The American Institute for Foreign Study has created a new program that allows high school and college students to study abroad in China. The University has partnered with the Institute, the nation’s leading study abroad organization, to offer students the program. Internships, travel opportunities and summer and semester study abroad programs are all offered in 13 countries, and now China has been added to the list.
Chinese culture in today’s society is continuously growing.
“I think that with the growth of the Chinese economy, we will be, as Americans, doing business in China in some way, shape or form daily,” AIFS official David Mauro said. “The earlier they are exposed [to the culture], the better.”
The AIFS grants scholarships to eligible students and courses are offered in English in the different countries so students who do not know the language are not at a disadvantage. The courses offered for students are for college credit and easily transferable for students whose colleges are affiliated with AIFS. The maximum number of credit hours that can be taken is 15.
College students participating in the study abroad in China program will be taking part in the Beijing program, where they will spend four weeks in the Republic of China’s capital. They will study at the Beijing Language and Culture University and will take an intensive Mandarin Chinese language course. They will also take tours of historic sights in China.
“This program sounds like an excellent opportunity for high school and college students to immerse themselves in the Chinese culture,” Hilary Kinlaw, a junior in arts applications, said. “I believe hands on experiences are the best way to form accurate opinions of different cultures.”
More than 4,000 students study abroad through AIFS each year. According to Mauro, 30-35 students study in China in the summer, but since the semester program is brand new, they expect about 10-15 students. Of course, with programs like these, students have a GPA requirement. For the semester program, a student must have at least a 2.5 GPA; while for the summer program, at least a 2.0 is required.
Mauro said the general answer one would give as to why people should study abroad is “it opens your eyes to more culture and what goes on in the world, more than what you see everyday and in your college.”
“For me, personally, it is the experience of a lifetime. The people you meet and the new experiences you go through are incredible. The things you learn about yourself outside of the classroom are very valuable,” Mauro said.
Mauro said the new programs in China focus on Chinese society and business, including courses about Chinese history, Chinese philosophy and developing economics in China; while other programs in the summer focus on learning Chinese. High Schools and colleges have not yet introduced Chinese into the curriculum, yet Mauro feels that it may happen in the near future.
“I think it’s because it’s a very difficult language to learn [it is not offered in schools] and there are probably not enough qualified teachers in the U.S. to teach Chinese,” Mauro said. There’s probably not enough money from schools’ budgets to teach it. Some high schools are changing their formats to include Chinese, which we will be seeing in the near future.”
Programs like these are continuously growing and an increase of interest in study abroad programs can be seen in students, especially as the U.S. begins to interact more with other countries and cultures. Today’s society brings a wide variety of cultures together and more people are interested in learning about them.
“I love to travel and learn about other cultures so I would definitely participate in a program like this,” Kinlaw said. “This summer, I will be attending the College of Design’s summer study abroad program in Prague. I think as long as you are open-minded about the new culture, your experience there will be life changing.”
