Incredibly Valuable Experience in China Past Review
By Haley Shanahan (Wellesley College) - abroad from 02/15/2017 to 06/02/2017 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Hangzhou
Greatly improved my language skills, got to travel to many parts of China, made many friends. Don't expect to leave fluent if you start at a lower level but you will definitely improve
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Program's intensity is the reason my Chinese improved as much as it did. We had daily quizzes in my two more traditional Chinese language courses, four tests, a midterm, and a final. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Program makes an effort to help student in social and cultural transitions as well. We had a weekly program activity, usually on a Friday and in the Hangzhou area, as well as a weekend trip to the Ningbo seaside. All activities were a great way to become better acquainted with friends and take a break from schoolwork. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Honestly much better than anticipated. My room was fairly large and I loved my roommate. |
| * Food: |
Cafeteria is cheap! <10 RMB or $1.50 a meal |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Yes, I firmly believe that the language pledge was critical in improving my language skills. I loved being able to study the same subject every day without having to choose between studying one subject or another. Also, all the teachers are incredibly nice and want you to succeed!! |
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) |
China is cheap! Cafeteria food was <10RMB or $1.50 a meal, big servings, and fairly tasty. Transportation around Hangzhou is also super cheap |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Eat in the cafeteria! |
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 |
Language pledge was the most valuable part of the program and forced us to use our Chinese even when we were unsure of grammar and vocab. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | CHIN301 |
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? | Don't be scared! You will survive and you will enjoy it |
