Welcoming Taiwanese helped me learn and have fun! Past Review
By Stephen L (Business Administration; Asian Language and Studies, University of the Pacific) for
National Taiwan University: Taipei - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Studying abroad in Taiwan allowed me to see how it has a major role in East Asia, economically and politically. It has retained much of the historically Chinese culture with its distance from the mainland's Cultural Revolution. The Taiwanese people are friendly and enthusiastically welcoming. It was a great experience and I wish to do it all over.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I chose to be placed in a higher Chinese class because I wanted the challenge and it was definitely challenging. We were all assigned tutor to help us with our work and studies. The tutors were in the Masters program for teaching Chinese to foreigners. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The Director is Buddhist and would push her religious beliefs onto the program attendees. It was interesting to see what other people do but don't force Christians to go on these religious experiences when it's not their religion of choice. Work out internal administrative relationship issues. Service was good and I received I what I needed and my questions were always answered. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The school is very remote on the edge of Taipei. We take a 5 minute bus ride to the Metro Station and then it's about 15-20 minutes to get into the city for nightlife or shopping. It's another 20 minutes to get to Gongguan area by National Taiwan University. When we arrived we needed to buy everything including a bed mattress. Nothing was provided except for a desk, chair, dresser, shelf, and lofted bed. BUY A MOSQUITO NET!!! Dorms were extremely old, from several decades ago. They are being torn down and new ones are being built. The new dorms are probably done as I am typing this review. |
| * Food: |
They have hole in the wall places to fancy restaurants that will charge you an arm and a leg. There are a lot of places to go and eat. Be adventurous and try out different places. I LOVED EATING IN TAIWAN! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We took a trip to the eastern part of Taiwan for a week. It was fun learning about the aboriginal Taiwanese and the culture and seeing the natural beauty of the island. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
It is very safe around school. There were cases of rape a several years ago and the school installed more lighting on campus. There have not been any issues as of late. Health care is cheap and accessible. Taiwanese people go see the doctor for the littlest issues sometimes. Healthcare is good. Specific vaccines were necessary. It's part of the preparation the summer or semester before you go abroad. |
| 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? | It really varies. If you like to go out clubbing and shopping and eating at nice places you can spend a lot of money. I can also be a very cheap program too if you choose not to do anything and just eat cheap food. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I bought a prepaid HTC Android smartphone that was my guide and savior in many many situations while I was abroad. I suggest buying one, but you have to buy one at full retail price at the store or at a store that sells second hand phones. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Advanced Chinese I |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced with the Ambassadors that were assigned to us to be our guides while we were there. We utilized our tutors to help us with our homework. It was extremely important to learn Chinese and know how to communicate at least at a basic level. Not everyone there speaks Chinese. |
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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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? | Students who have little to advanced knowledge of Chinese will benefit from this program. |
