The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Study in Shanghai, China

My experience with TEAN in Shanghai is beyond word. It was the best decision I have made and it was the best summer I have had. I left Shanghai richer in knowledge and wiser. I made lifelong friends from around the world and built so many connections that I cannot count it all. With 13 other TEAN students, we bonded and grew up together only within a month. We became family, we traveled together, climbed the Great Wall of China, ate local food (which we were told not to), tried every excursion that were available for us. The staffs were purely amazing, friendly, and helpful. Not only they were there to help me with everything (from using the washer to extending my visa), they showed me Shanghai and became my friends as well. I have learned so much about myself, the culture, and most importantly, I have developed strong communication and survival skills. This was my first time in China and not knowing the language was terrifying at first for me; however, TEAN made everything so much smoother and I blended right in.
Fudan University is a great university. The facility is beautiful and very secured. All classes besides the language ones are taught in English, the teachers are very nice and understanding. Although the courses can be a bit intensive, it is worthwhile.
I could go all day about how amazing this trip was but it’s always better to feel it yourself. I highly recommend this program to everyone, it truly changed my life and I know for sure it will change yours too.

I loved my experience with TEAN in China. It was the best decision I made for visiting China for the very first time. The staff was super helpful and we had a blast both during the orientation and while being on excursions. We grew together as a group so much and made memories that will last forever from yodeling on top of the great wall to having Chinese hot pot with our language teacher. It was amazing to experience Shanghai up close and engage with different local and international students at Fudan University. We learned a lot about China and the Chinese people, but also created contacts with some many other people from different cultures. I was especially lucky to become close friends with local students who took me home with them and showed me their way of life. Making local friends was probably the greatest experience of my awesome adventure. Right after that comes traveling both with the TEAN group but also alone. It was fascinating to see Beijing and Inner Mongolia with a guided tour since we had such an easy time getting around and learned so much. But also really enjoyed my trip alone to Xi'an. But through out the entire time TEAN was always very helpful and there was not a problem we couldn't solve fast and easily. I would very much recommend going to China with TEAN.

As a returning student and traveler to Shanghai, China I can only reflect back on so many highlights of my trip. From traveling to attractions such as the great wall to just exploring the community where a resided in the Yangpu district. It was eye opening to see so many different features of life in person such as the architecture, culture, geography and lifestyle. At first I was a bit apprehensive about how my experience would unfold because of the my uncertainty. I asked myself if the cultural adjustment would be to great, notably things like the language and customs. Then after awhile, I grew more comfortable and confident being out on my own because I started to become really familiar with my surroundings and I could fulfill the day to day agendas I planned.

Fudan, was a great university to attend especially because it was very laid-back, but also very intense. Being a international I feel like one worry we share going into a traveling experience is the depth of the education we'll receive abroad. Fudan provided a huge amount of resources but it was interesting to explore a whole school database written in another language.

I can't stress enough how much TEAN has contributed to my experience with the inclusions and 360 degree support from start to finish. Highly recommend choosing to travel with them.

Choosing TEAN as my program provider for my semester abroad was the best decision I made. From the start of my application process through the end of my semester, I received help with everything I needed.

Academics: Due to my major, I took a lot of businesses classes and one beginner Chinese class to help me immerse myself within the culture. I had classes with many students from across the globe! The classes weren't too hard or too easy. You should be fine as long as you study and take notes.

Housing: I lived in an off-campus apartment five minutes away from Fudan. I found the location perfect because It was close enough to school and still in the center of the social scene. There were many restaurants and bars on the streets I lived on and a metro stop nearby if I wanted to go to other parts of the city.

Staff: The on-site resident director helped us with everything we needed. Responded to our questions in less than 24 hours! You don't realize how beneficial this is until you need help.

Social: There is ALWAYS something to do in Shanghai! You'd have to try really hard to be bored. Smart Shanghai is a great website resource to find things to do!

My time in China was enriching to my soul, and food to my hunger for adventure. I was able to diverge myself into the local culture, along with flying off to neighboring countries to explore and compare different Asian cultures amongst one another, while attending classes. Shanghai is a beautiful province with a population of 23 million people. Its undergone enormous changes this past few decades, but its still managed to hold onto its cultural identity. The location and scope of the city is modern enough to be comfortable, but different in a sense that your in China! I would do it all over again with no hesitation.

Shanghai is the largest and fasted growing city in the world. Between the hundreds of restaurants, museums, clubs, bars, KTV studios etc. there is always something to do. From the skyscrapers that line the huangpu river, to the several temples scattered throughout the city, Shanghai has a perfect mix of authentic chinese history and modern innovation. Fudan is one of the top universities in China with classes taught both in English and Chinese and attracts students from all over the world. TEAN enrolls its students directly into the history department at Fudan allowing them to choose from a vast number of courses. This was an important deciding factor for me when choosing a program as I wanted the freedom to choose my own courses. Although there is much to do in Shanghai, my favorite perk of the TEAN program was its excursions. Included in the program fee was a trip to Beijing and the great wall, as well as a trip to the desert in Inner mongolia. I will never forget the beautiful view from our sunrise hike on the jinshanling section of the great wall or our camel ride across the sand dunes. Throughout the semester the resident director in Shanghai also organized several events for us including program dinners, chinese painting classes, volunteer work with local organizations, and more. Our resident director was available to us at all times and helped us with any concerns imaginable. On top of that TEAN also offers students to live with a local Chinese roommate, which is a tremendous advantage as you get a glimpse in to the life of a chinese college student, as well as a ton of help. All in all I wouldn't have changed a thing about my experience in China, and I am so glad that I went with TEAN!

This semester was the most exciting I spent so far in my college life!
As for day to day experience, you live in an apartment a few minutes from campus, Chinese restaurants, a huge mall, walmart, and lots of street food places. The campus is very international with people from all around the world as well as Chinese students genuinely interested in western cultures. Shanghai is an amazing city with lots of things to do and to discover and very different architectures.

Highlights of the program:

-TEAN basically plans everything for you, so you arrive to China and just need to concentrate on visiting and your academics (sounds hard right?)
-The TEAN trips were definitely THE thing that made me chose the program. They were amazing, very well organized, great housing, and definitely showing you what you had to see in each city
-Health Insurance coverage: I got some medical problems and the staff there was incredibly helpful, going with me to the hospital + the insurance covers everything it's amazing

Difficulties: Refraining from eating huge amounts of street food on a daily basis

I truly think that every student should study abroad sometime during their undergrad. Tackling a new language, experiencing a new culture, seeing famous & historical sites, meeting friends from far away places, and tasting different cuisines while traveling become your favorite memories. TEAN was the perfect choice for me- having their support, especially in a country as distant as China, was essential to making the process smooth and carefree. Also, the excursions they include in the package are awesome and would be incredibly difficult to pull off by yourself. For anyone looking to study abroad in China, TEAN in Shanghai is definitely the way to go.

The program was great and had its share of fun, study, excursions, and yes, down time. Classes left sufficient time to explore the city and I was able to take quite a few weekend trips as well. Shanghai is an amazing city and offers a fast paced life if you want it. But slowing down, relaxing, and taking things more in stride is just as doable.

Our support coming into China as well as in China was great. You always had someone to answer questions on both ends and were never alone in the process. Especially being in a place as new and confusing as China, the support TEAN offered was a life saver.

Going to Shanghai was a great experience, but the program itself was not as good as I expected. Like many people I usually read a lot of reviews before deciding which program to choose and the reviews for TEAN were great. There are two summer programs for you to choose from: 5-week or 10-week. You will find that those who went on the 5-week program were generally satisfied with their experience, while those who went on the 10-week program many have been less happy. I went on the 10-week program. I don't want to waste your time so I will get down to the review. Based on my experience I will assess the pros and cons of the program only (This is not a review of Shanghai):

Pros:
+On-site staff: The staff was so helpful and friendly with all of us. She took people to the doctor if they were sick and she always checked in with us to make sure we had no problems. She was one of the best parts of the program.
+ Service activity: The community service activity was a wonderful experience! Our activity involved teaching migrant children English for one week. Despite having to wake up early in the morning to go see them, I enjoyed every minute of the activity, I only wish it was longer that one week. The school was about an hour away but it really took you away from the bustling city of Shanghai into a more rural part. THIS IS THE SINGLE REASON I DON'T REGRET CHOOSING TEAN.
+ People: As with many study abroad programs, you got to meet so many people from different countries. TEAN organized some activities so you could get to know one another.
+ Living: Being able to live in a dormitory at Fudan University then living in a typical apartment was great! You were given the rare opportunity to live as a student then live as a local.

Cons: (Please be aware that this is just my experience, others may be different)
- Off-site staff: I am most annoyed with the off-site staff based in Chicago. I contacted him fairly early in my decision process and, although they were friendly and fast at replying, I got little information from them. So despite fast replies getting the actual useful answer is a long process, it felt like pulling teeth. And some of the information I did receive was wrong, therefore was useless to me. Towards the end of the program I, as well as my house mates, were very annoyed that they seemed to avoid/prolong replying us until we had to call him. Here are some examples (quite long, sorry):
- When trying to choose my classes for the program I was given an old list of classes. Some of the classes I got approved by my home university adviser were no longer applicable so I had to redo the whole process.
- Giving information very late: We received an email advising us to buy our plane tickets, without giving us actual days when we should arrive. One week after I bought my ticket I received another email saying only some people would be provided free pickup from the airport, despite the website saying free pickup as part of their package. I along with a few others did not receive free pick up. I have never been out of the country so I emailed him expressing my concern, and he just told me to take a taxi or the subway! I had a tough time getting to school. The same thing happened at the end of the program, luckily I expressed my concern to the ON-SITE staff instead and I was given the appropriate accommodations.
- I was given a visa for 60 days although I would be staying longer. I do not travel much so I was not sure if this was correct. He assured me that every student got 60 days and it was standard. When I got to China I found that many people actually got a 90 day pass. I had to get out of the country or else I had to pay around USD$100 to renew my visa (as some others had to do). Although this may have been out of his control I felt I could not trust him, as he seemed to find a quick solution to a problem (even if he did not know the answer) without actually fixing the problem.
- The apartment we were given was significantly worse than others on the program. Appliances were broken and rooms were small. It was clear that it was a last minute solution. The way the situation was handled was horrible. When we complained the only attempt to solve the problem was to add a microwave into the kitchen. After numerous complaints, we got some monetary compensation.
- Even after the program ended I still had to deal with stuff. My home university informed me that Fudan only awards 2 credits for each class, not the 3 credits as advertised on the website. I also emailed him before I enrolled on the program in which he assured me that I would receive 3 credits per. When I and my university emailed him about the problem, he pretty much said "there is nothing I can do about it". We were both displeased by this answer. The website STILL advertised 3 credits!

Overall:
Regardless of the cons, it was an overall once-in-a-lifetime experience. TEAN's accommodations were good to some not others. I thoroughly enjoyed living in Shanghai and the on-site staff made everything easy. But it was getting to Shanghai that caused me the most headaches due to the staff based in the US, as I had problems before and after I was in Shanghai.

My thoughts:
Definitely go to Shanghai! But make sure you look at all your options before make a decision. I have no regrets but I really wish some situations were handled better. Thankfully, the pros outweigh the cons. If TEAN can better prepare their staff in the US then this program is worth it. If not, then please give it some thought before you commit to a program. Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoys your time in Shanghai!

I believe it is an opportunity to mix traveling and studying and turn them into a much more rewarding experience. My study abroad experience was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I got to study in one of the top 3 Universities in China, learned about the SouthEast Asian cultures, politics and economic structures, traveled, and lived in the best street to live in near the university.

If anyone is considering study abroad choosing the program is one of the most important decisions to take. The program you apply for can make the difference between a good experience and a great one. Having studied abroad with another program before and from what I learned from other students in other programs in China, I can say that not all the programs focus as much as TEAN does in very important details like housing, orientation, and just making sure that everything you need is easy to obtain. For example, some other international students would fight about who would get a shower first because the roommate who showered first would be the only one getting hot water, this never happened in my room. However, the most important aspect that differentiates TEAN with other programs is the very open communication with of the residents assistant and the program manager since you start applying until the end of the program. They show that they really care and do everything they can to solve any issues.

Studying in China is an amazing opportunity, just do it!

It all started with my desire to go abroad and learn a new culture to become more globally aware.. I began comparing the different programs and I soon found the education abroad network. The program was spectacular I loved it in every single way. Tean did a fantastic job at providing us with an amazing experience that started in Beijing. We toured the city and spent some time with the locals before going to a remote part of the Great Wall. After the orientation we went to Shanghai were we were shocked to find how spectacular the city is and the accommodations Tean provided us. We were in the nicest apartments just near campus. Fudans classes were relatively easy yet challenging in a good way. I was great flu that Tean provided us with a Chinese roommate because he was able to help show us the ropes of the city and help us with simple tasks, I did not know any Chinese prior to the trip and I found it rather easy to get around the city. Tean also provided us with a trip into Inner Mongolia which was very cool. From riding a camel to sledding down sand dunes it was a wonderful experience. I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested in studying abroad as the staff is very helpful and super friendly . There was a representative in Shanghai that would be able to assist us in any sort of emergency or even simple questions we had. I miss this program already :(

I participated in the 5 week summer program in Shanghai ,China. Before I left, I had a lot of questions and the staff at TEAN was very helpful in answering the questions. Once on campus,TEAN had someone that lived in Shanghai,close to campus and she was always there to help and translate if needed. I also liked the fact that TEAN offered activities so that students in the TEAN program could get to know each other.

The program began very shaky due to a severe problem with the communication between the program and myself. There was also an apparent lack of communication between the TEAN Representative for Shanghai and the TEAN Coordinator. Yet despite this lack of communication (or delayed communication), I will admit that the TEAN Representative was always timely and very helpful, so the shortcomings were not her own. The program itself was very falsely advertised. I spent my summer in an attempt to improve my Chinese. The first five weeks were a complete scam in my money. The classes were very relax and verging on a joke (they took little to no effort to obtain a good grade). I learned next to nothing and wasted a lot of my time and money in these five weeks that could have been spent elsewhere. The next four weeks of language learning were a lot more intense and more time demanding, but many people opt'ed to not attend the classes or do the work (so it is more of what you make of it). The only let down with the last four weeks was that we entered the program a week late and had to play catch up (which many people complained about since we could have attended these classes, instead of the useless first part of the program). Fudan University is quite far from the Western parts of Shanghai and also is far from the nightlife districts. Luckily cabs are extremely cheap. The University was very unhelpful towards foreigners and sometimes borderline rude. Overall, I feel like I should have some of my money refunded. But I know the real world does not work this way, and I will probably have to eat my losses. The program is falsely advertised. The academics are a joke and you should only attend this program to have waste time in a foreign country, not learn (especially if you are attending to learn Chinese!).

I came to Shanghai with high expectations, excitement, and a huge desire to explore and learn about the world's next superpower. TEAN seemingly offered to help me deal with all the necessities. At least that was what they advertised. Through reviews and promises to deliver I finally chose TEAN to help me take care of the stress of moving to a new country for 10 weeks. However, things start to look suspicious after the initial deposit. No communication was issued for a good amount of time after I was forced to dropped a few hundreds dollars. TEAN withheld information regarding the program until the last minute forcing me to fork out more cash to pay for my plane ticket as well as my visa. The stress of finals and the dire shortage of time regarding my visa made the trip so much more stressful than I expected already. I came to China without any basic knowledge of Chinese, thus, I needed TEAN to do their job of getting me settled in. TEAN utterly failed at this aspect. We were all promised to have an airport pick-up service to drop us off at our dorm, despite this promise, only a few students were actually lucky enough received this promise. Needless to say, I was not one of them. With my non-exisistance knowledge of Chinese and the cab drivers with their non-exisistance knowledge of English, I was utterly overcharged for a 40 minute ride. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning . Fudan, one of the top universities of China did not have English speaking individuals at their "international" students dorm. Because I did not understand what dorm personal were trying to tell me, they basically yelled at me until I found a fellow student to help translate. So much for TEAN's help when I have to find a random student to help. Fortunately, I did not run into many issues the first five weeks of class with the exception of my room key being deactivated for no reason and the constant lost of electricity (this was inconvenience when I have to sleep through the hottest nights in Shanghai). TEAN inability to be organized as well as their inability to deliver unfolded during the second five weeks of class. First, we moved from our dorms into apartments. Since my roommates and I didn't complain and caused a ruckus regarding our room assignment, we were placed in a sub-par apartment. They basically bullied us into a place that was cheaper than the others because it seemed like we would take it with no complaint. We had no microwave, a broken ac, no cooking utensils, broken lights in various areas, and no beddings. To add salt to the wound, classes for the second half of program has already started. We came to class a week late. Throughout the second part of the program TEAN students had to play catch-up in a more difficult language program. This was unacceptable. TEAN promised an immense amount of things, yet, was unable to deliver. Beyond school and the apartment was the issue of my visa. TEAN's director DID NOT warn us that some of us might encounter the issue of our visa not being issue for the correct amount of days. We did not receive both acceptance letters for the two programs we were enrolled in, thus, was unable to get our visa for the right amount of days. The solution? I had to hand over another $200 for an "extension" of eight days in Shanghai. Making the total cost of my visa nearing $400. Please don't make the same mistake I did with TEAN. Find another program.

Fall 2012 was the best semester of my entire life. Why? The people, the culture, the activities, the adventures, The Education Abroad Network. Shanghai, China will never be looked at in the same way. TEAN offered wonderful excursions and awesome bonding opportunities which brought every closer together. They prepped us with what to expect to help students be at ease. The housing was in a prime location and was very close to campus. Because we were fully integrated into the fudan system, we were able to choose among the whole class list which I really appreciated. If it weren't for TEAN, I would have been disappointed with my class options. THANK YOU!

My experience studying abroad was the greatest experience of my life. If I could do it over again I would take that opportunity in a heartbeat. Before I left for China, I had no idea what to expect. I knew the culture would be different, but I did not know much beyond that. This scared me, but TEAN did a great job of taking care of all of us and slowly setting us into the culture rather than just leaving us to fend for ourselves. The orientation at the beginning of the program definitely helped a lot with both the culture immersion as well as meeting everyone on the program. The orientation let us experience parts of China that I would not be able to experience if I had just visited Beijing on my own. From the Peking duck, to eating with a family in a Hutong, to climbing the Great Wall of China at sunrise, I could have never done that without TEAN setting that up for us. It was definitely a great start to the program and I don’t know of any other program that had done anything like that for orientation.

When I got to Shanghai I lived in an apartment with 3 other girls in my program as well as one Chinese student from Fudan. Her name was Daisy, she was Shanghainese, and her English was impeccable. She helped us out a lot with both the language and other things. She told us where to buy different things, where to go when we were sick, and also helped us out with our Chinese homework. We also got to go over to her parent’s house for dinner, which was an amazing experience. We got to eat home cooked traditional foods made by her mom. It was all absolutely delicious.

At Fudan University I took 5 classes and an internship. The classes I took where Business and Culture, Negotiations and Conflict Resolution, Political Economy of China, Chinese language, and International Financial Mgmt. As the school system is a lot different from the US, it was hard to get used to the way the classes were taught at first, but overall I really liked them. My favorite and most redeeming classes were probably Political Economy of China and Chinese language. I feel like those were the classes I learned the most relevant information from.

My internship was at Planet International, an exporting company for medical supplies and baby products. My job there was research assistant. I would research either FDA regulations, or write up marketing proposals. As an international business major, it was a good experience to learn that kind of thing and will benefit me in the future.

Probably my favorite part of the TEAN program was the group trip to Inner Mongolia. This again was something I could not have imagined doing on my own, and the trip was one of the greatest I’ve ever taken. I don’t have anything bad to say about the trip, other than the large amount of mosquitoes living in Mongolia. We got to live in Yurts, ride camels, go sand sliding, and take part a wedding reception around a campfire. I’m pretty sure everyone who went on the trip can say that they had a blast, and it was one of the great parts of the whole study abroad experience.

Before studying abroad I went through a lot of research trying to find the perfect program. After many pros and cons lists, I finally settled on studying abroad with TEAN, and I do not regret my decision one bit. Unfortunately for me I had to go through an extra step of writing a petition since TEAN was not affiliated with my school, but I went ahead and did it because I thought it was worth it. The main reasons I picked TEAN over the other programs was because of living with the Chinese roommate, the trip to Inner Mongolia, and the amazing orientation to Beijing. The other programs I looked at provided some of these things, but not all of them together.

Overall I’m so glad I studied abroad, and I’m so glad I went through TEAN to do so. I could not have asked for a better experience.

I would highly recommend any other student to study in Shanghai through The Education Abroad Network (TEAN). I chose TEAN as my program provider for several reasons; namely, the amazing orientation in Beijing, the internship component and the fact we got to live in apartments. Let me tell you about the orientation in Beijing. We got to stay at the lavish Marriott hotel, with a pool and gym—basically it was a great way to meet everybody. A native tour guide showed us all the amazing sights Beijing has to offer—the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, etc. We also got to eat amazing food at the most well-known Beijing restaurants. After a five day orientation, we flew out to Shanghai, literally my favorite city in the world. Shanghai is a blend of so many cultures. There is every type of restaurant, clothing store, electronic center, and what not available. The city is so fast paced—it never gets boring! TEAN, unlike many other programs, offers an internship opportunity. Having work experience in China has improved my resume drastically. It also opened up my eyes to the many opportunities out there. Aside from my internship, I got to also take classes at Fudan, one of China’s top universities. Having the chance to sit in a classroom with China’s top students is absolutely invaluable. Overall—my trip to Shanghai was life changing. I would recommend anyone to travel with TEAN, whether to China or one of their other locations!