Past Review
By Ken C (Economics., SUNY - Binghamton) for
Fudan University: Shanghai - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Yes, I keep telling everyone the experience was amazing. After I came back from China, I was humbled by the lifestyle there. They were very efficient, and were not wasteful. Also the conditions there made me realize how lucky I am to be in America. I've listened to many Chinese citizens tell us how lucky we are to be in America as well.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The grading system was chaos during the program. Throughout the course of the semester, we would do our work, however no one would know what grades to expect on our assignments. The workload throughout the first five weeks were quite light, however during the last week, all the teachers decided to give us multiple projects and assignments. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program's strengths were that the teachers were very enjoyable and polite. Also the location and the living conditions were very above average. The only weakness is the grading system. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
28 Wudong rd. Tonghe Apartments. they were very nice, and the community were very interesting. <br /><br /> My living community was full of English Speaking Students so I did not have to use English. At the same time, the location was amazing, as were the rooms. |
| * Food: |
Food was delicious and cheap. None of the students had any restrictions so finding food was not a problem. However it might be a bit hard for a Jewish student who could only eat Kosher foods. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went to many attractions by ourselves. unfortunately our program did not organize any trips, and we had to go ourselves. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There were no one around to help us with any questions or any problems. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Way too much, Possibly around 1,000 USD total in 6 weeks. This included a 3 day tour to Yellow Mountain |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Most of the money went towards food. However one problem we did have was that the program informed us the rent was less than it actually was so that threw off our plans a little. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Only classmates spoke English, in order to communicate with everyone else, Chinese was necessary. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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? | Students who are ethnically Chinese but have very little knowledge of Chinese culture. |
