One of the best decisions I've made

Despite what you may think, life in Shanghai is very easy to adjust to, provided that you expect to make an adjustment. Yes, things are different here, but Shanghai is an amazing place to be! We have Chinese class every morning 4 days a week, with our other 3 classes meeting just once a week. My Chinese class is honestly very enjoyable, and I credit that to my classmates (all IES students) and my teacher. Its also much easier academically because your language skills take off after living here for a while, so Chinese class feels like a breeze. We live in the Fudan dorms in singles, and its very nice to have my own space and my own bathroom. You will survive easily if you don't like Chinese food; there are a ton of restaurants with huge variety. At the same time, I strongly suggest trying new things and embracing as much of the traditional culture as possible, because chances are you'll enjoy at least part of it. I will completely admit to eating street food for dinner because it is delicious, and I have a new found love for tofu that I never knew existed. I walk to the stores on my street, bike around campus to class, take the bus to the big shopping center a few blocks away, and take the subway when I need to get into the city. And if I don't feel like utilizing those options there are taxis everywhere. I take a taxi maybe every other day, because despite the traffic I like being above ground instead of on the subway. My wonderful experience was made possible by the research I did before my arrival. If you prepare well, you will be much happier. To prepare, I would suggest the following: figure out what your banking situation will be (go with Bank of America for no ATM fees), which classes will transfer back to your university, get all of your prescriptions filled for 6 months, lay out all the clothes you want to pack and then get rid of some because you WILL shop here (fake markets rock, and everything is cheap), put a copy of your passport and visa in your wallet, bring a tube of toothpaste (the ones here just aren't the same), and be prepared to go with the flow. China is such an interesting and dynamic place, so be ready to take things in stride and you'll be good to go!