Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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REQUIREMENTS & COURSES

GPA requirements are set by your home institution. You must meet these requirements to be able to study abroad.

The transcripts will be in a letter grade, but it is your home institution that will decide if they will transfer letter grades back to your home institution. Please consult your school’s policy or visit the study abroad office.

To ensure that course credits will transfer back, your courses must be pre-approved before you are admitted into a G-MEO program. During the application process, you are responsible for meeting with academic advisors, study abroad officers or anyone else at your home institution that can approve your courses. G-MEO will help you through this process.

The School of Record offers courses that our students take. G-MEO’s Principal Partners provides the course syllabi as approved by the Academic Steering Committee, which ensures high academic standards.

G-MEO courses can be applied towards your major, as long as you receive pre-approval. When you are meeting with home institution advisors about approving your courses, be sure to ask how the course credit will transfer back to understand if you can receive major credit.

China is a big country and Chengdu and Shanghai bear quite different cultural heritage and character. The Chengdu American Center for Study Abroad has year-round programs, from semester-long options to summer internship and course options. The G-MEO Shanghai Center currently offers one summer course program. Both places offer wonderful opportunities to live and learn in China, so if you can’t decide on just one city, why not join G-MEO’s One Program, Two Cities experience where you can combine two summer sessions that spans over both cities? Program dates and fees vary, so please refer to your program of interest’s specific information page. Be sure that the courses you’d like to take are available at your campus of choice.

Different levels reflect the difference in price of hotel options. For Chengdu summer programs, you can decide between Level I and Level II hotel housing. Level I is the Rujia Hotel Plus option and a little more expensive, while Level II is the standard Rujia Hotel option. Both are within walking distance to campus and the Chengdu American Center and both include free hotel breakfast. The Shanghai program housing is similar but there is no free breakfast for either option available. See photos on the Living in Chengdu webpage here and in Shanghai here.

APPLICATION PROCESS

You can reach out to your G-MEO representative by email or phone. If you are not sure who your G-MEO representative is, please email info@g-meo.com to speak to someone who can help answer your questions.

Please be aware that your university might have a different deadline for applying to study abroad. Please make sure you do not miss the deadline of your home institution as it’s usually earlier than our deadline dates. G-MEO’s Fall semester and Summer programs deadline is April 15. The Spring semester deadline is November 1. Summer participants are eligible for Early Bird discounts if they complete an application and pay the non-refundable deposit by December 10 for 15% off total tuition or March 1 for 10% off total tuition.

FINANCIAL & SCHOLARSHIP

G-MEO aims to support students in all aspects, including providing scholarships and awards to help ease finances. If you are concerned about making payment by the invoice issued date, please contact your G-MEO representative.

Your home institution is responsible for certifying your financial aid. Most students are able to carry your federal financial aid while studying abroad during your semester abroad, as long as the credits they earn are approved by their home institution. Some universities even allow you to use all your financial aid toward a semester overseas experience. For summer, you can apply for additional Pell grant. Please contact your financial aid office for more details.

G-MEO offers an array of scholarships and awards for semester and summer programs. There are also external scholarships, like the Gilman Scholarship, that you can apply for. In addition, your home institution may have scholarships available. Please visit the Scholarships page to learn more.

How much money you spend depends on the program and your eating habits and lifestyle. You’ll go over more on budgeting during the pre-departure process, including but not limited to living expenses, books, airfare, meals, passport, visa, local transportation, cell phone, and housing deposit. If you’d like an estimated cost of attendance, please contact your G-MEO representative.

Included activities and excursions vary depending on the program. During the semester, a 4-day group excursion to another Chinese city is included in the program. Other activities that may be included in your program are cultural events like the world-famous Sichuan Opera, the Chengdu Panda Research Base, calligraphy practice, tea ceremonies, hikes, tai chi with a master, dumpling making, celebrating holidays with locals, and more! Sometimes, there are other activities available but not covered by the program fee. The local staff will let you know what is covered and what is not.

PRE-DEPARTURE

Yes. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the last date of your program. If you need to renew or obtain a passport for the first time, please start this process immediately. It can take up to a few weeks and you cannot apply for a visa without a passport.

G-MEO does not book plane tickets for students. You may want to check with your home institution’s study abroad office if they are organizing a group flight. Usually the earlier you book your flight ticket, the cheaper.

Start and end dates vary depending on the program. Check online or contact a G-MEO representative for exact dates. You should arrive on the listed program start date, between 7am and 11pm if possible. If you are flying from the US, that may mean leaving one or two days prior to the program start date to arrive on the correct date because of travel time and the time difference. Plan to depart on the listed departure date.

If you have an issue with the program start or end date, you must contact your G-MEO representative as soon as possible. There is no guarantee that someone will pick you up at the airport if you choose not to arrive on the Arrival Date. But please communicate with us in advance and we will try our best to coordinate. If arriving early or staying later, students are responsible for their own housing and all additional costs outside of the program dates.

WHILE IN CHINA

Yes. You can bring your unlocked cell phone with you and purchase a Chinese SIM card. Be sure to talk to your phone provider about how to make sure your phone will work in China. Alternatively, you can purchase a local phone. Cell phones are readily available, as are pay-as-you-go SIM cards. Devices can range from $60-180 and monthly service is estimated at around $15/month. Cell phones/SIM cards and usage are miscellaneous expenses not included in the Program Fee.

No problem! Every semester, we have students who this is their first time interacting with China or the Chinese language. There is no language requirement to study abroad with G-MEO. Through the application process and pre-departure orientation, you’ll begin to learn about the country you plan to study abroad in, but the greatest lessons will come by diving into the experience yourself. Feel free to check out our Discover China page or hear about G-MEO students’ experiences in their own words on the Blog.

Yes, an online pre-departure orientation and an onsite orientation upon your arrival to the program. Both orientations are mandatory.

G-MEO offers all Chinese language levels. If you are beyond Beginner, you may need to take a placement test upon your arrival. This is only to help the instructor understand your current language level.

You can find a tentative course schedule on your program’s page or it will be sent to you during the pre-departure process. It is subject to change depending on enrollment.

During the semester, there are two programs you can take advantage of to increase your cultural competency and get more out of your study abroad experience. For those who are interested in spending more time practicing Chinese language outside of their language class, tutoring with a Chinese teacher is available for free up to a certain number of hours. The Buddy program pairs you with a local Chinese student, who is a built-in friend who can help you acclimate to your new home.

G-MEO’s top priority is the safety of its students. China and Chengdu, in particular, is generally safe, known for its laid-back lifestyle and friendly locals. Along with taking precautions as you would in any major city, students should take care of belongings in crowded areas and be alert to the differences in vehicle and bike traffic. G-MEO’s staff is available 24/7 for support.

Yes. Both friends must provide a written request to the Student Affairs team.

The Chengdu Center has free high-speed WIFI. The dorm in Chengdu also has free WIFI but not as high speed as the one in the Center. Hotels should also have free WIFI for you to use. You will need a VPN (Virtual Private Network) in order to access some websites, like Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Ask if your school provides a free VPN service. G-MEO alumni recommend ExpressVPN, but a quick search will help you find the appropriate service and price that’s right for you.

China is a wonderfully diverse country, filled with many things to do and places to explore. Whether you are in Chengdu or Shanghai or another destination, you can be sure to find delicious food for cheap, temples, history, shopping, urban parks, mountain hikes, karaoke with friends, art galleries, museums, interesting architecture, World Heritage sites, and more!

Meals are not included program fees. During the summer in Chengdu, if you selected hotel housing, continental breakfast is included. Cost of living is not high in China, and there are many of food options.

Yes. Chengdu may be known for its spicy food and use of the Sichuan peppercorn, but it’s also a global city filled with many food options from around China and the world.

RETURNING HOME

INTERNSHIP

You must first complete a general G-MEO application and pay the application fee. Then fill out the supplemental internship application found in your account portal, where you will submit a Chinese-style resume (a downloadable template can be found on the application), answer cover letter type questions, and select your top choices from a list of internships. In order to successfully complete the internship application, you must pay the deposit. After you’ve paid the deposit, the Internship Coordinator will begin reaching out to employers on your behalf. An interview may be required. Summer students will be placed prior to arrival and therefore an online interview may be conducted via Wechat. Semester students will interview and be placed upon their arrival in Chengdu.

You will select your top three choices for an internship, but placements are subject to change depending on availability and company needs. If this is the case, G-MEO will attempt to place you in a similar position or field. If it’s G-MEO’s reason that leads to not finding you a suitable internship, the deposit will be refunded.

Due to visa regulations, all internships are unpaid. However, it is up to the employer’s discretion if they would like to provide a stipend, which will be agreed upon in a signed contract. Overall, the cost of living is lower in China, therefore if available, compensation can be expected to reflect this.

After you have successfully completed a general application, paid the application fee, submitted a supplemental internship application, and paid the deposit, the Internship Coordinator will begin reaching out to employers on your behalf. If an interview is required, G-MEO will help coordinate this for you. The process can take 1-3 weeks after receiving your completed application packet.

LEARN MORE ABOUT G-MEO

Contact G-MEO

  • NY Office Phone: 929-238-2840
  • Email: info@g-meo.com
  • NY Address: 5 West 37th Street, Suite 210
    New York, NY 10018

 

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Email us: info@g-meo.com