Before Studying Abroad

In the last semester of sophomore year, CHEN Zishen, WANG Jinglin and ZHANG Zuo are busy preparing for their IELTS Test. And CHEN Yingming is occupied with improving her spoken English. They are students of the International Program of GDUFS, who will soon go abroad to study at Lancaster University for two years.

There are three main reasons why they chose to be a student of the 2+2 Program. Firstly, GDUFS has several excellent international programs with a well-known reputation. The program attracted them. In addition, their results of the College Entrance Examination were not that satisfying. Finally, they prefer the idea of going abroad to staying at a Chinese university. They believed that studying at a foreign university will help broaden their horizons.

“The environment is beautiful and it surprised me that there are so many girls”, CHEN Zishen said when talking about his first impression of GDUFS. The four students have had interesting experiences at the university. They had fun joining clubs or societies, and made a lot of friends. “The experience does me help improve myself”, WANG Jinglin mentioned. She is the Head of Student Life Department, which aims to improve the quality of students’ life at the university.

The Scene of the Interview

WANG Jinglin during the interview

As for the advantages of studying at GDUFS, they said the university had a good academic atmosphere. In addition to that, access to spoken English is available more easily. “There are outstanding students at GDUFS,” said CHEN Yingming; “they have set an example to us.”

CHEN Yingming Speaking

The Scene of the Interview

Everyone will encounter difficulties when they first live in a new place. The students worry that it will be hard to adjust to the new environment. To fit in with people around them, they will learn more about the culture and history of the host country.

After finishing their study at Lancaster University, some said they would look to study a postgraduate courses, whereas others hoped they could find a good job abroad.