Amazing Summer in Shanghai! Past Review
By Alex (Simmons College) - abroad from 07/06/2017 to 08/05/2017 with
The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Shanghai - Fudan University
I learned a lot about China, and its history. I really was able to gain a conceptual understanding of all of the influences in Shanghai, due to the amount of expats that live there.
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. |
Fudan has high standards for coursework, even so, I enjoyed the courses a lot! The one thing to note is that the university has a cap for the amount of students that can receive an "A", so you need to make sure you take your classes seriously. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
TEAN was amazing at ensuring that I was prepared before heading to Shanghai, their pre-departure orientation was extremely helpful, and the entire orientation process made the transition easy and smooth! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
TEAN spoiled us, the apartment was stayed at was amazing! I loved having accommodations outside of Fudan's campus, it really allowed us to get to know the area even better. |
| * Food: |
Everything I ate was amazing, from the soup dumplings, to the cheap noodles from the shop down the street from our apartment. The food we at out was so delivious, and I loved being able to get to eat all differnt kinds of food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt really integrated with the local culture! There was a restaurant down the street that became our regular place, and we loved going there! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
We were given all the information we needed regarding healthcare, and Sven and Medusa were great at helping with any issues. |
| * Safety: |
I felt extremely safe in Shanghai, even though I arrived not speaking the language at all. Make sure you look up where you want to go ahead of time, because you might have trouble finding your way, otherwise, there's no issue! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved every minute of my time at Fudan, and TEAN made its super easy to have a more personal relationship with the people I lived with, and went to class with. |
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) |
The only things that I wound up spending a decent amount of money on was souvenirs, and traveling to other parts of the country. Walking or taking the metro whenever possible kept costs down. |
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 |
We were encouraged to use as much of our knowledge of Mandarin as possible, and taking a language course at Fudan allowed me to begin to speak at an elementary level which helped at restaurants and stores. |
| 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? | Beginner |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | I wish I had known more about the layout of Fudan's campus. Also, I wish I would have packed more wisely. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
