IBS Summer China: Beijing & Shanghai

IBS did a great job getting us in with companies that not only provided a lot of information on business/living in China, but with people who are clearly passionate about their jobs and open to speaking to students. They also did a great job planning out tours for us and providing information and recommendations for us to do on our free day. The staff with us also did a great job at keeping us informed on any schedule changes and made sure to communicate them with us during the trip. I also enjoyed that they made sure we would have an afternoon free on days of company visits so we could still explore the cities later in the day. The staff at IBS did an amazing job at working with a group of us when our flight got canceled and helped us keep track of our luggage and even make a schedule change so we wouldn't miss a company visit. All in all, a fun trip and a great experience.

The 11 day trip allows you enough time to get used to being a new country but not so long that you have to give up responsibilities at home. Having a full-time job makes other study abroad opportunities too difficult to make work. IBS offers shorter trips that allow you to learn and also become a great traveler. Its also great being thrown into a new environment with people you don't really know and making friendships and bonds with new people. Its also great that there is time to have our own time and also group activities. The activities that are provided show the rich history of China that many travelers aren't aware of. The hotel accommodations are also wonderful. You have the freedom to do things on your own or with friends you've made.

For someone to go to China, they would need to purchase a plane ticket and a hotel reservation. They would have to do a search for tourist hotspots, and maybe even talk to someone who has recently been to China for tips on great places to see. While this would surely be an amazing experience, it would be pale in comparison to what IBS offers students.

IBS took care of the flights, hotel stays, and ensured we were at a hotel with great safety ratings, internet for those important messages back home to Mom, and free breakfast every morning. Any travel company can do this for you, but what they cannot do is put you in contact with high-level managers from global companies (Earnst & Young, Coca-Cola, and Lenovo to name a few) and allow you to tour these companies and see what a variety of "typical" businesses in China are like. One gentleman we spoke to even extended internship offers in his company to American students who were willing to stay in China the following year and teach English to young Chinese students.

They not only gave the students the opportunity to see and ask questions to nine Chinese businesses, but offered daily tour opportunities during free time at a discounted rate (so we could also have the "tourist experience" in addition to the business experience).

I highly recommend IBS Trips due to their organization, safety, and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities!

The Summer China program was a great way to get your feet wet when it comes to Asian culture. Through this program we traveled to Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and more. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the cities, learning about a different culture, and meeting business leaders from around the world. Wandering through Shanghai was an experience I'll never forget. I can't wait to go back in the future!