International Seminar in Beijing: An opportunity of a lifetime Past Review

By Keith M (Global Marketing Communication and Advertising, Emerson College) for

Communication University of China: Beijing - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

The trip was worthwhile as I was able to be a part of a totally different culture and lifestyle for nearly three weeks. I learned that language barriers are not to be intimidated by because speaking is not the only way of communicating. That was a major lesson I learned.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The workload was manageable for the time spent especially in between the tourist sites and company visits. The grading system can be improved as the CUC students were not graded (from what I understand) so I felt that it was a bit frustrating in terms of delegating work with them as the output determined the final grades for Emerson students.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	I felt that most of the duties of the administration was delegated down to a current Emerson student that was on the trip herself participating in the program. The host country administration dealt primarily with her in which in turn our classmate would relay any information we needed, whether it involved school, tourist sites, or company visits. The program size was relatively good. The combination of Emerson students and the CUC students made the program that much better. I had a great experience in China but my expectations were not met entirely. I expected a more tightly ran operation in the sense of having administration running the trip instead of a classmate, which in my eyes was unfair to her.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:	Be cautious of the street vendors selling food.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* 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)