I'm an American who studied abroad at Zhejiang University in China. It was unlike anything I experienced back in the US.

The author attended a prestigious college in China.

Courtesy of Thomas Stack

• I studied at Zhejiang University, the Chinese school that just topped the global ranking in academic research.
• I had a great dorm, great meals, and great classes.
• My Chinese classmates took studying and academics much more seriously.

In the spring of 2013, I was a sophomore at Tufts University in Massachusetts, soon to declare a dual major in international relations and Mandarin Chinese.