China: with hard work comes good times Past Review
By Olympia R (PSYCHOLOGY., Rollins College) for
Rollins College: Shanghai - First Year Field Study: China
Yes it was. I understood more of the cultural aspect of China and their way of life,which was nice. I found out more about their food and got to experience a night out for a Chinese person. I learned to be more independent and make important decisions which I know later on in life with help me in the long run.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Psycholgy & Sport Medicine at Cambridge University |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I learned some chinese but the programme was so accelerated it was more of trying to memorize to pass a test opposed to actually learning the language. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The good part was that I did learn some language and had fun. Yet not knowing or having any previous language experience in Chinese it was very difficult to learn all the information necessary to pass the course, and also made it difficult to find time to go and explore China. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was very small, dirty, yet could've been worst and the air conditioning was nice. |
| * Food: |
the food was good and you had alot of options. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Clubbing was really fantastic and fun in China and therestraunts were good and so were the sops, also really cheap! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
We were recommended many things to do and not to do and had many rules that kept the experience safe and fun! |
| 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? | maybe about 115 dollars-200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You can bargain almost ANYTHING in China! |
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? | I had never learned chinese |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I learned alot of chinese and can read some characters but I know my chinese would be better if we did not go so fast. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Be prepared for work but don't judge every thing so quickly, China takes time to get used to. |
