Capital University of Economics and Business Student Testimonials

Degree(s): Sociology/Criminal Justice

Where did you go?: Beijing, China

In what school did you study?: Capital University of Economics and Business (CUEB), Hongmiao Campus

When did you go?: Academic year 2018-2019 (08/25/2018 to 06/30/2019)

What was your prior language knowledge(if applicable)?:I have never tried to learn another language prior to attending the language courses in China.

Have you studied abroad before?: No

Why did you do study abroad?: I studied abroad for the opportunity to explore myself and another culture. I needed a chance to escape my life in Montana. After some personal struggle, a chance to separate myself from that equation gave me a chance to focus on those internal struggles. I also saw China as an opportunity to see the world early on, to see the world now while I am young and fresh and before I really launch into my career. I wanted a way to see the world without having to worry about some of the stresses I went through before I left.

Would you do this again?: Absolutely. China gave me lessons and relationships that I will cherish forever. I would do this again no matter what the cost.

What was your favorite part?:
The relationships and friends and people I met became an overall favorite in the experience. It’s great to see the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, or The Bund but it is more meaningful when you can share those experiences with people you care about and people that have made an impact on the experience you have created abroad. Good or bad, the people in China (expat or domestic) were an underlying tone to the melody that was China, each one providing something new.

What was your least favorite part?:
In some aspects, the worst part was how cut off from home you become. Culture shock aside, the lowest moments were the moments where I couldn’t share this experience with the people I cared about back home. I had opportunities that I was facing alone, and it was not easy to express those moments in China to people 14-15 hours away from me. I fostered those experiences with the people I had in China with me, but you sometimes want to share it with the world and sometimes the world doesn’t listen.

How has study abroad affected your life now?:
Among new traits I have gained, I feel that the biggest way China affected me is my demeanor now. I feel much more passive, much more willing to try new things, a lot more patient with people who are not so patient with me. I have seen a shift in myself as a person, both good and bad, that has balanced me out better than when I left. I guess saying that it was bad would defeat the purpose of the question, but because of how different a person I feel now I like the bad changes with the good ones. It shows I have grown. A good example is the differences in traffic or waiting queues. As simple as these tasks are, I don’t feel myself watching the clock to know when I will be home or looking at my DMV number in hopeful expectation that my number will skip 30 ahead so I can be next. It has given me a chance to pay more attention to the surroundings around me, and more appreciative of those moments where I can think on who and what I am as a person. I know it sounds super deep and it might be a bit more serious than one could imagine, but China has done a lot for me as a person.

What did you learn, outside of academics, from your study abroad experience?:

Outside of academics, and the aforementioned answer, I learned about China at its roots. The history, the music, the traditions, the holidays, the night life, the day to day mundane chores/tasks, the differences in people, the similarities in people. All of it. I found that every day I learned a new thing about this vast country, and I feel that I only scratched the surface of what is offered. I found that the history and the last 3,000 years of China is so vast that you can’t learn about it in such a short time. The night life, the music, the holidays and celebrations all provided to me the joy of the Chinese people, outside of nights in a club and inside the hearts and minds of a people who just want to share with everyone who they are as a people.

What advice you would offer students interested in studying abroad?:

Three things:

1. Research. Know what you want to get yourself involved with. The Study Abroad office on MSUB’s main campus is a great resource, but have an idea what you want to get out of the experience. If it is for you, make it about you. I can say that the last year abroad fulfilled a degree requirement, but it did not forward my degree too much. This was for me, that is why I did it. You might want to study abroad for your degree, or for a class, but as long as you know why you want to go abroad, that is 10 steps ahead of anyone else who wants to do this.

2. Commit. Don’t just talk about it. Do it. Start the process and see where it takes you. You will know if it doesn’t feel right, you will know if it does. But if you keep it as an idea in the back of your mind then you won’t go anywhere. Studying abroad is like running; You can run on a treadmill all you like, but until you get out there and explore you won’t know what you are truly capable of doing and seeing.

3. Reach out. Tell your friends and family, talk to your teachers, tell the people in your life you are doing this. Keep those connections close and use that support as a bolstering push in the right direction. Not only will you be supported by the Office of International Studies at MSUB but you will have personal support that goes a long way. It helps and it gives you a chance to know the kind of support that exists for a decision like this. People want you to see the world, so take the chance to listen.