Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Amazing Time in Taipei! Past Review

By (University of Hawaii - Manoa) - abroad from 02/14/2012 to 07/31/2012 with

National Taiwan University: Taipei - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I have learned valuable lessons about myself as well as gained tremendous respect for an amazing culture. I have met people and learned things that I will carry with forever.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The Chinese course was intense but well done, and I feel like I got a lot out of the class. The classes that were taught in english were less on the rigorous side.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I did not interact with the administration program very often, but I never had problems with them.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The dorms themselves were nice and well kept. However the housing staff was complicated to interact with, would not clearly mention all fees from the beginning. Ever guest had to sign in and could not stay past 11pm. It was good to meet people however after staying for a month I had wished I would have gotten an apartment instead.

* Food:

Rarely had a bad meal in Taiwan. However expect to gain weight, as the the way they eat and what they eat is a lot different from back home.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Living in the dorms I met a lot of foreign students, which would sometimes hinder meeting locals. As for the local culture, everyone was very polite and made you feel at home.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Health care was very good. School has a free clinic and it easy to get medicines or see a doctor for anything that is going wrong.

* Safety:

Taipei is a very safe city. I never felt once scared or worried about the environment I was in.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

It depends how you choose to live. You can get by on 5-10 dollars a day if you can eat local food everyday. However going out with friends, extra curricular activities and having cravings for non Taiwanese food made it a little bit more expensive than expected.

* Was housing included in your program cost? No
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Varied 50-200
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Eat at the local food stands and places! Delicious food and very cheap. Took me awhile to feel comfortable going to them but everyone is really nice and helpful if you don't understand the menu. Try to avoid spending all your money at 711. And DON'T buy your mattress and bedding from the dorms you can find it way cheaper.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I really liked the CLD program. My confidence in chinese went up drastically.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Beginner
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? CHN 201
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Try to make Taiwanese friends and don't get sucked in with all the exchange students. People are very nice and helpful and would love to talk to you and help you out. Get a language partner, but make sure you meet the person and feel comfortable with them before starting. I had a really bad experience because I felt for saying no.

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • I liked the chinese courses.
  • The people I met were all friendly
  • Location of campus and dorms was very conveinent
* What could be improved?
  • Relationship with the housing staff
  • Better introduction to finding food at the beginning
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? i wish I understood the weather better, I packed completely wrong. I wish I was more prepared for the housing situation. Didn't know you had to pay a deposit when you got there as well as the one previous. So first days I had no money and was frantic.