My China Adventure--The Best Four Months of My Life! Past Review
By A student () for
IFSA/Alliance: Shanghai - Intensive Chinese Language
Absolutely worthwhile. It went by far too quickly! I saw a bit of the world that was once so foreign to me, and now it feels like home. Also, now I feel that with the right mindset and enough time, anywhere can feel like home.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Fudan University |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The Chinese teaching style was hard to get used to. It was all memorization and drill-and-kill. But I do feel like I learned the material very well! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I knew that if I ever had any questions or concerns, they would immediately be answered, but I didn't feel like I had a babysitter to hold my hand at all! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
BEAUTIFUL apartment! I really appreciated having one local roommate and one American roommate! |
| * Food: |
There were a lot of choices nearby! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
LOVED the group travels. We did a week on the Tibetan Plateau and a weekend in Xi'an. I'll remember both of these trips for the rest of my life, especially the weeklong. I also really appreciated that they took us to a place where we would have NEVER gotten to on our own. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Be careful of street food, but that doesn't mean don't eat it! Just take a look to check out how they are preparing the food. |
| 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? |
I had a Chinese roommate, and we were only allowed to speak Mandarin to each other. I absolutely used Mandarin every day. Even though many people in the city spoke a bit of English, the neighborhood where I lived pretty much only had Mandarin-only residents and after five hours of language class in the morning and afternoon, it was very easy to just get settled into a Mandarin only attitude in the evenings as well. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Focus on language. I went to China fully registered for the Culture and Society program and upon arrival, switched to the Intensive Language. It was so nice to only have one thing to focus on, and I loved being able to complement my studies wherever I went. It was like I was always studying! Also, be clear about your own academic goals for the semester. |
