Program Reviews

I enjoyed how the program had 3 different schools that were taking the same classes. It gave everyone an opportunity to interact with students and form friendships with individuals that we may not have ever met. However, they did segregate the classes depending on which school you attended which didn't give an opportunity to collaborate during class.

My CET experience was very unique and something I will never forget. Through CET Florence, I gained a better understanding of cultures different than I’ve ever interacted with. The immersive classroom setting was a great way to retain more knowledge. Housing was probably one of my favorite parts of the whole program. My roommates and I lucked out on a very cute apartment in a very authentic neighborhood of Florence. On top of all this, CET’s program helped me become more self-sufficient and independent.

The program definitely focused on language immersion and getting your level of Chinese up; even though I came in with only studying one year of Chinese before the program, by the end I felt more confident in my speaking, comprehension, reading, and writing skills. The program is set up to raise all aspects of your Chinese and it definitely delivered. I would just warn that it may be more work than you're used to, and than you might think it will be; that was the case for me. Besides the academic portion they offer weekend activities and places to go which gives you opportunities to see a lot of sides of Beijing. The city has a ton to offer and I think everyone would find something they like; exploring on my own with friends was exciting too, it's just that there wasn't as much time as I would like to have to explore Beijing without having to sacrifice academics. Pairing every person in the program with a Chinese roommate was also beneficial because it was like having a companion and guide at the same time. The teachers and staff are all very caring, hardworking, and deliver well too. My experience with this program was overall very positive and I am glad I was a part of it. Two months pass by faster than you might think but packed with unforgettable memories and stories.

Harbin was so different than what I ever would have expected going into this program. I was so surprised about the overlaps of different cultures and how much I would learn, not only about Chinese history, but also of Russian and North Korean history! My roommate, professors, and food made the experience so enjoyable. My favorite foods were 手抓饼 (Shou zhuabing) and 馄饨 (huntun); I ate them almost everyday! Even though it was very cold the first month I was there, the weather got warmer and warmer and turned into spring. The flowers bloomed and the pollution cleared up a bit because all the heaters got turned off! The atmosphere was amazing and because my Chinese language ability improved so much while I was there, I can say that I made lifelong friends from my time abroad.

I spent the summer of 2019 participating in the CET: Shanghai program and it has been one of my best decisions. It was an incredible experience, allowing me to further my personal and professional goals.

As a Chinese heritage student I wanted to learn more about my own culture and language and CET’s Chinese course delivered. Having the language placement exam at the very beginning allows for students of every level in Chinese to be placed in their appropriate level class. This allows for students to be challenged in their language study but not be too overwhelmed. Having language class everyday may be more than what you’re used to in your home university but everyone leaves the program with significantly better Mandarin skills. Something I’d recommend is that if you don’t think your placement results were accurate to speak with the teachers and the director of the department. I switched my Chinese class two times before finding the right fit.
To build cultural understanding, CET also reimburses up to 70 yuan/day for students to explore Shanghai and participate in different cultural activities. This allowed for my friends and I to watch a lot of Chinese movies and visit museums throughout the program.

In terms of professional development, the internship component of the program is great for gaining international work experience. You can learn a lot about how different industries operate in China and what kind of opportunity exists there. The internship search process is hectic but eventually everyone finds their internship. Speaking from my own experience, I think the quality of the internship placement of the program is its largest weakness. I did not have a great experience working at my first placement because of the lack of professionalism and respect from my supervisor. My second internship placement was better in comparison but I wasn’t given very meaningful work. I would recommend future students to really think about what kind of internships they want and to remain firm. It’s okay to say no to companies that offer you a position.

Despite some challenges, I had an incredible summer in Shanghai. It's such a fun city to live in and there is always something to do! The connections I made with other U.S. and local students continue to carry on and made participating in the program so meaningful.

CET Jordan is hands down the best program for students who care about Arabic language acquisition. I felt challenged to step as far outside of my comfort zone as I could, but I was never overwhelmed because I had the support of the program staff at each step. The teachers were all extremely friendly and prioritized getting to know the students as people, rather than solely as language learners. That resulted in a positive learning environment, and class became a time to spend time with friends rather than a stressful or boring space. CET is also really concerned with connecting students to Jordanian youth culture, and its location at the University of Jordan, as well as the language partner/roommate programs, gave me a great in to make local friends. I loved my experience during this semester so much that I decided to stay and participate in CET Jordan's Internship Program. My review of that can be found here: https://www.gooverseas.com/study-abroad/jordan/program/38096

For students who are hoping to improve their Arabic, learn about life in Jordan, and have fun doing it, CET is the best study abroad option.

P.S. If any women are concerned about what is okay to wear in Jordan, I wore T-shirts, skinny jeans, and leggings all the time. Maxi skirts and dresses are fine, too, but no need to buy a pair of elephant pants if that's not your style!

I chose to participate in this program after spending a semester with CET Jordan: Intensive Language. The language program is very academically oriented, which really helped my language skills to improve, but I wanted to see a different side of life in Jordan and felt that the internship program would give me that chance. I interned with the National Association for Family Empowerment, which was a Jordanian non-profit organization focused on economic and social empowerment for women and youth in Jordan. The internship ended up being somewhat frustrating because there was hardly any work for me to do. Despite talking with the organization's director about projects or tasks I could carry out, I never got assigned enough work. CET staff spoke with the organization multiple times, and when they realized that wasn't doing anything, they worked with me to create an alternative schedule and study plan to make sure I was still maximizing on my time in Jordan. I was very grateful to have their support when my internship placement did not live up to my expectations.

For students who are really dedicated to learning Arabic, I would suggest doing the language program. Students in the internship program have Arabic language classes, but half of the coursework is in English, and most internship placements hope to use the interns' English knowledge. However, this program still allowed me to grow a lot linguistically because I got the chance to interact with Jordanians who were not my age and pick up on more slang and idioms. I also loved seeing what a workplace was like in another country and learning about the obstacles that non-profit organizations face if they are not American, Canadian, or European and need to acquire funding. Finally, my internship enabled me to explore more of the city and the country as I had a reason to go to neighborhoods and other cities that I would not have seen otherwise.

Although the program's academic standards were high, the program provided all the materials necessary to succeed and even included multiple fun activities for stress relief. I found that the staff was not only responsive to any issues the students encountered, but also went out of their way to help the students if they felt anything was wrong. My experience was amazing; I could see significant improvement in my Chinese and gained more confidence when speaking. The class structure is diverse which allows students to be exposed to multiple methods in order to learn the material. Additionally, the program provided for many excursion trips and recommended local restaurants/shops to visit; we were able to experience various aspects of the local culture. My favorite was being able to visit DaLi because we saw so many gorgeous natural landscapes. Overall, I was very happy with the program and would love to visit the friends I made in the future.

When I was searching for a program to study Chinese, these were the features about CET Taiwan that grabbed my interest: language classes with ICLP, an internship within my areas of interests, and housing with Taiwanese students.

CET partners with ICLP, which is one of the world's premier Chinese language centers located at National Taiwan University. The classes focus intensively on speaking and listening. Normal ICLP students would have four classes, but CET students only have three because of the internship. Don't think the classes are easier because CET students have one less. The workload/preparation is as intense; it may be more challenging because CET students also have their internships. One class is one-on-one; you can ask for help on anything during the 1-1 class. The other two classes have up to four students so there are more opportunities to practice speaking and listening. The students are expected to practice and prepare for the next lesson the night before, and during class time, the teachers will ask questions regarding the lessons. While Traditional Chinese is the preferred writing/reading method, ICLP classes still offer materials in Simplified Chinese; students who know either form will be a great fit in the program.

CET Taiwan internship is tailored to the students' interests. t Since I liked science and medicine, our lovely internship director Chunling connected me with a research internship at Taipei Veterans General Hospital; I had classmates who worked for NGOs, cloud-service company, patient-law firms - just to list a few. The internship is a great way to experience the feeling of working in Taiwan and meeting new people.

Balancing school and internship while finding time to enjoy Taiwan was challenging, but I had the unwavering support from the dynamic duo Andrew and Chunling. This is NOT an exaggeration when I say they are fantastic people. They were more like friends, and students could come and talk to them about anything. They were very understanding and showed unwavering support for us. Every week, they would bring snacks for everyone to share, and a different student would bring fruits every Friday. In addition, we had "Lunch Box Tuesday" where all the CET Taiwan students would come and have lunch with Andrew and Chunling; we would discuss our internships and classes. Doing so strengthened the supportive environment.

As for housing, during my summer semester, we had two apartments - one in the SongShan district and the other in the GongGuan district. In each apartment, there was at least one Taiwanese student and other American students. It was very nice of Andrew and Chunling to find these apartments because I did not want to go through the hassles of finding my own living place. Before CET Taiwan had consolidated living spaces, students from earlier semesters had to find their own apartments; some were close to ICLP while others lived far away and had to ride the MRT for a long time to get to school (e.g. 1-hr). Furthermore, living together was a great way to make new friends.

Overall, the program exceeded my expectations. Taiwan is culturally and historically rich with beautiful sceneries. I was sad that the program had to come to an end; I wished the summer program could have been a week or two longer. While the program is expensive, the friends that I have made and the memories that I have created were worth it.

While I thought participating in a study abroad program that enforced a language pledge would be rather difficult, I am more than happy to say that I am extremely pleased with what I gained. I was placed into 500 level Chinese, and while I believe once you are at a higher language level, language progress becomes more slow and gradual; however, the language pledge positively enhanced all students' outcomes. I had so much fun in and out of class, whether it be prepping for my oral test topic or going to see historical attractions like the Temple of Heaven with my roommate. I met amazing people and the staff was truly amazing, especially our director, Zuo Cui, who was also my director for the CET Beijing: Internship program that I participated in during the summer of 2018. CET really goes above and beyond to ensure that students feel comfortable with their lives abroad and I am truly thankful for that.

I couldn't stay long enough. I absolutely loved my time in Osaka, from the people I met to the places I went I loved it all. Starting with academics, and like most other reviews, CET does not hold back in the intensity of their programs. The Language Pledge, staff, and students all pushed me to improve beyond just the language and into my life skills. I personally struggled with managing work vs. play, especially balancing basic needs and knowing when to take a break. But, when I look back at the end of the semester I can see that I did a pretty good job overall. And although the heart of the CET programs is their language pledge and host staff/D.C. staff, it is truly the language partners/ roommates who influence your experience. They are the core people who will help you grow and be with you throughout your semester abroad. I can never express how grateful I am to all the people I met during my time in Osaka!