Political Science & Politics Study Abroad Programs in Shanghai, China

My study abroad trip to Shanghai was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. The city is full of energy, with an amazing mix of modern skyscrapers and rich cultural history. Every day felt like a new adventure, whether I was exploring local markets, trying authentic Chinese food, walking along the Bund, or visiting beautiful temples and gardens. One of the most rewarding parts of the trip was experiencing a different culture firsthand and meeting people from around the world. It helped me become more independent, confident, and open-minded. I also learned so much about China’s history, traditions, and daily life in a way that you simply can’t learn from a classroom.

Truly the best experience of my life. I easily fell in love with the city and everything it has to offer. Clean, safe, incredibly easy to get around. Shanghai is very much an international city so if you’re only just beginning to study the language it’s a good place to start. Beyond Shanghai, I also had the opportunity to travel across the country, visiting Beijing, Hunan, and Guangzhou.

I would recommend a CIEE study abroad program because I appreciated the effort CIEE made to teach the students about the culture of the country. I learned a lot about the country I was studying abroad in thanks to CIEE excursions and weekly emails, as well as a great selection of local roommates, local CIEE staff, and teachers.

Tremendous staff. Environment is like none other and they accommodate well. For Seville, the city has been tremendous and CIEE gives you a proper introduction to this magnificent city. Whether an intern or a student during one of the sessions, you can get along with everyone and overcome the anxieties of a new city

I would be very likely to recommend CIEE Study Abroad to a friend because this program gives you many opportunities to explore the city you are in as well as the surrounding areas. All of the employees are very kind people who will be their to uplift and support the students who are abroad.

I think studying away in Shanghai is a quite great experience for me. Shanghai is an amazing city with its own distinct culture, and it's so convenient and safe. Well, I think the cost of living in Shanghai actually is much lower than New York, which sometimes also be a concern for college students. As for the academic courses, I highly recommended you to take some culture related courses in NYUShanghai which allows you to gain and explore more about this city and this country, I think it is a very important part of "Study Away Program" and is very meaningful. I've taken "Concept of China" and "History of Chinese Art" during my "Study Away" semester, the professor was so nice, even inspiring my great academic interests in Art History, currently I decided to pursue this field as my minor. During your spare time, I think searching for a on-campus job is a very good choice, then you can meet more with your teammates/partners/groups. At the same time, it's also like a close community with who you works with, it will provide you a sense of belongingness to this site. Take my story as an example, I was the "Study Away Peer Assistant" in that semester, and we worked together to plan for study away students' events/activities. Through meetings, brainstorming, chatting, collaborating, I made good friends there and I also love the energy I had while working in this team! Otherwise, you can also step outside the campus and go cycling along the Bund or bring your camera to Xujiahui. I mean lifestyle in Shanghai is up to you, don't be stressful when you are seeing people in a hurry to work hhh. There are many places and things you can go for, explore and enjoy!

This program gives you support in a gentle but full immersion in the Chinese culture. The support also enabled you to maintain a comfortable bubble when needed so that you are not overwhelmed. The sheer number of experiences you can gain and the lifelong friends that you can make here is amazing.

I enjoyed my abroad experience a lot! Though I felt like the immersion into the campus community was lacking in some ways and some of the professors did not communicate with the students well, I think the on site staff was incredibly helpful and supportive and all of the Chinese professors were amazing. My Mandarin skills increased so much, and I got learn about and see aspects of Chinese society that I would never have found out on my own.

Studying abroad in Shanghai, allowed me to interact with a city that had traditional neighborhoods and modern ones all in one place. I'm a huge coffee lover, but being in Shanghai didn't deprive me of that. Given its modernity I was still able to enjoy my slice of home while living and studying abroad in a foreign country, enhancing my language ability, and traveling to new places.

I have had a great experience, it is organized and comes at a good cost. The staff on-site is very supportive and helpful (as well as Brooke in Portland), but we had an emergency situation and the Portland higher-ups didn't handle it well, nor did anyone answer the emergency number provided to us.

I feel that CIEE tries to have activities for us and I really do feel that I am learning a lot here. Also everyone here seems really nice and I feel that though we are different a lot of the students seem to have the same mindset and its a good chance to network.

I had the time of my life in China! As my friend back home put it, I just ‘became more me’, which I’d an amazing thing to do. I not only developed confidence in my language skills, but in life itself. If I can survive in a country with limited understanding of the language, I feel like I can do anything. I learned so much about China, which is something I’ve been wanting to since I got to college. I made great friends that made me a better person, and had the most wonderful teachers who had so much patience when I struggled. I miss China every day I’m not there; it really cemented that I love what I’m doing and that I want to continue with it.

Choosing to study abroad in Shanghai through the IFSA program was one of the greatest experiences of my life! Prior to departure, the IFSA staff helped me with visa application, flight details, and lodging logistics. When we arrived, they helped us navigate all the unfamiliar things that have to do with living in a foreign country including phone plans, bank accounts, and navigating transportation. Their support throughout the process was incredible! The program was a great balance of academic learning and real-life exploring. The professors were cool and my internship was amazing! My favorite class was the Chinese class. I really felt that my Chinese ability got exponentially better by being immersed in the language every day. We went on many weekend trips and even one IFSA planned trip to Qinghai (in Western China). It was an incredible week with a professional tour guide who took us to monasteries, art galleries, beautiful views, and much more! I highly recommend this program to anyone looking to have a rewarding classroom experience mixed with cool opportunities to travel and experience the Chinese culture.

The program was extremely helpful whenever I had issues, the classes taught me so much in Chinese and about Chinese society and politics. Although the classes were too small for my taste, I recognize the program is not at fault for that. I wished there were more ways to become more culturally immersed with local students since all my classes were with Americans. Overall, I had a great experience. My program brought us on a trip to outside of Tibet and it was amazing!

CIEE is very well-staffed and they do everything they can to make sure you have the best experience possible. Everyone is friendly, the rules and guidelines are laid out for you, and the excursions CIEE plans are a blast!!

This has been the best summer of my life. Everything about CIEE has blown me away. Virginia Niera has been an extremely attentive and helpful program director. She and Antonio Romero were both quick to offer help with any issues I might have. The professors, Amador Fernandez and Antonio Rodriguez, taught with enthusiasm and care. Each class genuinely excited and intrigued me. They graded fairly and truly cared about students understanding and learning. We took informative, fun, and interesting trips. They were all well-planned and extremely enjoyable. The tour guides we had, Adrian and Alicia, were knowledgable and made the tours very meaningful. The trip to Morocco really opened my eyes to other cultures and ways of life. Finally, my homestay could not have been better. I really got close to my host family, and I felt like I had a place in Seville where I could be totally comfortable. I have already recommended this program to two of my friends, and I plan to encourage more to do it if they w

My first experience abroad and I love it here. I feel that CIEE tries to have activities for us and I really do feel that I am learning a lot here. Also everyone here seems really nice and I feel that though we are different a lot of the students seem to have the same mindset and its a good chance to network.

Study abroad is something that everyone needs to be apart o at least once in their lifetime, and CIEE was a great way to do it. I think I would recommend this because we’re given a place to reside in a foreign country with people who have no problem helping you at the drop of a pen. The CIEE community becomes your family and makes you feel like you’re at home and always offer things to do for free or at least help to make your study abroad experience as great as it can. It’s also nice that you can choose from different programs and either be a student for half and an intern for the other half, be an open campus student and stay for an entire semester, or every 6 weeks choose a new home. It’s an amazing experience for a reasonable price but an opportunity and of a lifetime.

Going to China was my first study abroad experience. Even since I entered college, I wanted to study abroad and my third year I decided to pursue it. And I was not disappointed. I picked China because it’s completely different compared to the States, culturally and traditionally and everything I between. USAC was so helpful with my process of going to China, their website had past students’ personal reviews that I read on and videos which showed me what I was getting in to. The on-site staff was so helpful, encouraging when I first arrive in China. They gave us pointers how to get around the city, their favorite, local restaurants and everything. At the end of my program I was able to make connections with people across the US and people in China. Since coming back to the States at the end of 2017, I have a serious case of travel bug: where I just want to travel more of China, Asia, and hopefully around the globe!!! I just want to explore and see more what the world has to offer :D

I had an incredible time studying abroad to Shanghai, I was hesitant at first to go since I originally wanted to study in Australia. My biggest regret was only going for a semester, study abroad was an absolute blast. Classes were only once a week, and language classes met 3x which gave my friends and I a good amount of time to explore the city. Shanghai was absolutely amazing, you have the best of both worlds since the city is pretty westernized. I met amazing people. Don't let people suck you into studying in Europe, China is so cheap, and I was able to visit multiple other countries in Asia for incredibly cheap. The food was great and the people are very friendly to foreigners since they are wanting to practice their english. I can't wait to visit Shanghai again.