An Incredible Experience in Hangzhou China Past Review
By A student (Smith College) - abroad from 02/20/2019 to 06/02/2019 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Hangzhou
I learned how to interact and navigate in a foreign country。
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 program was incredible and the language pledge helped me improve my Chinese so much. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
China |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The dorms weren't amazing but they were definitely livable and we had everything that we needed. |
| * Food: |
The food in the dorms was okay 博文is the best dining hall. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved the culture everyone was so nice. However, there were of course some challenges in being a black person in China. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Because I had issues with my college email, I wasn't able to access my health insurance. Instead of everything being electronic the program should also send a paper copy of the insurance information. |
| * Safety: |
Hangzhou felt like an incredibly safe city. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
It was an incredible experience. My language skills improved so much. Any issues I had were really more of cultural conflicts. |
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 was able to live pretty comfortably. |
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 |
We had a language pledge so we had to use the language everyday every hour of the day. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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 had just purchased a Chinese phone from the beginning. I also wish that they had given us a packing list. When in Hangzhou, an umbrella is a necessity. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
