Shanghai = Awesome Past Review
By Madeline S (International Relations And Global Studies, The University of Texas at Austin) for
CET Shanghai
I had an amazing time studying abroad in China. The program I was on was a little less than what I expected, due to a pretty bad program director, but the people and the chinese classes were great. We had Chinese roommates who were so much fun and all of the kids from the other schools were great. The city itself is so exciting and is just a great place to live. I knew basically nothing about China before I left and ended up experiencing so much while I was there. The nightlife if Shanghai is really great and the shopping is incredible (both in the markets and in the high end retail stores and malls). The program director was supposed to plan things for us to do, but didn't, which was the main disappointment.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
He was a nice guy, but I don't think he did a good job leading the program. We were under the impression that he would be taking us to various cultural events around the city (The World Expo, etc.) but he failed to do so. Also, he planned a weekend getaway for us, but the location wasn't really what any of us were interested in or had in mind. We would have preferred something more unique to China, such as going to the the Terra-cotta Soldiers. Furthermore, he was rarely in the office and was often traveling around China, so he was not very accessible. Additionally, he did a pretty weak job in terms of internship placement for many students. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was in a good location and we had private bathrooms. In terms of Chinese dorms, I think we got nice ones. |
| * Food: |
the food was delicious and there were options for any budget |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved the people on the program. One of the best weekends was a trip that we planned by ourselves to Beijing. The program arranged a trip to the mountains that was ok but not really incredible. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I cut my toe open and had to go to the hospital to get stitches. The doctors in China did a really good job, but the communication barrier was a little difficult (even though I was taken to a section of the hospital where doctors spoke English) |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | not really |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I was a beginner |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
More people did not speak a lot of English. We had Chinese roommates that really helped us improve our Chinese. |
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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* 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? | An ideal student for this program is someone who is willing to put in a lot of work outside of the classroom to learn Chinese. Also, it is good for someone who is considering working in Shanghai in the future. However, if they want to travel a lot around China, they should be prepared to plan it on their own as the advisor in Shanghai kind of sucks. Also, if they take the internship track, I would advise them to try to find their own before having the program find one for them. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
The Chinese Economy |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Prof. Ramsamy |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | There were actually 3 teachers who each taught different lectures for the class, but I can't really remember all of their names. The class was interesting sometimes, but was really long (the way it was scheduled was weird). |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | not yet |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Level 100 Chinese |
| Course Department: | no idea |
| Instructor: | Li Laoshi |
| Instruction Language: | Chinese |
| Comments: | It was very challenging, but I learned a lot. The teacher was great. The work load was a bit too much and it was hard to find time to explore the city during the week and keep up with my classes simultaneously. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | None that I am aware of yet. |
