CIEE Summer Accelerated Chinese Language in Shanghai, China

I'm writing this review as my program is winding down and I have one week left. The first seven weeks flew by, and they have been nothing but amazing so far. The first week is somewhat of a drag because you will be adjusting to the time change and I guess that most people will not be used to the heat. The good news is that the international student dorm is beautiful, excellent A/C and Western style bathrooms (don't worry, no squatty potty); however, you will have to get used to the hard beds in China. After going through orientation for a few days you begin class on Wednesday, and there is no hand-holding, you will jump right in. You will spend four hours in a classroom Monday through Thursday, and then a test at the end of each week on Friday. Fear not, you get a ten-minute break every hour and the last hour of class is broken up into focus groups, which are groups of two to three students meeting with a TA who will review what was learned in class that day. After the first week, you will finish adjusting to everything, the class included, and you will see a noticeable difference in your Chinese speaking after about ten days to two weeks. After you've adjusted to the course you will want to go out and explore Shanghai, plainly speaking, the city is massive. You need to try 小笼包 (xiao long bao) as soon as possible, they are a Shanghai classic and known as soup dumplings in the US. There are never-ending sights to see and museums to visit, and each part of the city has its flavor. I recommend going to the Bund at night and look across the river to see the skyline lit up; the view will take your breath away. If you want to go out and night, which I'm sure many college students will want to do, then there are plenty of great bars and clubs throughout Shanghai for you to visit. You will never be bored in this city, I promise you that. Once you feel confident enough in your Chinese, I highly recommend going to visit the fake market in the Shanghai Museum of Science and Technology subway station to try your hand at some bargaining. The market serves as a great place to improve your spoken Chinese and to buy gifts for family and friends. This program has changed my life, as I look back on my seven weeks here I realize how I've become more independent and confident, and my Chinese is as different as night and day from what it was before. If you come to Shanghai, come with CIEE.

My study abroad experience with CIEE met my expectations by increasing my Chinese language skills, facilitating making new friends from both China and the US, and experiencing new cultures and customs. Beyond the obvious benefits of a study abroad program of this caliber, it also provided me with future opportunities in both academic and career for after the program ended. For example, the CIEE program is designed to facilitate networking during the study abroad program experience. I was able to meet local business owners, CEOs of multinational companies, and many other professionals during the 2 month summer program in Shanghai. The program allowed for students to freely explore Shanghai independently on weekends, which allowed me to apply my newly learned Chinese language skills in real world situations to meet locals. I took full advantage of these opportunities, and sometimes would be people at cafes, bookstores, bars, restaurants. These opportunities lead to me eventually obtaining a job with a top multinational real estate company in Beijing after graduation last December. I immediately began working for the company after graduating and i'm already moving up the ladder due to my Chinese language skills. None of this would've been possible without the opportunity during my study abroad program to independently explore. This facet of the CIEE program makes my experience studying abroad unique.