WHAT is your program?
My University offers three types of study abroad programs: Reciprocal Exchange, Affiliated and Approved, and Faculty-led.
The Reciprocal Exchange is the best option for me (and for many students) as it allows me to keep up my studies while travelling. This program also awards me an opportunity to attend a prestigious university for a year for less than spending a year at my university.
WHERE are you going?
I will be studying for a year at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. Fudan University is a prestigious university and is continuously rated in the top 5 of Chinese universities and in the top 100 in the world.
Shanghai is the financial epicenter of the world's largest economy. Being there will allow me to network and connect with international companies and learn first hand how that world works.
WHY China?
First and foremost, I have always wanted to travel. I love flying to new places; I love the excitement of packing a bag and going somewhere new. I could spend hours trying to explain the feeling when I get when I fly.
That love of travel led to be choose a degree in International Business so I could have a potential career that allows me to travel. My degree requires I take language and cultural classes. I could take a random language and choose random classes to fulfill those requirements but I wanted to spend that time and energy doing something that could help me in the future. I wanted to pick a specific region and focus on it.
So, Why East Asia? Or as some people have asked, why not Europe? The easiest answer is language. Yes, English is widely spoken in Europe. However, I need and want to learn at least one other language. I took a year of Spanish in middle school and 4 years of French in high school for nothing. I can not grasp romance languages; They are too complex and the grammar is too different from English. I was never able to immerse myself in the language well enough to fully understand it. Instead, I looked outside of Europe entirely, to Asia.
While English is the most widely spoken language in the world, Mandarin is the most commonly spoken with an estimated 955 million native speakers. I decided getting to communicate with a billion more people is the greatest perk learning a language can offer. While the characters are difficult, learning the grammar and pronunciation is pretty easy and the best part, NO CONJUGATIONS! For anyone who has ever taken a language, they know how great that is.
Another contributing factor is my continuously growing interest in East Asian culture and history. Starting my freshman year when I met my good friend Yong and then my sophomore year in AP world history, I gained an interest in a part of the world that rarely crossed my mind. It would take many lifetimes to learn everything this is to know about the culture and history and that is what fascinates me so much. Some of the oldest civilizations are in this region. Asia is the birthplace of so many religions and ideologies; many of which influence the world on a day to day basis, thousands of years later.
HOW can you afford it?
As I mentioned earlier, my trip will cost less than my typical year at my university. Since one year costs around $35,000, it isn't difficult to imagine China being cheaper. I do have a $10,000 tuition scholarship from my school for my academic performance, but that only covers half of my tuition.
My trip is cheaper because the cost of my dorm room will be around half. Living on campus at my university costs roughly $7,000 a year depending on where you stay. At Fudan, it will cost no more than $4,000 for my entire stay (including the extra I have to pay to stay over school breaks).
Another major difference is the cost of food, even on campus. At my university, the cheapest meal you can get on campus is around $5. Fudan university has the food on campus for 10-25 rmb (according to their website) which makes a meal $1.50-3.80. Of course I will have access to a kitchen so i'll be able to cook for cheaper.
To cover the cost of boarding and food, I was lucky enough to receive a $8,000 Humphrey's scholarship. Also, I am working full-time as a cashier over the summer to cover costs upfront until my financial aid goes through.
WHEN is the trip?
I will be in China September 2016-July 2017! I don't know the exact day I will be flying out but it will probably be the last week of August.
WHO else is going?
There are 5 or 6 students from my university going to different Chinese universities this fall. One girl is also going to Fudan with me. I haven't met her yet and I probably wont until I arrive; We are bound to run into one another eventually.
If you have any questions that I didn't answer in this post just leave a comment below! I'll make sure to answer any questions to the best of my ability!
My University offers three types of study abroad programs: Reciprocal Exchange, Affiliated and Approved, and Faculty-led.
- Faculty-Led programs are typically for students who have taken a certain class or are in a certain major. The trip allows the students to experience and witness the topics they learned in class first-hand. These trips last 1-6 weeks and happen during school breaks. These are great opportunities for students who either can't afford a longer study abroad trip or can't take a semester because of their class load.
- Affiliated and Approved programs are when a student or other third-party contacts a school and sets up a program. These could last a few weeks, a semester, or even a year. Unfortunately, you can't always use your financial aid to pay for the program and there is no guarantee the classes you take will transfer back towards your degree.
- Reciprocal Exchange is where two students swap Universities either within the United States or Internationally. You each pay tuition to your own Universities which makes the program the same price (or in my case cheaper) as staying at your home University. Because it is a long standing relationship between the two universities that allows this program to continue, they work with one another to make as many of your classes work towards your degree as possible.
The Reciprocal Exchange is the best option for me (and for many students) as it allows me to keep up my studies while travelling. This program also awards me an opportunity to attend a prestigious university for a year for less than spending a year at my university.
WHERE are you going?
I will be studying for a year at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. Fudan University is a prestigious university and is continuously rated in the top 5 of Chinese universities and in the top 100 in the world.
Shanghai is the financial epicenter of the world's largest economy. Being there will allow me to network and connect with international companies and learn first hand how that world works.
WHY China?
First and foremost, I have always wanted to travel. I love flying to new places; I love the excitement of packing a bag and going somewhere new. I could spend hours trying to explain the feeling when I get when I fly.
That love of travel led to be choose a degree in International Business so I could have a potential career that allows me to travel. My degree requires I take language and cultural classes. I could take a random language and choose random classes to fulfill those requirements but I wanted to spend that time and energy doing something that could help me in the future. I wanted to pick a specific region and focus on it.
So, Why East Asia? Or as some people have asked, why not Europe? The easiest answer is language. Yes, English is widely spoken in Europe. However, I need and want to learn at least one other language. I took a year of Spanish in middle school and 4 years of French in high school for nothing. I can not grasp romance languages; They are too complex and the grammar is too different from English. I was never able to immerse myself in the language well enough to fully understand it. Instead, I looked outside of Europe entirely, to Asia.
While English is the most widely spoken language in the world, Mandarin is the most commonly spoken with an estimated 955 million native speakers. I decided getting to communicate with a billion more people is the greatest perk learning a language can offer. While the characters are difficult, learning the grammar and pronunciation is pretty easy and the best part, NO CONJUGATIONS! For anyone who has ever taken a language, they know how great that is.
Another contributing factor is my continuously growing interest in East Asian culture and history. Starting my freshman year when I met my good friend Yong and then my sophomore year in AP world history, I gained an interest in a part of the world that rarely crossed my mind. It would take many lifetimes to learn everything this is to know about the culture and history and that is what fascinates me so much. Some of the oldest civilizations are in this region. Asia is the birthplace of so many religions and ideologies; many of which influence the world on a day to day basis, thousands of years later.
HOW can you afford it?
As I mentioned earlier, my trip will cost less than my typical year at my university. Since one year costs around $35,000, it isn't difficult to imagine China being cheaper. I do have a $10,000 tuition scholarship from my school for my academic performance, but that only covers half of my tuition.
My trip is cheaper because the cost of my dorm room will be around half. Living on campus at my university costs roughly $7,000 a year depending on where you stay. At Fudan, it will cost no more than $4,000 for my entire stay (including the extra I have to pay to stay over school breaks).
Another major difference is the cost of food, even on campus. At my university, the cheapest meal you can get on campus is around $5. Fudan university has the food on campus for 10-25 rmb (according to their website) which makes a meal $1.50-3.80. Of course I will have access to a kitchen so i'll be able to cook for cheaper.
To cover the cost of boarding and food, I was lucky enough to receive a $8,000 Humphrey's scholarship. Also, I am working full-time as a cashier over the summer to cover costs upfront until my financial aid goes through.
WHEN is the trip?
I will be in China September 2016-July 2017! I don't know the exact day I will be flying out but it will probably be the last week of August.
WHO else is going?
There are 5 or 6 students from my university going to different Chinese universities this fall. One girl is also going to Fudan with me. I haven't met her yet and I probably wont until I arrive; We are bound to run into one another eventually.
If you have any questions that I didn't answer in this post just leave a comment below! I'll make sure to answer any questions to the best of my ability!