Details

• China
• MAMgmt-14
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

The application process was quite easy. Always make sure that you would go to every university on your preference list to avoid disappointments or risk your semester abroad completely. Make sure to download all the necessary Apps before going to China, such as AliPay, WeChat, DiDi, and Amap (Chinese Maps).

2. Accommodation

You don't necessarily need to rent an accommodation upfront. I booked a hotel for the first few nights and was on the look for a longterm stay after my arrival. Here it is useful to ask people who went to Shanghai before for some contacts of housing agencies. Finding an apartment there took me two days. Some agencies/ landlords only rent out to students who finished their bachelor studies no longer than 2 years ago. Other than that it is recommended to look for an apartment in an area between campus and downtown. I lived in Hongkou and the location was perfect (25 min to campus, 30 min to the city). Also, be prepared to rent a place for 6 months even though you might not need it - shorter periods are rarely offered. Here are some apartments to check out: Some friends stayed in the 1515 Apartments, which is a private student dorm. Affordable, but very simple and not the most modern BaseLite: modern, many international students, quite modern G Chuang Apartments: that's a private apartment building where I stayed. Quite modern, helpful staff, no cleaning service, good location and nice area with many food shops, malls, and a nice park

3. Academic life at host university

The campus is quite huge and has multiple canteens with different food styles, convenience stores, cafes, and sports areas. It was convenient to ride a bike on campus due to its size. SEM building is just a tall glass building, but also nice. Teaching level is way below WU I would say. One professor couldn't even speak English and the course was more of a English learning lesson for him than a class for us. Two professors were very "sceptical" towards western countries and their leadership, but that was actually interesting to experience. 3 out of 4 classes that I took had a written exam at the end of the semester, in one course the final exam was even on January 8th, when almost everybody else already finished their exchange semester. Teaching style strongly depended on the course/professor, but they always tried to make it as interactive as possible. All in all my courses were alright and you didn't have to do much during the semester, but the final grading was questionable in two cases.

5. Every day life in the host country

China is super safe and the people are very kind and interested. If you need help, you will always find somebody to help you. Even though the language barrier is extremely high (almost nobody speaks English), you'll get along quite well. Many Chinese have a good translator app on their phones - and I strongly recommend to install one on your phone too! Public transport is cheap and easy to understand. You pay your Metro fares with your AliPay QR code. Besides Metro, there are tons of rentable bikes on the side of the streets which are cheap and very cool do ride with, because you see a lot of the city in a short time. Shanghai is huge, so be prepared to ride the Metro for 30-50 minutes easily. The Metro is very clean and not too crowded, but the last train departs at around 11 pm. After that you have to take a DiDi (like Uber), which is super cheap. For example, a 1h15 ride to the airport costs around 17 Euros. But don't overuse DiDi as I did in my first few days. Spending 12 Euros a day for taxi can add up to quite a sum in the end... I had a gym membership which cost me 45 Euros for 3 months. Going to the gym is highly recommended as you will see a lot of funny things (people walking backwards on the treadmill, doing their work out in a business suit, etc.)

6. Testimonial

My exchange semester in Shanghai was an incredible experience. The city has so much energy, is very clean, and offers a wide variety of things to explore: from a unique skyline to traditional neighborhoods, bars, and cafés. You always discover new places, even if you’ve already walked through the same district several times. Chinese people are very welcoming, and it’s easy to connect with them, especially when going out at night. Traveling through China is also absolutely worth it, every trip was special and a lot of fun. I would choose Shanghai as the destination for my exchange semester again without hesitation.