Great international experience! Past Review
By A student (HISTORY., University of Northern Iowa) - abroad from 07/11/2013 to 08/13/2013 with
University of Northern Iowa: Dongguan - UNI Summer Camp in China
Definitely 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. |
This program provides excellent real-world education about teaching and spending an extended amount of time abroad, however actual coursework associated with the program is light and manageable. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Administration is quite frankly a mess, but a big part of that is because this program is administrated both by the UNI study abroad office and the Chinese school we're working with. Chinese administration is very different from our administration, and that made things frustrating. This program can definitely help you learn how to work under pressure, but if you can't handle sudden changes in plans, then this particular program in China may not be for you! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our accommodations were excellent everywhere we went in China. |
| * Food: |
The food takes some getting used to, but the quality and quantity of food provided was wonderful and exceeded my expectations. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We spent 5 weeks in China, and we were able to experience a lot of Chinese culture in that time, particularly when we were teaching. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have to use healthcare while in China, but others in the program were treated well. |
| * Safety: |
I felt safer in China than I feel in most large American cities! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
There is a lot of shopping in China, so if you want to go shopping, bring money with you!! Food and lodging are provided, so you don't really have to spend any of your own money, unless you want something not provided by the camp. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | less than 50.00 |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | 10+ |
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 we would have had our lesson plans before we actually left, because most of the material provided was not adequate for the age group I was teaching (8th grade). The material provided was suitable for elementary learners, so I had to do a lot of work in camp that could have been done in advance. |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
