Taiwan: An American Student's Dream Come True Past Review
By Bennett M (East Asian Studies., Illinois State University) for
National Chengchi University (NCCU): New Taipei City - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I now have no problem going abroad for work, vacation, or schooling because my confidence has greatly improved. I am more motivated to improve my Chinese.
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 grade system was not explained in detail, so we don't know how much the coursework is worth compared to attendance. The instructors were wonderful. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Allen Chen was the director of the program and he did a great job of organizing events and providing us with detailed information about the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The I-House is basically a hotel. You have you're own bathroom and shower and the rooms are huge. There is also a lounge area on each floor. This made living in Taiwan really easy because everything was provided. The building is about a 10 minute walk from campus and from the nearest metro stop. It takes about 15 minutes to get to downtown Taipei in a taxi (which the I-House staff can call for you) |
| * Food: |
My advice is try everything at least once. You can't be picky. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We had four field trips: a behind the scenes experience at Taipei Zoo, Yang Ming Shan National Park, National Palace Museum, and Bitou. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I did not experience any safety issues on this trip. |
| 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? | I spent about 600 USD in my one month trip. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I was only in Taiwan for one month, so my budget was a little higher in that one month than it would be for someone staying there for one or two semesters. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 4th Semester Mandarin (Independent Study) |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I did not use my language as much as I had hoped. That is mostly because I went to places with friends who were fluent in Mandarin. If you walk around by yourself, you will need to use basic Mandarin to get by. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Anyone with a brain would enjoy this program. |
