Shanghai: My Second Home Past Review
By Alexa M (Accounting and Chinese, Bryant University) for
IFSA/Alliance: Shanghai - 21st Century City
I learned a lot about independent travel, Chinese culture, and globalization. Because of this experience, I am very excited for my next opportunity to study abroad.
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. |
For my Chinese classes, I felt that the workload was appropriate because it was a 9-credit class. I liked that we had many assignments so grades weren't heavily weighted on only two tests. I did not like my culture class because the teacher never expressed her expectations for assignments, tests, or presentations. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
My Resident Adviser, Michelle, was very helpful and always accessible. I was disappointed when I realized that my classes did not have any native Chinese students. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I wish my Chinese roommate was more friendly and had more free time. She was barely ever in my room. |
| * Food: |
I was able to find cheap options close to my apartment. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I really enjoyed our trip to Qinghai. I never would have went there on my own and it was very rewarding. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I got sick during the trip and my resident director helped me to figure out my insurance and go to the appropriate hospital. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
We had a language partner who we had a 25 minute one-on-one session each week. I used only Chinese to speak with my Chinese roommate, except times when I did not know how to say what I meant. Most people did not speak English so my Chinese significantly improved. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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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 would advise them to take the intensive language course. I felt that I would have gained more language skills rather than not really learning too much from my English-taught classes. |
