Shanghai: Go Abroad or Become Regretful! Past Review
By Son N (Aerospace Engineering, California State University - Long Beach) for
Xing Wei College: Shanghai - Semester or Summer in China
I gained many, many qualities and understandings from this study abroad program. Not only has the language courses helped me, the mentors taught me more which overall boosted my Chinese greatly. I learned how the culture works in terms of living arrangements, or simply how Chinese business works. Leaving the country has increased my cultural relativity and my desire to learn more about the language. This is definitely a positive affect on my academic interests as Mandarin will be a great addition to my future career.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Chinese courses were taught well and gave insight in dealing with everyday situations in and around the cities of China. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
My expectations were met to the fullest and more. This program realized the issues that Americans need in order to live there. Among these include having warm waters in the showers, and having a common room with a mini-kitchen to cook and enjoy free time. The advisors at the host country were definitely helpful in showing us places in and around the city. They arranged tours and sightseeing dates so that the students get the fullest experience possible. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Food was, without a doubt, simply amazing. In China, there is a lot of variety. Quality of food in China is overall not as sanitary as it would be in America, but that is just how the country is like. I do not mind the uncleanliness because I just believe it to be more-tasty the dirtier is. I recommend hotpot and noodle soups! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
One amazing cultural event to experience is the Chinese New Years. Celebrating it over there is ridiculously awesome! Everyone is lighting up fireworks and all just seems a wonderful dream of bright colors and lights in the sky. In terms of field trips, the program made it easy to plan out to venture the cities around Shanghai: Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou. Later on, we were able to plan a full week vacation to Beijing to witness wonderful history. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
In terms of health, the air in Shanghai was polluted, so it may affect people whose immune system is weak. The people in China have already adapted to this, so they do not get sick that often; but to foreigners, it could be a little different. In terms of safety, the populous city of Shanghai is incredibly safety. The streets and buildings are often monitored. I never witness any crime or fight happening there. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
This program was great because it arranged the study abroad students with mentors. These mentors were local Chinese students with a decent knowledge of English. Most people at Shanghai did not speak English which forced the students to learn more Chinese in order to have any chance at interaction. The mentor program was a good way to make things easier while learning more and more everyday. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Any student with an open mind and the willingness to learn an entirely new culture is heavily recommended. Go apply now! Trust me! |
