China Study Abroad: Worth the Challenge Past Review
By Ariel Z (East Asian Studies., Brandeis University) for
Harvard Summer School: Beijing - Harvard Summer Program in Beijing, China
The program more than anything helped me feel more confident in myself that I could literally do anything, since the program was so rigorous and we were thrown into a foreign setting completely different from the West with the added challenge of not being allowed to speak English for the whole duration of the program. However, because we were restricted to only speaking Mandarin for those 2 months, today even after I haven't spoken the language for awhile, I still retain a lot of Chinese and have better speaking abilities. That sort of thing I guess never goes away, so the struggle was so worth it!
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. |
Because the program was language intensive, the academics were extremely vigorous, but I feel it was really effective in learning the language fast. Plus, the fact that we got credit and didn't have to worry about a grade allowed me to really focus on learning the language and really improve Chinese. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The faculty were very knowledgable about teaching language students Chinese effectively, while at the same time providing support throughout the program. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Comfortable, air-conditioned room made it easier to study as most aren't used to Beijing's humid and smoggy weather. The individual rooms also helped me concentrate better without any distractions. |
| * Food: |
The cafeteria at the university was the most convenient place to eat food, but it by no means was the healthiest or tastiest. There are plenty of places to eat right outside the campus gates, including the very popular dumpling cafe. The food in general was fairly cheap, so we often went to eat at Korean, Japanese, and Italian restaurants while we were there. Also, the university has a few restaurants, including a sushi place, so really the options are endless. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went on several field trips, including Beijing Opera and touring Ming Dynasty tombs. I thought that these were essential in helping us learn more about the culture. Many of our language skills were not advanced enough to put together these field trips, so it was a pleasant service for us students. I would have appreciated more field trips, but I understand they were hard to put together and often costly. The talent show at the end was also fantastic, as many of us got to perform and enjoy other's talents. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
If there are any health issues, the secretaries for the program drop everything and bring you to a Western-style hospital to ensure you get the proper treatment. I personally had a good experience with the hospital over there when I got just a really bad cold. |
| 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) |
|
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
The program involved a Language Pledge, where we were forbidden to speak English over the course of the whole program. It was really tough at first and I dreaded the day that the Language Pledge would start, but then again this was really effective. We would have relatively small class sizes and subsequently would be broken up into smaller groups, and then later one on one sessions with the various assistant teachers. Office hours and student tutors were available to us everyday, where we could discuss homework or just practice our oral Chinese. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
