“Studying is an easy aspect of studying aboard to neglect. While we all came here as exchange students knowing that we would have to go to class and study as if we were at home, it’s very easy to get swept up in the exciting and new environment around you and forget all about classes.

Last week we had midterms that counted for seventy percent of our grade. We had four midterms in total covering each of our class. If I had been asked a week before midterms what helped improve my Chinese language skills the most while in China I would have said it had been my day to day interactions with the people in my area. It was not until I started studying for my midterms that I realized why my interactions with people in China had helped improved my Chinese language skills so dramatically.

Every lesson I learned in class gave me the foundation I needed so that I was able to build on it through my daily activities. I never noticed before how dependent the amount I learned outside of the classroom was on what I learned inside the classroom. The material I was taught inside of my different classes allowed me to retain the information I received outside of them.

While studying for our exams last week was both stressful and tedious, it gave us the chance to reflect on how far we have come in such a short while. What I will take away from last week’s midterms is to appreciate the study aspect of study abroad because despite the fact that the classes can be difficult at times, they have greatly influenced my experience in China and have pushed me to strengthen my skills and understanding of the Chinese language.” -Marquisha