A great experience! Past Review
By A student (Xavier University of Louisiana) - abroad from 05/15/2017 to 05/29/2017 with
Hebei Normal University: Shijiazhuang - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned that people from other countries are just like us, they are not that different. Sure, the location is different and the culture is different but they are just like us. It was definitely worthwhile. I would do it again if I could.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I had a lot of fun while also learning new and old Chinese words. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were very nice. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved the first and third hotel that we stayed at, but the second hotel was bad. |
| * Food: |
I love the Chinese food very much!! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
In the first city we stayed in it felt just like home, the other two cities were completely different though. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Even though I did get sick after the trip, health issues were very scarce during the trip. |
| * Safety: |
I felt as if we were very safe in the cities that we visited. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved going to China with the Confucius Institute. I've always wanted to go to China and through them I was able to make my dream a reality. |
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) |
I think that I could live there easily, but I would just have to cut costs of certain things. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $300 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Do not spend all of your money in one location. Set certain amounts of money for each place so you won't eat end up spending it all in one go. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I spoke Chinese only a little bit. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 1010 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Just studying as hard as possible before going on a trip and practice small talk in a different language as often as possible. |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish that I knew to bring sinus medicine with me for the trip, because then I never would have gotten sick in the first place. |
