very reasonable costs. My only complaint is that Tsinghua took a 25% charge off of every deposit we made, but that could not be helped. I stopped eating at the cafeterias by the end of the semester, not because the food was subpar (it was much better than any other American university's food I'd ever had), but because there were so many other great, cheap options close to campus.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Tsinghua University was located right by Wudaokou, a street with a multitude of restaurants, shopping centers, coffee shops, and bars. It was a great place to go after class and during weekends. Furthermore, throughout the semester, we traveled all over China. I met so many people from all over the world while also being able to experience the Chinese culture and Beijing lifestyle.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had a health concern while abroad. I had to take a 30-minute taxi ride to a International SOS, which turned out to be very expensive. I asked my program director about any on-campus doctors I might be able to see, but she said going to iSOS would probably be a better choice. My only complaints are that the treatments were very expensive compared to what I usually get from Trinity's health services.

I felt that Beijing was very safe. I had no problems riding taxis alone at night or walking on the streets. No one in my group, including me, ever encountered any pickpockets. Overall, Beijing was a great place to visit and I did not have any safety concerns other than the situations I or my friends put ourselves in.

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

Beijing is a very cheap city to live in if you're not a big spender. Food and everyday living necessities are so cheap that you can easily scrap by on just $20 a week.

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

I loved taking Chinese language courses with people from all over the world. It was a very stimulating environment, and the teachers were great. The assignments were very helpful and appropriate.

Select all that apply

• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

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• Americans
• International Students

• My group
• The food and nightlife
• The traveling seminar

• The dorms
• N/A
• N/A

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