Program Reviews

The fact that high school and college level students where mixed in is unacceptable. This is dangerous for older men such as myself. Also, being forced to spend time with american students made the trips horrible and painful to go on. I had an awful time being around literally children that legally I had no desire or reason to be around. such as ages 15-19

Create a vivid separation of the students by age and your internships will run much more smoothly and safely. Also give students the options to go on different trips as well.

Overall the experience was great and the staff helpful with any of our problems. My only gripe is that when your program was suppose to renew my passport it did not happen. So, as I was leaving China I had to pay more than 100$ because apparently my visa had expired. Other than that it is a great program.

Overall, I really enjoyed the program. Great way to experience the most culturally diverse and most beautiful part of China. Good opporuntity at Jiaxin to work with homeless children. It really helped my perspective and my language skills. Great trips overall. Sapa and Lhasa were wonderful.Great housing. And a great way to travel.

In the mornings I volunteered at a school for autistic children, and in the afternoons I had one-on-one Chinese lessons. I really enjoyed both of these experiences and developed a strong relationship with my Chinese teacher. My highlight was traveling to Sapa, Vietnam one weekend and exploring the nearby towns and night markets.

*Lack of support concerning the school/University
*Lack of professionalism from the staff
*Poor condition of the school/University
*Poor condition of the apart + lack of food + cleaness
*Was expecting a real school but you guys are just an agency to help student with hiring teachers + accomodations

I participated in the Minds Abroad summer program this year. Overall the program was very enjoyable. I appreciated my Chinese teacher, last year I spent a summer in Beijing and I found Kunming was MUCH nicer (traffic, pollution and esp in terms of weather).

I thought one particularly interesting part of the program was how it involved local Chinese students as volunteer and language exchange partners. Not only having a group of American and European students but also having Chinese students to social with was different from my previous experience. This particularly made the afternoon volunteering fun and also helped us communicate with the children in the migrant workers school.

I had been taking Chinese for 6 years, but never gone independently to China. I had always been on tour groups and class trips, and I found that I didn't learn much actual , useful Chinese. However, within one week of Minds Abroad I had learned to communicate fairly easily with the people. Being immersed in a growing Chinese city is truly the best way to learn Chinese, because you pick up on modern Chinese language style. Since Kunming is not as westernized as Beijing and Shanghai, there are not many English speakers which makes you depend on your Chinese. Therefore, you learn so much faster and become much more comfortable in your skills. I did a one month half-day internship, and my Chinese skills skyrocketed. I can easily hold a conversation with a local Chinese person, and can find my way around the city, give directions, order in a restaurant, go shopping, and many other daily skills. My Chinese teachers in the morning were all incredibly sweet, and taught me useful Chinese that I would use daily. I interned in a Chinese hospital, and that taught me lots about traditional Chinese healthcare and how they approached medicine. Also, I learned so much modern culture that you could never experience in a class room. Depending on yourself to survive in truly the best way to learn Chinese and Minds Abroad gave me that experience. They are also very helpful at getting you to places you need to go, fulfilling requests, and organizing weekend trips. Kunming also has lots of emerging restaurants and bars, and it's really exciting to walk around downtown and pick a place to eat. You also learn to find the hole-in-the-wall places where the locals hang out, and the best places to shop and eat.

I took part in a similar trip last summer! We traveled to Vietnam for an extended weekend, and it was one of the highlights of the trip. Sapa was absolutely beautiful, and it was interesting to experience both the very different Vietnamese and Chinese settings as part of the same travel experience. The other excursions I went on were also incredible: Shangri La, Lijiang, Dali, Shanghai, and of course, Beijing. Classes were intense, but fun, and my Mandarin improved greatly during my four weeks overseas with Minds Abroad. Overall, a definite highlight of my life.

So basically this program with minds abroad was the complete package that included learning Chinese with great teachers, volunteering, living with a typical Chinese family, and most importantly experiencing the culture. Most meals are provided and the living arrangements are usually of high standard, all the Chinese families have had background checks before they can join the program. Learning the language is by no means easy and you have to be ready to put in a lot of effort in order to see worthy results. However it is possible to make a large improvement in a short period of time. I liked the Chinese people the best, they were all very nice and I got the chance to socialize with them a lot. Overall I recommend the program to anyone looking to learn or have a good time in China. Also it was the most affordable program that I could find.

When I went to China not knowing anything or knowing anyone in Kunming I was quite nervous. But the Minds Abroad staff was so welcoming and supportive when I met them, they showed me around and provided the resources I needed. My best times were in the classroom learning with my teacher. She was so knowledgeable and had high expectations of me, and I challenged myself every day, using the most of the opportunity. I had an amazing experience helping at a local church and on one weekend, I had the opportunity to join the team to a rural minority village to hold a medical clinic, something that has impacted me even until today. Being on my own I learned to conquer the fear of getting lost because it is reality. But it was a good challenge for me and I made lots of local friends and experienced so much about living life in China.