The Taiwan Experience! (Greatly Abbreviated) Past Review
By Michael P (Undecided, Illinois State University) for
National Chengchi University (NCCU): New Taipei City - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
It absolutely was worth every penny! And those penny's didn't add up to much either which was another huge plus! Thanks to my experience abroad my desire to learn Chinese has greatly increased and I actually plan to work abroad in Taiwan for at least a few years. It also allowed me to take a look at American culture in a new light, specifically our consumption of everything we can get our hands on. It was a wicked fun trip and I highly suggest it to anyone who is interested or might be interested!
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. |
I was in a strictly Mandarin learning class that was more or less separate from NCCU, therefore not the same as the regular classes at NCCU. The program that I was in helped me learn so much more than I did at my home university, which was the coolest thing! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I was able to see the Taiwan Independence Day parade which was super sweet! My program didn't require that we do anything with NCCU if I didn't want to, which was good for me because I was able to explore on my own and do things that I was interested in doing. But they also offered a whole bunch of different things to do from river walking to hanging out at a beach or two if you don't really know what you want to do over in Taiwan. All in all it was sick! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
NCCU did a good job of making sure the students knew about our vaccinations, although for us coming from the States we had already done what we needed for vaccinations in the States for our college. As far as safety goes Taiwan is a super safe country, my friends and I several times walked through dark alleys alone and never had a fear at all of anything happening. A friend I met over there from South Korea actually left his laptop in a public place on accident and he came looking a couple days later and somebody had turned it in to the local security guards completely fine. Taiwan is just a super safe and fun country to go visit. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | A typical meal outside of the dorm cafeteria will run you about 100-150 Taiwanese dollars, about 3-5 American dollars, and the food is really good for that price, not like McDonald's or fast food at all. As a student you can get an "Easy Card" that serves like a debit card for public transportation, busses and the trains and even bicycles in some places, except at a discount price because you're a student. I think I spent about 200 Taiwan dollars a week max for public transportation, typically closer to 100 dollars a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | All in all just don't go crazy buying your typical touristy stuff at tourist locations. More than likely whatever you find at a tourist location you can find in one of the many night markets for 1/2 the price. Another thing that's good to know is that as a foreigner, especially a "Western-looking" foreigner most places will automatically try to charge you more for whatever you're looking to buy. Don't fall for it, you can bargain with most of shops except for restaurants and bigger businesses. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Chinese 112 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I spoke everyday with either the locals ordering food or with my classmates or with people I met while I was there. If I ever had problems with the language though, somebody around was able to help me figure out what I wanted to say |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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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