One of a Kind Abroad Experience that Furthers your Chinese Language Abilities

I didn't know what to expect when I stepped off the plane in Beijing, signaling the start of my study abroad experience, but IES Beijing made the transition smooth and easy and created one of the most exciting experiences of my life to date. The week-long orientation was not only extremely helpful in adjusting (especially with jet lag), but also allowed students to meet and interact before we would be busy with classwork.

IES is especially superb in the way that they merge the excitement of living in China with learning and hard work. I came into the program looking to vastly improve my Chinese and the intensive language program that I signed up for certainly met and exceeded my expectations. With a language pledge and close to 20 hours of Chinese language learning a week, comprised of classes and a one-on-one tutoring session, I saw all aspects of my Chinese improve, especially my conversational skills. Although it may seem intimidating on paper, know that all of the professors and IES staff are very helpful and the hard work definitely pays off at the end.

Aside from language classes I also took a Modern Chinese History class and a Chinese Calligraphy class. Both were also extremely engaging. IES makes use of the city itself by incorporating fieldtrips into the courses which not only introduce the students to aspects of Beijing that they may not visit on their own, but also introduces more of the unique Chinese culture.

With IES Abroad Beijing, you also have the choice of living with a homestay or with a Chinese roommate in the dorms. I opted to live in a homestay and I can't recommend it enough; it was one of the best aspects of my stay in Beijing. My homestay family was extremely welcoming and were always eager to take me to see interesting sites and aspects of the city that only a native would know about. It was also nice to have homemade Chinese meals every day. Living with a homestay also significantly improved my Chinese. While I'm sure living with a Chinese roommate would be an invaluable experience as well, I know that the homestay was the right choice for me and I can't recommend it enough!

One last aspect of the IES Abroad program that is unique is the "Mobile Learning Trip". This was a two week excursion into different parts of China, for me northeastern China, in which we not only furthered our Chinese language studies, but also got to interact with the many different ethnic groups of China. It was a chance for us to travel beyond Beijing, as it is easy to spend all of your time in the big city. This was something unique to IES and just another way that they make the study abroad experience truly one of a kind.