An Adventure of a Lifetime Past Review
By Jake Cankar (University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh) - abroad from 05/04/2019 to 05/18/2019 with
University of Pittsburgh: China Plus3 Study Abroad Program, Hosted by the Asia Institute
I learned a lot about the Chinese culture on this trip. I knew next to nothing beforehand and I was glad I got to learn about it in a firsthand experience. China is also at the forefront of business and engineering so actually being able to visit many large Chinese companies allowed me to learn a lot about this growing country.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The overall educational experience was amazing. The combination of company visits, university visits, and historical site visits allowed me to learn so much about China, its history, and business and engineering in China |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The hotels were amazing. Very nice accommodations that were nice to come back to after a long day. |
| * Food: |
The food was awesome. We had many round-table lunches and dinners that allowed us to try various dishes from various regions of China. Also some nights we were able to go out and try food on our own. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
With the help of our guides, it was not as difficult as I thought to integrate into the culture. In times that I couldn't communicate with people, one of our guides often stepped in to help. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt safe in every city. Often more safe than in some US cities at some times. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The program had a perfect balance of learning, having fun, and free time . They had many visits and learning opportunities set up for us which made it easy to learn rather than having to plan these visits out ourselves. Also they made sure to give us a good amount of free time at night to explore and do whatever. |
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? | $250 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't eat in the hotels, they are expensive and cater towards tourists. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
| 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 |
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? | To use the free time more to explore each city. |
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. |
