The Year that I Needed Past Review
By Yuan Y (Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Barnard College) for
Tsinghua University: Beijing - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
It was my first time spending a significant time outside of New York City (where I was raised and go to college). The year in China is what I needed because it helped me to understand myself and my birthplace. It helped me to build confidence and independence.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Even though Tsinghua is the most prestigious university in China, its academic rigor still could not compare to that of the average American university. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The on-site administration was unorganized and at times unprofessional. There were two assistant program directors, and there were instances in which they bickered right in the presence of the students of the program. One of them was not very up to date with the Tsinghua administration, which led to time wasted and lots of hassle. The other was much more accessible and knowledgeable. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Single-rooms in the Tsinghua foreign students dorm. <br /><br /> I did not need to buy anything to settle in. We needed to bike to class because the Tsinghua campus is enormous. Living on the Tsinghua campus gave us easy access to classes but not so easy access to the rest of Beijing. |
| * Food: |
Food in China is generally very greasy. I don't know how to get around that though. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our holiday dinners were memorable because the program took us out to have wonderful meals. The program arranged for us a trip to Xi'an during the fall, and a trip to Jiangsu during the spring. They were very memorable as well. |
| * Safety: |
Beijing is a very safe city. I feel comfortable roaming the streets at dark. There is no basis for me to judge how the program handled student health issues. |
| 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? | Roughly $80-100 per week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Application for student visa was very costly. |
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 Readings in Modern Chinese |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Programmates spoke English to one another. I practiced my Chinese with the Chinese friends I made here (not through Tsinghua, but through my summer internship in Beijing prior to the beginning of the program). |
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? | Students who are troopers and can bear the unlivable city that is Beijing, students who are pro-active about venturing out for new experiences (because you generally won't find them on the Tsinghua campus itself), students who are pro-active about reaching out to professors and classmates. |
