INTO China Past Review
By Matthew U (Computer Science, Oregon Health & Science University) for
INTO China - Tianjin: Nankai University
After this experience, I believe everyone should travel internationally at some point in their life. I'm definitely glad for this experience and grew a lot because of it!
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. |
The academic portion of the trip was rather easy. Most of the experience was visiting locations in the city, hanging out with other |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program includes a number of excursions to locations such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Dalian Zoo. About 15 hours per week are spent learning Mandarin in a classroom environment, and there is also the opportunity to study with a native speaker, known as your "student buddy." |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
The restaurants around Dongbei are decent, especially if you're willing to try the local cuisine. The dorm food is standard dorm-quality (not the best). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We were able to visit the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and the Olympic Bird's nest all in a few days, which was very cool. During the majority of the time there's not a whole lot of places to visit, and oftentimes we would stay in the dorms or venture a few blocks out. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Although Dalian is a large city by US standards at ~6 million, but it is surprisingly safe. I never felt like I couldn't go somewhere because it seemed unsafe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most people in Dalian spoke little or no English - a good way to practice is to just talk to people in town. |
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 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? | The program still has some rough corners to smooth out, but it was a very valuable experience for a first-time international traveler. |
