My Chinese Hometown Past Review
By Kathryn C (Anthropology., Trinity University) for
USAC China: Chengdu - Chinese Language and Culture
I learned more about Sichuan specifically. Dialects are really fun to learn. Studying abroad is worth more than the money you pay.
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. |
Study abroad workload was appropriately light to allow students time for exploration and understanding China outside the classroom. Assignments stimulated interest and are relevant to China's past and current ideas. Courses are not as rigorous as American classes, but the point of studying abroad is immersion in the culture and not classroom lectures. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Program director and assistant readily available, helpful, and knowlegable. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
housed in a single. wish I had a chinese roommate. |
| * Food: |
cafeteria food is cafeteria food. cheap, convenient, but not fine dining. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
made several good friends in Chengdu |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
sanitation and safety are top-notch with this program. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | if you are a conservative spender, 200 yuan a week is more than adequate. If you love buying souveniers and eating at expensive restaurants, you will probably need about more than that amount. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | changing visa to student visa. Even if you apply for a student visa, you may only be approved for a tourist one then have to change once getting into china. It's 400 yuan to change visas to student. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Great professors. Terrible language book. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | if you love food and culture, Chengdu is the place for you |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Modern Literature in Translation |
| Course Department: | extracurricular |
| Instructor: | Dr. Alex Wang |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Excellent professor. Make sure to ask questions outside of the reading. You will learn a lot about the Cultural Revolution and his personal experiences. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Please when sending our home institution our transcript,keep the course name the same as the chinese courselist. |
