Jamie in China

First Name:

Jamie

Last Name:

Tirrell

Class Year:

Junior

Contact E-mail:

jtirrell@umich.edu

Location:

Beijing, Xi'an, and Tianjin

Country:

China

Term(s) Abroad:

SpSu 2007

Affiliation:

University of Michigan

How did you find this program?:

I went to China with the GIEU program through U of M. I heard about GIEU through various e-mails and decided to look into it and other study abroad options by contacting Sandra Wiley. I chose the GIEU because I didn't have a particular place in mind to go and there were many options within the program.

Courses Taken:

I didn't take any courses before hand, but GIEU gives 2 credits for the study abroad experience. It is listed as course UC 275.

Fluency Required?:

Luckily we stayed with English majoring Chinese students who spoke English very well. Therefore it wasn't necessary to speak Chinese. I learned some basic Chinese such as Hi, very good, thank you, you're welcome, etc.

Would you recommend this program? :

I would definitely recommend GIEU. I wish I would have been involved every year I was in school. The cost of the program is $1,400 plus airfare and spending money. However, you are hired as an intern through the University so you are paid for your time abroad. I received around $1,000 for three weeks in China. Plus, along with learning and taking classes, we did a lot of sight-seeing.

Advice:

Be extremely open-minded when going to another country. Expect things to be different and be willing to adjust yourself accordingly.

Will this help you in your profession?:

I am actually considering going to graduate school outside of the United States now. Because I am not fluent in any forgien language I would have to go to an English-speaking country.

Comments:

Just a lot of thanks to Sandra Wiley who helped me in my decision to go abroad. And to the department of Kinesiology for giving me a scholarship and making it more affordable for me to have this experience.