Exploring China: With Each Visit Comes A New Surprise Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/24/2016 to 12/16/2016 with
IFSA/Alliance: Shanghai - International Business in China
My Chinese improved extremely fast. I know that I will certainly work in Shanghai sometime in the future.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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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? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
A lot of us wished that we could have taken courses with the students at SUFE (not only with Alliance members). |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Local doctors (at the Western hospital) were still not very good. |
| * Safety: |
Extremely safe, but you do have to be street smart. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Met great people, explored an amazing country. |
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) |
China is extremely inexpensive.. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | In USD, never more than $75 on just expenses |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Eat locally, don't buy fast food all the time. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | CHIN 302 at Wellesley |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Throw yourself into the culture and mastering the language. It's best to be forceful, or else you just won't get the whole experience. It's ok to feel nervous about speaking, but it's one of the most important parts of learning a new language. |
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 plan trips very early...we ran out of time and wished we had visited many more places |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
