New Outlook on Chinese Locals Past Review
By James H (BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES., Trinity University) for
CIEE: Beijing - Intensive Chinese Language
I gained more cultural knowledge than language knowledge in this experience. It definitely opened my eyes to lots of things I never thought was prevalent before. I would still look to work in China, but not in the near future.
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. |
Workload was rather large at times; however, it was always doable. Grading system was fair because it took into account that students were foreigners learning a difficult language. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Always there when you need them. Nothing to complain about. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Everything was kind of run-down in the dorm and the room was quite small. There wasn't really a way to cook. |
| * Food: |
Nothing too great on campus nor off campus. Many found themselves at McDonald's often. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The friends you meet in the program really make your time there pass by much faster. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Beijing is a relatively safe city. Just don't go out looking for trouble. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About 200 yuan a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Going out on weekends would be like spending money here in the US. Otherwise, everything else can be much more inexpensive. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Everybody was assigned a tutor that they had to meet with quite often. The teachers never spoke in English, so we would have to communicate in Chinese. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Students who are looking to enroll in some intensive language courses, yet have a good time. |
