CET Greater China

Before I got to Harbin, China, I thought my Chinese level was pretty good. I soon found that my Chinese was pretty bad. The best thing about this program is that the locals don't speak English and you have the language pledge resulting in your level growing exponentially. The hardest thing is going to be understanding the taxi drivers, but I would say I grew able to understand the locals rather quickly. I like the curriculum because no student was left behind. While there were multiple levels ( I was at the lowest), we all learned similar enough things that I never felt like I couldn't speak with the higher level kids. We all grew together with our language.

I had a great experience with CET Taiwan! Academics (through the International Chinese Language Program) were rigorous -- expect to work hard, be engaged in classes, and see your Chinese improve significantly over the course of the semester. I also spent 10 to 12 hours per week at an internship placement that matched my interests. Although this made time management more challenging, I found the internship to be a rewarding part of my semester abroad.

Accommodations were comfortable and well-located; we shared student apartments with local roommates, who were super friendly and helped us navigate life in Taipei. Overall, Taiwan is a fantastic place to study Chinese. It also offers convenient public transportation, delicious street food, and plenty of things to do on weekends, whatever you're interested in. Just be prepared to be busy! If you're self-motivated and adventurous, this is the program for you.

This semester in Taiwan was filled with good memories and fun. CET did a good job of finding housing with Taiwanese roommates. They also did a good job of helping people explore more of Taiwan before class actually starts and you're busy, and trust me, you WILL be busy. Overall it was an unforgettable experience. I had an especially good time having a the group this semester. I believe they made it a better experience better yet. Having roommates everything 10x better. The teachers at the host University are also great, they made it easy to learn.

Before coming to Harbin, I had never been outside of the US so I was in for quite the culture shock upon arrival. However, the first few days were surprisingly easy as we were shown around campus and a little bit around the city. We didn’t start the language pledge until four days after everyone arrived so we had the opportunity to get to know everyone in the cohort, which was nice considering the first few weeks after the language pledge are filled with awkward, short sentences. Even being a more advanced program there was a lot of variety in skill level but I never felt like anyone was excluded because their language ability was a little behind.

The workload is no joke. I had two or three classes a day and each class required anywhere between 2 and 4 hours of homework. It’s especially difficult in the beginning, but over time I noticed the workload became easier. There isn’t a heavy emphasis placed on grading but more so on your ability to use what you’ve learned. The one-on-one course can easily be the best or worst part of your classes. If you choose a topic and then realize you don’t quite like it, tell the academic advisor immediately so you can change the topic accordingly. It ended up being most people’s favorite class despite being the most difficult. The one-on-two really helps you realize your tone or pronunciation mistakes, especially because you go four times a week. The other two classes are your choice and are pretty standard.

Having a native roommate is kind of advertised as a big deal and I honestly didn’t believe it before arriving, mostly because I’m a naturally shy person and never really bond super quickly with people. However, I have to say that my roommate has become one of my favorite people and probably to person I’m going to miss the most. In the beginning, when I could barely say a few sentences, she was so incredibly patient helped me with basic survival. Over time, we started talking about cultural difference, politics, life problems, and just anything. I would not improved so much if I had her helping me. As far as I know, all of the roommates were patient and very excited to help everyone in our program.

Before this program, I had never been to China and spoke no Chinese. I was the only student on my program from the University of Florida because UF does not directly transfer over credits from CET programs. I chose this program because of the internship opportunities, the location and the living situation (and I am so glad that I did!) I really enjoyed the courses I took at Donghua and my internship was a very unique experience that I believe led to my success in securing another internship when I returned. The staff on this program are so so helpful and the program is structured in a way that really allows all of the students and local roommates to meet and get to know each other. I made such great connections and felt that I grew so much personally, academically and professionally through all of the opportunities that this program allowed me.

I had an amazing summer in Taiwan. I appreciate that the academics was challenging and I could definitely see improvement in my Chinese listening and speaking. I had the best resident directors and things all went smoothly. They provided us a trip to Hualien, which was one of the best experiences I had in Taiwan. In addition to housing, tuition, books, and transportation all calculated into one sum, I also had an internship at The China Post. The internship aspect challenged me in some ways, but also became a memorable part of the program. Taiwan is also a very safe country and transportation is very easy to navigate. Housing was super nice. My roommates and Taiwanese roommates were easy to get along with and like family. Food is good and cheap. Especially BOBA!

When I first arrived, it was in early February. CET Harbin's campus was beautiful but the weather is known to be cold. It was a lot different than what I was expecting. I would say that this program definitely brought my Chinese to the next level. In my whole lifetime, I've only taken Econ 101 at school and this was my only "business" knowledge until CET Harbin, I registered for a business class and was placed in the highest language proficiency with no business background. I would say that this was one of the most challenging time of my life with school, but after 6 to 7 weeks, without realizing it, I have already been accustomed and was on a roll with classes. Other classes I took were Newspaper Reading, 一对二, and my 一对一class was on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I wanted to learn about TCM for the longest time of my life, and coming to this program really helped me accomplished my goal. All the 老师s were amazing at what they do and the activities that CET coordinated were really helpful in integrating students with the culture. I've made so many friends that I would definitely consider them my lifelong friends, and I've learned so so much through this language intensive program. If you are serious about improving your Chinese, CET Harbin is the way to go if you really followed the language pledge. It may be tiring speaking and thinking everything in Chinese, but at the end or before you know it, your Chinese is already on the next level. (I forgot but on the side note, breakfast foods are amazing, so were the caf's foods. There are 7 different cafeterias for you to choose from).

I always knew I wanted to study abroad in China. Being from a major city, Shanghai was the obvious choice. The city is famed for its modernity, architectural beauty, and international/metropolitan vibe.

I was immediately drawn to the CET Program. Most study abroad programs involve either coursework or an internship. The CET program combines both. Unlike most programs, CET specializes in finding an internship that is both educational and interesting. This summer I had the unique honor of interning at the Propaganda Poster Art Center, and if it were not for CET I would have not had the ability to intern at such an interesting location.

Classes at CET are difficult, but rewarding. The faculty are the best in their respective fields, and all are great professors. They are both intelligent and engaging. As far as learning Mandarin goes, every day is an adventure and the Chinese professors are all special and loving in their own way. Professor Rottman, the academic advisor is an incredible resource and mentor.

CET also has a unique reimbursement policy. They will reimburse up to 350 RMB a day (70 RMB per excursion) for cultural activities within Shanghai. This reimbursement policy encourages students to explore and engage with Shanghai.

Overall, what makes CET special is the people. The faculty, staff, and students are all excited about learning both in and out of the classroom. I highly recommend CET to any student looking for a holistic study abroad experience.

I myself will be applying for Summer 2020!