Beijing

A message from Colin Speakman, Director of China Programs

Dear Students:
There has never been a more important time to learn about China, and the CAPA Beijing Program has been designed to give you a very personal and exciting opportunity to understand just why.

We have now entered 2012, China’s auspicious “Year of the Dragon”, and the world is facing many challenges including economic difficulties across the planet. Conversely, China has achieved a remarkable 32 years of near double digit growth since reform and opening-up to the West in 1978. This year the Chinese economy is expected to grow by at least 8% and may well contribute to over half of world growth. Beijing is the seat of power for the world’s fastest growing economy and has become one of the most influential political capitals of the world. Students studying with CAPA in Beijing are able to learn first-hand about China's growth through the Chinese Economic Development: 1978 Onwards course offered every semester and summer.

A recent survey of citizens in China and the U.S. showed that 60% of Chinese believe that their country will become the leading global power in the future. Notably 42% of U.S. citizens also think the same about China! President Obama has said that “the U.S.’s relationship with China is the most important of the 21st Century,” and his administration has established a goal to see 100,000 Americans studying in China over the next four years.

China and its global importance are not easy to fully grasp. Its production and exportation of many of the world’s goods, rapidly expanding economy, growing consumption of natural resources, and entanglements with the global financial system create a complex love-hate relationship that western media loves to sensationalize. To understand China and truly appreciate this importance, it is necessary to see it, breathe it and live it!

The CAPA Beijing Program does not require you to have prior knowledge of Mandarin as many of our courses are in English and designed for students wishing to study China through relevant courses.  We do offer all levels of Chinese language for students who are interested in pursuing Mandarin as a much sought after future skill.

CAPA’s specialized course on Beijing as a Global City is uniquely designed to help you explore and analyze Beijing as a global power. This is achieved by getting you out of the classroom and into the city to understand how Beijing fits into the global scene.  One of the other ways CAPA helps you engage with the local culture is through our innovative MyEducation initiative.  Students get a calendar of events that they can choose how they want to learn about Beijing and China.  This is done in many ways including guest lectures on relevant topics, guided excursions, and opportunities to engage with the local culture throughout Beijing.  In addition, the program includes an extended excursion to Shanghai as a way of exploring another global city in China!

The importance of understanding China as a boost to your career cannot be overstated.  Its importance on the global scene is only going to increase. CAPA’s internship program in Beijing allows you to add a cultural and professional development dimension to your study of China. The internship can be done in either English or Mandarin, or both.  For a more detailed look at how China’s relationship with the West has developed, see my recent article in the China English national newspaper China Daily – and look for more each month.

The CAPA Beijing team is looking forward to welcoming you to China and giving you what could be a truly life-changing experience.  An opportunity like this does not come along that often, and we hope you will choose to be part of it.

See you soon!

Colin Speakman

Director of China Programs
CAPA International Education

CAPA has an extensive network of internship sites available in Beijing. Students can intern whether they are fluent in Mandarin or just learning the language.

Internships are available in businesses of every kind, as well as nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations. Our local staff visits each CAPA internship site, many of which are frequent recipients of CAPA interns. Students are placed in sites within commuting distance of the center that best meet their individual interests, abilities and academic background. To learn about specific placements for your major, call a CAPA Student Admissions Counselor at 1-800-793-0334.

Starting an internship abroad with CAPA

Students participate in an interactive seminar to prepare them for their internship experience. Group orientation exercises are used to examine issues of culture and integration, and focused individual sessions examine site-specific information. All internships are contingent upon a successful interview with the internship-host organization, which will take place right after the student’s arrival and orientation. A seminar on interview techniques is presented prior to the interview.

Internship students participate in a seminar series entitled “Learning through Internships.” Faculty act as internship mentors to ensure that participants have academic guidance during their internships. Students produce papers, write reflective journals, and make oral presentations examining the real learning that occurs during their programs. Students produce a portfolio at the end of the internship that must meet clear academic criteria in order for the student to attain credit for the internship.

CAPA internships provide lasting results

Students are monitored throughout their internships to ensure that they are receiving appropriate training and guidance. At the end of each session, students evaluate their experience. These evaluations are shared with their home campus.

What is MyEducation?

MyEducation offers intentionally defined pathways through the city: means of engaging with the urban environment in ways that are relevant to your studies and interests. The intention is to empower you to make specific connections between classroom theory and the outside world.

CAPA developed our MyEducation program to help you select cultural experiences that are relevant to your academic courses and personal learning goals abroad. Events, activities, and reflective sessions are identified and designed around significant themes such as Community and People, Government and Power, Landscape and Time, Diversity and Identity, and Arts and Culture. Participation in these activities will give you an intelligent, well-rounded, and in-depth perspective on the global city where you are studying.

You will have the opportunity to choose from a range of activities with varying styles of presentation. This allows you to pick a session that speaks to you and your way of learning.

Some examples of MyEducation sessions offered in Beijing:

• Historical tour of the Great Wall of China
• Visit to the museum of the Chinese revolution
• Workshops on Chinese cooking, calligraphy, and Tai chi chuan
• Educational visit to the Confucius Temple
• Guest lecture on Chinese dynastical history

The CAPA Beijing Program also includes a multi-day MyEducation excursion to Shanghai. This visit, included in the program fee, includes high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai, accommodation in the Puxi district in shared twin accommodation, all breakfasts and some group meals, a CAPA escort, cultural and educational visits in Puxi and Pudong, and flight back to Beijing. This visit is an excellent way to explore a second Global City in China, with plenty of opportunities to learn about and reflect on the impact Shanghai has on the rest of China.

This style of learning is a unique and valuable opportunity to make the most out of your time studying in another country.

How does it work?

When students arrive in Beijing, they are presented with a MyEducation calendar. The MyEducation calendar is designed for you by local staff and faculty as a way of helping you get the most out of your time in your study abroad destination. MyEducation brings theory to life and offers a unique and valuable opportunity to make the most out of your time studying in another country.

MyEducation activities are either staff-led or self-directed. Every week, one item will be selected as the MyEducation Event of the Week, and further information will be given on this highlighted event in hand-outs and in a weekly email, delivered directly to your inbox!

Some CAPA professors integrate MyEducation activities into their courses and assessment, so that you may have an opportunity to reflect upon, write about, and present your experiences. MyEducation is also an excellent mechanism to develop areas of interest that may be extended into an application for the CAPA Record of Achievement.

What do students say about MyEducation?

“With the CAPA MyEducation weekly visits I was able to visit so many sites. We were constantly on the go. . . .  It is something anyone would have to experience in person to believe.”-Sachelle Taylor, Chatham University, Beijing Summer 2011

With  CAPA you will learn about real people and real issues in the location where you live, work, and study.

CAPA delivers academic excellence along with a complete cultural experience at an affordable price. The following is included in the program fee for the CAPA Beijing Program:

Tuition
Semester programs earn 12 to 15 credits (maximum of 3 credits for an internship). During the summer you can earn 6 to 9 credits (3 credits for language, 3 credits for a contextual course taught in English, and 3 credits for an internship). Credit comes from the State University of New York at Oswego, our School of Record in Beijing.

Internship Placement
Optional 3 credit-hour internships are available for all students in any major field of study at no additional cost. The internships can be in Mandarin Chinese or in English.

Housing and Meals
Students live at the international student residence at Capital Normal University, or if they are studying at the intermediate Mandarin level or above, they can also live in a homestay with a Chinese family.

• CNU Housing: Each room has an en-suite bathroom and Internet access. The residence has a bookstore, business center, cafe, laundry, fitness center, dining hall, restaurants, and a convenience store. Students will receive a weekly RMB 350 meal stipend to help cover the cost of meals. Students may store food in a small refrigerator in each bedroom and if they wish cook in the separate kitchens at the end of each floor.  In the streets bordering on the campus students will find many inexpensive local Chinese restaurants.
• Homestays: Students studying at the intermediate Mandarin level or above can choose to live in a homestay with a Chinese family. Homestays are a fantastic way to engage culturally with Chinese people and improve language skills. Homestays are located in residential areas, within commuting distance of CNU using the included transit card. Students will have their own room, access to laundry, and breakfast and dinner is provided by the hosts. There is no additional meal stipend. Homestays carry an additional supplement fee of $500 for the summer and $1,500 for the semester.

Local Transportation
Each student will receive a pre-paid travel pass that provides access to the Beijing metro and buses.

Excursions
Full-day excursion to the Summer Palace and the Great Wall of China.

A study visit to Shanghai to include high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai, accommodation in the Puxi district in shared twin accommodation, all breakfasts and some group meals, a CAPA escort, cultural and educational visits in Puxi and Pudong, and flight back to Beijing. This excursion is four days, three nights and is only offered during the fall and spring semesters.

Student Events
Social events including an arrival reception, mid-term dinner (semesters only), and a farewell ceremony.

MyEducation Beijing
MyEducation is CAPA’s unique learning immersion program, which blends local culture and top-notch academics into the experience of a lifetime for our students. A proven education program that combines theme based learning with unique cultural experiences turning Beijing into your classroom.

Insurance
All CAPA students receive our medical, travel, and accident insurance.

CAPA Services and Support
The CAPA Beijing team is available throughout your program to assist and support you. Students can also contact the 24 hour emergency cell phone for any urgent situations outside of office hours.

Do you have questions? Are ready to start an application? The CAPA Admissions team is ready to help! Submit an inquiry form or give us a call at 1-800-793-0334 and one of our outstanding Student Advisors will answer any question you have. The Student Advisors will be able to answer any questions you may have on our programs, explain the application process and help you start preparing for your exciting international experience!

Our Student Advisor is:

Jim Parsons

Once you start an application, you will be introduced to your Student Admissions Counselor that will work with you throughout the application process. Your Student Admissions Counselor will track your application and will ensure you meet all deadlines. CAPA’s online enrollment is easy-to-use and paper free! However, only students applying directly through CAPA and not through your home institution should apply online. If your institution has a customized CAPA program, please enroll in your program through your study abroad office.

Your Student Admissions Counselors are:

Kristin Vaccaro

Nicole Couturiaux

Here are the steps for submitting your application:

1. Fill out your online application
2. Send CAPA the additional paper work to complete your application (see the application instructions).
3. Once CAPA has submitted your full application, you will hear about your acceptance within 48 hours.
4. If you are accepted, you will receive instructions about how to secure your space on the program.

If you intend to do an internship and need help with your cover letter or resume (CV), please visit your Career Services Office or click on these helpful guides to writing a resume and cover letter.

The Admission’s team will walk you through how to personalize your CAPA program starting from the initial stages of filling out your application. In addition you will find helpful information to help you budget for your program fees and personal expenses while abroad as well as opportunities to apply for scholarships to help fund your experience. To learn more directly from students who have attended a CAPA program, visit the CAPA Ambassador and testimonials sections.

CAPA is here to help every step of the way! Please give us a call today if you have any questions! 1.800.793.0334