Summer at Tsinghua

When I first decided that I wanted to study abroad, I was not sure of where I might want to go. My choices were France, Italy, and China. My goal was to learn a 3rd language, as I already speak English and Spanish. Ultimately, I took a chance and went with China because visiting the great wall was always a dream of mine. This summer language program in Beijing was not only packed with intense language learning, but also with what seemed like never ending options of what to do after class. Beijing is a huge and vibrant city full of culture, and history. I had no previous travel experience, and I did not know how to speak any Mandarin. I was amazed at the quality of the university to which we were given access to. Tsinghua University is a top university not only in China, but in the world. Every time people would ask me where I studied, they all reacted with amazement. Unfortunately, with a popular university there also comes some negatives. We were not allowed to stay on campus due to lack of space, and so had to stay at a hotel for the duration of the program. Studying in Beijing widened my view of the world, and left me with a thirst for travel.