IES Abroad Shanghai

My semester in Shanghai was the ultimate study abroad experience. I went in knowing no Mandarin and never having been to Asia. I was incredibly nervous to be going into this with no preparation besides good packing! Getting out of my comfort zone was the best decision I have ever made. Not only did I learn Mandarin and about Chinese culture, but I learned so much about myself as well. Can't wait to go back!

The coordinators at the Shanghai campus for IES abroad were very accommodating and acted as very helpful touch stones to modern Chinese culture as well as advisors to help us out with our studies. The host family I had were very warm and inviting, if not a little less talkative than I would've preferred. The engineering courses I took there were very tough and challenged my learning skills, but for the most part they were very helpful in suggesting a good place for additional study aid. Other than the academics, China and Shanghai were a wonderful change of pace for me, and I really enjoyed the chance to travel around and truly experience a new culture. I met a slew of great new people both from China and from Europe as well since they were also studying in Shanghai. Travel around China to other famous cities was very easy,cheap and convenient. Overall I would highly recommend this program of you have an interest in engineering and experiencing a new culture!

After a year abroad with IES, I fell in love with Shanghai. What's not to love? It's exciting and always has something to do! It has amazing food where you can sample local delicacies like 小龙包 (Xiao long Bao), authentic Chinese regional cuisine like Sichuan and Zhejiang food, and international staples when you are craving a little taste of home. My favorite part about IES Abroad's program was having the ability to be independent. Our apartments couldn't have been in a better location. It was about a 10-20 minute walk to the Bund, and we had a major subway line really close to us as well. I also enjoyed the local life of our neighborhood. During the day, the streets were crowded with mopeds and taxis as people drove to work. The restaurants were filled with people during their lunch or dinner breaks. At night, the street vendors began to open up shop feeding brave customers without much understanding of food safety the most delicious stir-fried noodles and grilled squid. When I wasn't eating or exploring Shanghai's beautiful parks, extravagant malls, and historic sites, I was studying Chinese and other classes relating to China. The Chinese classes were great. I loved my teacher both semesters because they always found ways to make a 2.5 hour Chinese class relatively fun. As for my other courses, I enjoyed having the freedom to choose what I was interested in, but the 3 hour long classes could be tough to get through sometimes. IES Abroad's program in Shanghai didn't have class on friday, which allowed me to travel during the weekend to some pretty amazing parts of China. I valued that free time to help me gain a more holistic understanding of Mainland China.

My time spent in Shanghai, China was a life changing experience in which I grew personally from my experiences. It is inarguably the best 4 months of my life. I met 20 life long friends, and travelled and learned about different cultures in Southeast Asia. I felt safe and supported by my peers as well as the program directors. Although I was far from home, Shanghai quickly became my home, and my friends my family. I learned the mandarin language extensively through class, but I saw most improvement through the opportunity to use it daily when communicating with locals. The living accommodations were beyond my expectations in cleanliness, size, location, and accessibility to public transportation.
Shanghai is an amazing city especially for expatriates. It is the perfect blend of Chinese culture with American influences. I was able to have local Chinese food, but also American food when I missed home. I am grateful for IES for making my experience abroad the most amazing experience of my life. I hope to see myself as an expatriate back in Shanghai one day as a have an unbreakable tie with the amazing city.

Shanghai. What an incredible city. I spent my spring semester there with IES and was just blown away by all that this city has to offer. The city never sleeps – there are always people around and always something to do, making each day exciting and different. New experiences happened almost daily, from exploring the city, karaoke, and trying out new food at different restaurants, to learning some tai chi in a park, going on a river cruise, and playing intense badminton. Shanghai has it all, and I had a blast being a part of this remarkable, international city.

I was able to live in a homestay and really enjoyed it. My host mom took great care of me – providing delicious and traditional food for me, taking me out with her and her friends, and showing me around the city, while also helping me with my Chinese throughout the semester. I was glad to be able to use my Chinese daily in my living situation and pick up new local sayings because of it. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to be a part of a homestay; it was extremely beneficial to my experience.

We studied at Shanghai Jiao Tong University – one of the top universities in the country – and were taught under Chinese professors which gave us new perspectives and helped us understand how things work and function in China as compared to what we know about how it is in America, a very useful and enlightening aspect. We didn’t have class on Fridays so students were able to do some traveling or spend more time exploring Shanghai. We also had a week-long break during the semester and students were able to travel to different parts of the county to see how unique the ways of life are in other provinces. Our language skills were utilized daily and we enjoyed using them to meet the locals and in getting around the city – be it for transportation or ordering food.

Though it is a very modern and international city, the ancient customs and traditions from China’s long history are still very evident and important in Shanghai society, so getting to learn about and understand the different views and beliefs and where they come from firsthand was extremely valuable. From the city to the classes to the people – it was an absolutely incredible semester, one I am so thankful for and that I won’t ever forget. I was challenged a lot and I grew a lot and have gained a new outlook on life. So, thank you IES and thank you Shanghai, I’ll be back.

Before I studied in Shanghai, I knew nothing about the Chinese language and very little about Chinese business or culture. I came out of the program with a much greater understand of all three of these topics. It was a very enjoyable experience that I would highly recommend.

I was satisfied with the academic courses I was a part of, which included one Mandarin language class and three business classes. The required Mandarin class meets four days a week, which helped me to keep improving my language skills and made it easier to get around on day to day basis. My three business courses were not as rigorous as the courses offered at my home college, but the teachers were easy to understand and seemed to put a lot of effort into their courses.

The on-site administration members were very helpful and set up a number of trips and cultural activities which I really enjoyed. They were almost always available and really seemed to care about making each one of us have the best experience possible.

We got to stay in an extended living hotel, which was a lot nicer than any college living arrangement I'd experienced. The apartments are spacious, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a common room. Our bathrooms were cleaned twice a week and the entire room once a week, which was much more generous than I was expecting. The apartment is in a great location just outside of the center of Shanghai with many restaurants nearby and a subway stop less than five minutes away. My only complaint was the internet, which was often very slow and sometimes unable to connect.

Food is on your own, but if you like Chinese food, you are in luck. A lot of the local options are very cheap, however, Western food will cost about the same as it would in the United States. Shanghai is a very international city and you can find pretty much any kind of food there. Your cheapest option is street food, which is easy to find (especially at night), convenient, and often very delicious.

Our on-site staff set up a few cultural exchange activities for us to talk to Shanghai locals (such as a volunteer event with middle school students and a Chinese yo-yo lesson from local experts), but cultural integration was mostly on our own. At the beginning, we were set up with language partners, but most of the students didn't click very well with theirs.

Overall, I had a great time in Shanghai and would recommend my experience to anyone interested in learning about Chinese language, business, or culture.

The housing conditions were very clean and spacious, like an American hotel. The program included multiple fun excuursions and field trips, both as part of the curriculum and part of the program. We were given free time to explore on our own was well. All in all I would definitely recommend IES Shanghai, the program was small which made it feel more personal. Studying abroad was one of the best experiences of my life and completely unforgettable.

Being a blonde in China meant that I tended to stand out wherever I went. But that was okay because it was a great starting point for conversation with total strangers, most of whom were very nice in Shanghai. Shanghai is a cool city where modern meets old. Here you get to experience China while still having access to many of the things you would at home. There is so much to explore in and around the city on your own or on the trips put together by IES. The best learning happens outside the classroom so get out and go places if you want to have a rewarding semester, make new relationships and return home with some amazing stories!