Study Abroad in Hangzhou, China Past Review
By Suh L (International Relations, Chinese, Tufts University) for
Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in China
It was, in the way I learned a lot of new things from it. I don't think there's a single word I can pin my entire experience on, but it was definitely worth going. I probably wouldn't go on the same trip, though, because I would like to expand my roots further than just Hangzhou if I had a second chance at studying abroad at China again.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I think I learned a lot from the courses here. The one complaint I have is that two culture courses for a language intensive study-abroad program is a little too much, especially if the course is taught by a professor that cannot speak English very well. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The person in charge of taking care of us was very accommodating. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Single room with bathroom, sheets and pillows given. A/C, TV, internet all there. <br /><br /> It was probably the nicest thing students could get on campus. No complaints. I do wish people told me they'd provide me with sheets and a pillow, though. |
| * Food: |
Eating around China is basically up to you. You can have a great experience or a horrible one, depending on your mindset. Explore! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's what you make of the program. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
As long as you don't wander around by yourself, I'd say China is relatively a safe place to explore. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About 20USD a week if I didn't eat out expensively. 40USD if I ate out expensive meals. Over 100USD if I went to Shanghai for a weekend. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The allowance they give you is enough, unless you want to go traveling. Research on that first. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I learned a lot from the classroom and outside the classroom, just by conversing with people around the area. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Research carefully on the country you want to go to. Don't go in with idealistic expectations, because people get severe culture shock when they do. Especially if you're not that used to Eastern culture. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Chinese Legal System |
| Course Department: | CHNS |
| Instructor: | Leslie Wang |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | He spoke no coherent English. I assume that he'd be an amazing teacher if he taught in Chinese, but as a professor of an English-centric class, it was just horrible for us to get through the exams and assignments because he had no logic behind his grading scale. If anything, this class should have been an extra language class to improve our Chinese skills. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
