IES Kunming Program: One of the Best Summers of My Life Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The program is only 6 weeks long, which means a lot is covered in such a short amount of time. Since the program is quite short, you have to manage your time wisely in terms of what you want to due on your free weekends. Be sure to plan ahead. The workload is reasonable, but can be challenging at times; however, the last 2 weeks are like a well-deserved vacation since there is a lot of traveling involved and little time or need to study. All the teachers are excellent.

On-site administration of your program

Since the program was fairly small (only 14 students and 3 faculty members when I participated), you'll feel more like a family than anything else by the end of it. I originally was hesitant about the program, because it was my second choice, but in the end the program and faculty blew me away from how much I learned and how much fun I had over the 6 weeks.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We lived in the international dorms of Yunnan University, which had other International students taking classes at the university. Since it's China, cab fare is very inexpensive and you never have to go to far for anything (food, nightlife, etc). We lived close to an amazing street that offered a variety of food options, from burgers to pizza to gyozas to cold noodles to kimchi to bubble tea.

Again, the dorm is close to a street full of food options. You have to get your own food, which is very easy to do even if you don't know Chinese (unless you want something off menu). The only difficulty is feeding yourself before class, since most places will not be open until 9 or 10am, but there are plenty of snacks you can stock up on to have for breakfast. Also, be very attentive to keeping your hands clean before you eat (bring lots of hand sanitizer). It's very easy to get sick from street food and food from quality restaurants ( I actually got REALLY sick from the most common dish from a good quality Korean restaurant). Be sure to bring plenty of mediation for food indigestion, because that is usually the most common problem for most people. So, in other words the food is delicious but it can make you sick.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There really were too many "event and attractions" to mention for this review. I could go on forever about the people we met and then things we did and see. Here's a teaser to something that might happen on your trip, having dinner with Chinese businessmen and then getting invited to one of their karaoke bars and then having a cake fight. Or visit Ha Long Bay, a wonder of the world in Vietnam or ride elephants in Laos.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never felt unsafe throughout the trip. Kunming is a place were people wake-up late and go to bed early. You will usually be the only one on the street at 2am. An RA lived with us in the dorm, so he was always there or easy to reach with a cellphone. He usually made medication runs for people and always knew where you could find something (like really good cold noodles or gyozas or a place to toiletries). We also had a resident of Kunming as a part of the faculty. He helped with setting up the program, but was also there to help students in case they needed to go to the hospital.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

You definitely have to use Chinese in Kunming, but being a beginning Chinese student, I was able to get around will enough on next to no Chinese. You will pick the language and key phrases quickly. The teachers are from the Yunnan University and are all amazing people. I never heard a single complaint from any of the students about their teachers. The downside is that the classes are in the morning from 8:30 to noon, usually 4 days a week, which can make them feel long.

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• Dorm

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• Americans
• International Students