Stories from Abroad

Although there were a few hiccups in the middle of the internship, the impression of the training was great. I gained not only a unique university experience at Beijing Jiaotong University, but I also gained like-minded teachers and classmates. For me, this internship was like a social lesson. I learned a lot fr om it, such as how to get along with professors at a Chinese university, how to adapt to a different learning experience, and of course how to brainstorm with my fellow students at BJTU and how we ended up presenting a group work together.

All these experiences have made me a better version of myself and a better job. During this internship, through the academic discussions with professors and fellow students, I have a clearer idea of my future research direction, a clear framework of what I want to do in the future, a new goal for myself, and of course a new challenge, but I am not afraid of challenges I will meet them.

About difficulties before departure
It is inevitable that you will encounter new challenges and difficulties in a new place. I think the main problem I had at BJTU was that I could not get accurate first-hand information, and some of the information I needed to get was through my classmates' classmates. For example, when I was taking some classes, some teachers changed their teachers' information or changed their hours, and we were not able to get it first, which led to missing or wasting a trip.

I think my suggestion for this is that we would like to be matched with a teacher at the university wh ere we are doing our internship who would be responsible for the exchange of students so that it would save us a lot of time and increase our efficiency.

Also, the teacher in charge of our school did not take care of the costs of the exchange university, which caused us to miss the right start time and of course caused us financial losses, which I would not like to see. I believe that an exchange is an exchange program between students from different schools and that a 'student exchange' is a program that aims to improve mutual understanding and respect between people from different regions and countries and to develop a world view among young people.

If we have to pay for expensive credits during the exchange, it cannot be called an exchange itself. So I hope that the school will pay attention to this and strengthen the communication between the school leaders and the different schools to achieve the best cooperation. I believe that our school is the best school and we are able to improve when there are problems, which is the key to success in a good university.

For future participants in academic mobility, I have a few points to make:
Firstly, in the future, you will encounter challenges and difficulties, large and small, and all you need to do is to rise to the occasion, learn to think calmly, and find solutions to problems. I don't think anyone wants to go through setbacks, but I don't think they are terrible, they give us the opportunity to rethink and give us the strength to grow. A person who has stood the test of time and withstood it, you see they have the resilience in themselves and the experience to deal with tough things.

Secondly, it is definitely not easy to adapt to a new environment, but we should adapt to new life and new things as soon as possible and learn to teach new friends because they will help you to get over the discomfort of a new environment much sooner. Find out more about the beauty of life and develop more of your own interests so that you can make good friends with people who share your interests.

Thirdly, you must be open-minded, take my experience at Beijing Jiaotong University, my classmates at Beijing Jiaotong University are more and more excellent, they are high achievers, we must be open-minded, discuss with them often you will gain a lot but premise is that you must be humble, I gained a lot at Beijing Jiaotong University, also let me know exactly which area I want to work in the future, which area of research, and It's not just anyone who can inspire you.
I think that's all the advice I have, I hope my advice can help you.

Suggestions for future academic mobility program participants on getting a visa
I am in fact a Chinese national, I am on exchange at a Chinese university and I do not need a visa. I'm sorry that I can't advise the university on this. But I can give some visa advice to students who are going on exchange. Remember that no matter what happens we must talk to the teachers in charge of our school, they are our strongest support, and of course, we have a good school behind us to protect us. It is important to get your visa in advance as the requirements vary from country to country and the sooner you do so the better.

My expenses of the overseas internship
I had to pay a lot of fees during my internship, not to mention the money for transport, but the most expensive was the cost of accommodation during my stay at the school and the cost of credits due to the teachers who were not communicating properly.

So I hope that the school will take communication more seriously, or at least not have a situation like this again. The food at my exchange school was not that expensive, the school had a partnership with the local government so the food was very cheap and varied, which was great and gave me a taste of different Chinese regions, which I loved. Public transport is very cheap as China has a complex and convenient transport network and it is very easy and cheap to get around.

As for tips on how to save money, I think we should plan how much money we should spend each month and then break down how much money we need to spend each month.

For example, how much money I need to spend on clothes, food, accommodation, travel, and the fact that there are all kinds of local offers, so we should learn to look at local offers and you will save a lot of money. If the school can let us cook our own meals, that would be another great way to save money on food.

During my study in Beijing Jiaotong University, I worked as an English teacher and a model, which increased my social experience and earned my first bucket of gold in life, which is a very valuable experience.

About challenges
The biggest difficulty I encountered in Beijing Jiaotong University was dealing with local students. They are all excellent people, and I can only become good friends with them by trying to be as good as they are. After arriving there was no suffering. Thank my classmates for helping me a lot. Maybe I need some interpersonal relationships.

Suggestions for future academic mobility program participants
This is simple, just do it. I suggest future students to take part in more exchange programs, so that they can make more good friends and enrich their life experience.

Your tips to reduce costs.
The living cost in Beijing Jiaotong University is not very high. For accommodation, we live in the international student apartment, which is the highest dormitory in Beijing University. The price is 1600 rmb per month for a single room with a bathroom, compared with the price of 5000 rmb per month in Beijing. I didn't want to spend too much money from my family, instead, I will spend my spare time in Beijing Jiaotong University to work and earn money.

Not only learned about the differences between Chinese and Russian education, but also made friends there...

What have you achieved?

I appreciate the exchange experience. It's a great opportunity. Through this chance, I developed more regular learning habits and learned about China's university education system. During the one-year exchange study in Beijing Jiaotong University, I successfully improved my learning ability and had a clearer goal for the future. Through various courses, I have learned a wealth of knowledge. I worked with students from Beijing Jiaotong University to do group work, which enhanced my practice of cooperative learning and improved my communication skills.

Can you provide suggestions for future academic mobility program participants?

In the early stage of exchange study, we first need to adapt to the learning environment there. Secondly, we should get to know the students of Beijing Jiaotong University quickly so that we can do group work together. In addition, we need to master the teaching methods there as soon as possible and adjust the learning style. Although, we ran into some problems. But counselors and teachers helped us solve these problems as quickly as possible and fit us into the college environment. My advice to future participants in academic mobility programs is not to be afraid of questions and obstacles, but to actively engage with teachers who will help you.

Describe your visa process.

Since I am a Chinese national, I do not need to apply for a visa for exchange study in China. However, if necessary, you can find the relevant documents for visa processing on the official website of the embassy.

Difficulties did you encounter when you came to overseas institutions?

I did not encounter any major difficulties in my exchange study at Beijing Jiaotong University. However, due to the pandemic, we delayed the opening of the school and prepared many procedures, such as nucleic acid certificate and vaccine certificate. Also, I suggest you bring some bedding and short-term toiletries, in case you don't have time to pick them up during your first days on campus.

About cost of the overseas internship

I don't need to apply for a visa, so I'm not sure about the fees. I took the high-speed train to Beijing. The ticket cost about 400 yuan. The accommodation is very good and the living expenses are about 2000 yuan a month. Textbooks can be purchased online or in the school second-hand group, which is very convenient. As for the food, I am a little worried about it, but the school provides a halal canteen, which is very convenient for me. Transportation, out of the subway and bus, very convenient. Ticket prices are based mainly on distance. As long as you do not often go out to spend, shopping, will not have too high expenses.

Beijing Jiaotong University is a university with high quality teaching, so I was honored to be able to study there as an exchange student. During the study period, I experienced a lot of interesting things. I learnt not only a lot of professional knowledge, but at the same time, my mentality was improved. This experience also had an impact on my study planning afterwards, allowing me to better think about how I should study in the next time and which area I should focus on for my research.

Main challenges did during the preparation stage

At first, I was worried that I would not be able to integrate well into BJTU because I was entering an unfamiliar environment. But when I arrived at BJTU, I found that my worries were superfluous because the teachers and students here are very welcoming. We arrived at Beijing Jiaotong University a few days later than the normal start time, so some classes were already in session. When the teacher of the relevant major course learned of this, she immediately contacted us, gave us the course materials for the few classes we had missed, and then told us to call her anytime if we had any questions. That's how we quickly made up for the knowledge we had left behind. So my advice is that when you arrive in an unfamiliar environment, don't be too nervous, communicate with the school and the teacher if you have any difficulties, and they will help you!

Visa process.

I'm Chinese and then I'm studying at a Chinese university, so I don't need to deal with visa stuff. If you want to know more about visa things, you can call and ask the consulate. Or even easier, you can find a good visa agency and they will help you.

Challenges after arriving to overseas institutions

In general I didn't have any very bad difficulties. If anything, I think it was during the time when the new coronavirus was severe. When I was studying at Beijing Jiaotong University, the new coronavirus was very serious, so we had to stay at school for a while. Under such circumstances, students inevitably felt very drained. But my friends and I were not unhappy about it. We often went for walks in the playground, played badminton, or sat on the playground reading extracurricular books and so on. You are bound to encounter some difficulties in your life as an exchange student, but I hope you will be able to make fun of the bitterness, even if you find things difficult at the moment, but keep an optimistic attitude, because the difficulties will be solved!

My cost during overseas internship
I'm Chinese, so I didn't need to get a visa or buy a ticket, etc. I went to Beijing Jiaotong University by high speed train and it cost about 200 RMB. During the exchange program at Beijing Jiaotong University, we basically ate in the cafeteria and it cost about 20-30 RMB a day. If we had to go out, we would take the bus, which cost about 10 RMB for a round trip. If we talk about tips to reduce the cost, I think we can take the bus more often and then take a cab when there are special circumstances. Then you can agree with your friends on the number of times to go out to parties, usually we eat in the cafeteria and occasionally go out to parties together.

What is the overall impression of the internship?

     The experience of studying at Beijing Jiaotong University has been very helpful to me. During this time, I learned about a new teaching system and improved my academic level and developed good study habits. During this year, I learned not only about my major, but also got the opportunity to learn other professional knowledge. After studying different subjects, I got more clear about the direction I want to study in the future and what I am currently lacking. Especially through some essay assignments, my writing and logical thinking skills have improved and I understand more about how to write a good essay.

     What difficulties did you encounter in the preparation stage of your internship?

     I divided the preparation phase into two parts, one is preparing the application and the other is preparing to leave for the school.
     During the application preparation phase, I struggled with the paperwork I needed for my application. Because you need to dig out the points that make you a good match for the school and say why you are the best person for the job, it takes some time, but it is not insurmountable. I suggest that when you write your essay, you can write down the characteristics that the school is looking for in a person, then go through and analyze whether you possess that characteristic and recall relevant examples to use to support it. When preparing to go to school, due to the epidemic, we need to prepare some documents and understand the epidemic prevention and control measures, but you don't need to worry about it, there are teachers to help you with these issues, and if you have other problems you can ask them for help and they will be happy to help you.

     Describe your visa process. Provide suggestions for future academic mobility program participants.
     Since I am Chinese and the school I applied to is in China, I don't need to get a visa. However, if you have questions about visas, you can consult the Chinese embassy in your area.

     What difficulties did you encounter when you came to overseas institutions?
     I didn't have any difficulties when I was at Beijing Jiaotong University. However, one small problem is that the campus is quite large and has several doors and buildings, which can make it easy to get lost when you first arrive. For this problem, the school may have teachers or classmates to show you around the campus, but I would prefer to use navigation software or a school map, which is much easier and faster.

    Cost of my overseas internship
       I don't need to get a visa so I don't know how much the visa fee is. It costs about 300 RMB to travel from my place to Beijing by high speed train. The dormitory is a double room with private bathroom, and there is a common kitchen on each floor, the dormitory fee is 6000 RMB per semester. In addition to that, the school will charge you a course selection fee based on the number of credits you take, which is 300 RMB per credit. In terms of living, you can take the bus and subway to get around, and the fare is usually only a few yuan. If you want to save money you can eat in the school cafeteria instead of ordering take-out and going to restaurants. Entrance fees to visit attractions in Beijing are also not expensive and there are some free attractions. All in all, it is possible to live on about 2000 RMB a month.