Opiniones de Go Abroad China

I went to Shanghai a year ago and enrolled at the Jiaotong University there for 2 months Chinese summer course. I was a beginner in Chinese when I went to Shanghai, in my class there were around 22 students, around the same level as I was, all foreigners.

In class, we started with the very basics; the simplest vocabulary and how to form a basic sentence. Of course some people learned faster than others. For me there were times when I got confused, some other times I had great fun in class. We had one general language teacher and another one who trained us on listening. 
I applied through Go Abroad China, whom I found when I was going through the internet and doing some research. I am satisfied with their service; when I got to Shanghai I was picked up from the airport to go to my new rented flat, got a little orientation about where to catch the metro or the bus. I had two other Chinese guys for flatmates, everyone had a bedroom but we shared the common areas. Most of the application and communication was by email, but I was invited for a skype video call once or twice I think. 
When I left Shanghai I did notice that I had improved a lot. I could barely speak Chinese when I left for China. I can only manage small basic conversations but I am still continuing with the lessons, although not as frequently as when I was in Shanghai.

Ever since I participated in an exploratory Mandarin Chinese course in Grade 11, I had always craved the ideal opportunity to immerse myself in Chinese culture. As my university required an internship component as a graduation requirement, it seemed only reasonable to set my eyes on China as an internship destination. Only one concern remained. How would such an ambition become feasible? Luckily, there is Go Abroad China (GAC), a non-profit organization dedicated in equipping young adventurous interns in China with the expectation that they succeed and emerge as global leaders.

Naturally, the core of the internship program revolves around endeavors at the workplace. Assuming that the companies operate Anglophone environments, exposure to Chinese culture on a daily basis appears to be missing. Thanks to GAC, embedding elements of a culture pertaining to one-sixth of the world's population everyday became a reality that left me as a well-rounded and open-minded leader prepared for future challenges involving China's emergence as a world superpower.

If learning the Chinese language and customs is to occur regularly, then focusing in on the accommodation remains imperative. GAC abounds with options that enable participants to live with Chinese of all lifestyles. In my case, I managed to live with single roommates working full time, a wealthy family in Beijing's northern suburbs, and a host mother who worked professionally as a doctor. Irrespective of social status, all appreciated my effort to learn Mandarin, and they introduced me to a wide array of Beijing specialties to satisfy my appetite for Chinese cuisine. Such a set-up proved worthwhile in helping me integrate into Chinese society.

Additionally, GAC provided supplementary help in learning Mandarin my assigning me a tutor. We would meet regularly in a cafe in order to maximize the language-learning environment since I could order food in Chinese at the same time. If the student's expectations do not directly correspond to those proposed by the tutor, GAC offers flexibility in which changing a tutor would not be problematic.

Assuming that the participant takes Mandarin, resides with a Chinese-speaking host family, and has exposure to the cuisine, everything would seem to be in order. What else could still be missing? GAC fills in the last missing puzzle piece by inviting students to take part at numerous excursions and cultural workshops offered on a weekly basis. Whether it be climbing at the Ming Wall, or learning the ins and outs of a Chinese massage, participants will enthusiastically choose cultural electives that cover an extensive realm of preferences. Those passionate about history and gardening will enjoy the Summer Palace, while those who are more action-oriented will enjoy Tai Chi.

Without GAC, interns would abound with confusion in a part of the world that may initially seem unfamiliar to them. Nevertheless, the help of such a reliable agency around the clock engages participants in an adventure that they will treasure for a lifetime. Remember, whatever a student puts into the experience is what he or she takes out of it, and those who take advantage of GAC will find a very rewarding experience that will remain indented in their memories beyond their stay in China.

Go Abroad China's on-site staff was incredible! They had the perfect balance with staying in touch with students, as they were neither too over-bearing, nor impossible to contact. If needed, the staff was a simple text or phone call away. Other than that, they met up with us monthly to see how we were doing and discuss our trips, classes, and plans for the remainder of our time. Although they did give us our freedom in the country, they were always looking out for us; a perfect example, I cut my finger while I showed my host family how to cook the Pasta and was taken to a Chinese clinic, so luckily that they speak perfect English and looked after while I got stitches. The Go Abroad China program was very well organized, staff was friendly and helpful and I have participated in the wide range of activities. The Go Abroad China crew continued to accompany me to check-ups for the remainder of the trip. I have mostly enjoyed the making the Chinese dumplings class and visit to the Great Wall. I studied at Beijing Language and Culture University for 1 semester; our Chinese teachers are very experienced in teaching international students. Their friendly approach to the students made me want to learn Chinese even more. I was pleasantly surprised how friendly Chinese people are and felt really safe during my stay. 
Social & Cultural Integration： 
I felt extremely integrated with the local culture. 
Safety: I felt completely safe walking around in Beijing, day-or-night. Obviously, any place can be dangerous, so my advice to future students studying in any city in any country, would be to don't make poor decisions and use your intuition.

I had the opportunity of a lifetime and got to study abroad in BLCU in Beijing China, through Go Abroad China  I always knew I wanted to study abroad, but it was an overwhelming thought with all of the options of places to go, figuring out how to make it work with my university and all the little details in between. GAC  helped make the entire process smooth and enjoyable. I had an advisor the whole way through who helped me make sure I was as ready as possible for my trip abroad. Once I was there, I had the most amazing 2 months of my life. 

At BLCU University Classes began soon after registration and the pace of learning was definitely not what I was used to before. Back at home, sentence structures and phrases that would take me at least a month to fully master, at BLCU University it was just a week’s task. Although in the beginning I felt a bit overwhelmed, after a while, though, things got much better and I adjusted comfortably. One thing I am still reeling about even now is the amount of homework that the Chinese teachers assigned! Now I understand why they say at least six months of serious Mandarin/ Chinese study will lead to accelerated results. The good thing about BLCU University is that they will place you in a class of people who have a similar Chinese ability to you. Learning was fun, interactive and it’s relatively simple to feel motivated if everyone around you is also determined

I had different teachers for each aspect of Chinese study: listening, speaking, reading and comprehensive Chinese. I particularly enjoyed the speaking lessons as they were about group work and small oral presentations in a class of approximately 10 people. It was fun interacting with my classmates coming from different countries, yet all trying our best to communicate in Chinese. One important tip that was surprisingly effective for me was surrounding myself with friends whose English wasn’t so good, this was good in that we were forced to communicate in Chinese and practice everything we learnt. 

I created life long friendships, got to see the most spectacular views and most of all I got to experience a different culture and truly appreciate what they had to offer. I highly encourage everyone to study abroad!

I was only in Beijing for just a month and was learning Chinese during that time in China. Going Abroad is very expensive, my parents were also very deeply involved since when I applied I was actually still in high school back in The States. 

Why did I end up with Go Abroad China? 
A bunch of other programs I read about were expensive but I really insisted on going to China, so I was left with taking one of the cheapest programs I researched. 

It wasn't actually too bad, I was at a beginner level 2 when I went to China and was placed into a language school in Beijing. Some times I felt like my classmates definitely learned more than me, other times I was okay, it wasn't too hard...but at least I was able to pick up some Chinese jokes here and there.

Though I enjoyed my time in China, it was no thanks to this company. The only good part about booking through GAC was Robert, the guide who helped me while abroad. Other than that, the company overexaggerates how much they do. It says the price includes visa assistance, sim card, transportation, etc. ,but in reality, they do nothing to help with your visa (and you still have to pay for that on your own), they only pay for 1/3 of the price of the sim, and they cover transportation for a week, and no more. They did pick me up from the airport but apparently taking me back for when I go home was not included. For how much I paid, I expected more from this company, but communication was horrible when I was trying to get everything straightened out. I do not reccomend GAC.