CET Academic Programs

My experience was unique in that, unlike many of my friends in other cities, I was not ready to leave Florence at the end of the semester! This is truly a testament to my experience, which could not have been more positive, formative, and exciting. Living in Florence helped me to grow personally and professionally: not only did I develop a greater sense of independence, but I also nourished helpful skills, such as budgeting, planning, and, above all, assimilating to an entirely new environment.

I absolutely recommend CET as a program. I attend a small liberal arts college, and I found that CET coursework was interesting yet manageable. I am accustomed to small classes, so I appreciated the seminar style of many of my courses. My professors met and/or exceeded my expectations, and I enjoyed taking courses specific to Italian studies, such as my language course, my Italian history course, and my class on the Medici family. Professors were helpful and accommodating, always happy to meet with students and offer support. I also loved site visits with my classes: we went to many museums, palazzos, and churches, which helped me to get to know and love Florence all the more.

I was initially concerned that the small program size would inhibit my ability to get to know new people, especially from other colleges, but I found that there was actually an opposite effect. The small program size encouraged our entire cohort to become friendly, and I was happy to become close with friends from other universities.

I also recommend CET because of the housing. While many of my friends in other cities and programs were in dorm-style housing, I was fortunate enough to be in an apartment, which made my experience authentic. What's more, my apartment was in the city center, allowing for a truly immersive semester. Though there are many study abroad students in Florence, which can make it challenging to interact with Italians as frequently as one might expect, my neighborhood consisted of many local families.

Lastly, I recommend CET because of the staff and the activities. The on-site team is incredibly supportive and helpful with any and all student needs, from arrival to departure. In August, the staff met us at the airport and provided taxis to our apartments. We then went on short walking tours of the city, followed by a detailed, comprehensive orientation the next day. They also supported students by providing tips on travel and even explaining how to use unfamiliar appliances in our apartments!

In terms of activities, CET offers various excursions throughout the semester, with meals and transportation provided. We visited Rome, a beach, and an Etruscan site. We also learned how to make Tuscan cuisine in cooking classes and went on hikes.

I had a fantastic semester in Florence -- it wasn't just my "home base" for classes during the week, but an incredible city in which I never ran out of things to do and sites to see. I'm grateful to CET not only for great classes, but wonderful activities, immersive housing, and supportive staff.

Studying abroad in Taiwan was an incredible experience that allowed me to immerse myself in a new culture while applying years of Chinese language learning. While adjusting to a different environment was initially challenging, joining activities like a local gym helped me build a routine, and taking boxing lessons allowed me to learn a new skill in Chinese, overall improving my language skills and maintaining my well-being. Although English was accessible in many places, pushing myself to use Chinese, especially in everyday interactions, while requiring more discipline, was rewarding and contributed to my growth.

The CET program staff were very welcoming and proved helpful when you needed extra resources, assistance, etc. For example, the first week with language placements was probably the most stressful for me, and they were very supportive throughout that entire process. Academically, while intense–the 3-hour classes five days a week and an elective (or internship), balancing studies with exploration/free time was still manageable. I also found myself learning a lot of vocabulary/grammar that was applicable! I would also highly recommend participating in at least some of the cultural activities this program offers.

Please also take advantage of Taiwan’s convenient transportation (MRT, HSR, buses, U-Bike) to explore Taipei and beyond, including its beautiful natural landscapes. As a vegetarian, I was delighted by the abundance of delicious and affordable food options.

Being a person of color who had a darker skin complexion than most people there, I sometimes felt out of place because I did not see a lot of people who looked like me. Overall, however, the people there were welcoming and curious about my background and journey with the language.

When I arrived in Jordan, I came with an open mind and a hunger to get better at Arabic. I don't think I would've made it through the semester without both of these, though. While I actually didn't ever experience a whole lot of culture shock, the first few weeks were disorienting because I couldn't *quite* have real conversations with anyone. The Language Pledge is no joke! It's really straining on social relationships, especially between students at different levels (and really for anyone who's not nearly fluent) but I will say it really does help you get better insanely fast. I noticed huge differences when I would spend weekends having a bunch of conversations with the Jordanian Neighbors in the program or studying more.

Anyway, if you're coming to learn about culture, politics, and language, you will not be disappointed in the slightest. You just have to really want it for yourself, otherwise the staff will be dragging you along and the difficulty of the classes won't feel like an exciting challenge--just a stressful one.

Also shoutout Ustaaza Dania, if you're in Intermediate High for MSA class you're in for a real treat! But each and every staff member is always ready to work out a solution, plan, or generally be flexible and helpful if you come to any of them, especially early on in the semester.

All in all, this past semester was the hardest of my 7 semesters of undergrad by far in so many ways, but I also wouldn't have traded it for the world. I'm actually headed back as I write this for my second semester in Spring 2025!!

I found this program to strike a very good balance between support and also promoting independence living on your own overseas. I of course, came to the program with the goal of improving my Japanese, but I also wanted to learn how to function as an adult and I think that this program gave me a good taste of both of those goals. The housing is not the best but it’s livable. Because Japan has so much to offer you won’t be spending much time in the house anyway so I would overall recommend this program. The staff were very kind and I felt comfortable turning to them if I ever had any issues. What I loved most about this program was the fact that our academic sensitive of not only in class learning, but also many activities outside of class such as field trips to local schools, and also things on campus that involved other students outside of our own classrooms. I also liked that school was Monday through Thursday for the most part so that gave us a longer weekend to go and explore Japan, which is relatively easy to do because of the amazing transportation system.

Taiwan is an amazing place to study abroad in. In terms of academics, while I did not get into the Chinese level that I had originally wanted to (it is hard to switch because of the limit of 8 people), I still had a rewarding and academically challenging learning experience. There is no room for slacking off with these classes which is exactly the learning environment I needed. Outside of classes at NTU, there are so many opportunities to learn the language and experience the culture. There is a lot of English in Taiwan! Which is great for the cultural shock but also means I had to be more intentional about stepping outside my comfort zone. For instance, not always asking for the English menu, reading the Chinese directions/signs, ordering in Chinese, etc. The locals here are super friendly as well and provide so many opportunities for practicing Chinese. It is a common occurrence to have conversations with workers at stores or just random curious locals. I also loved that this program paired you up with a language partner as well because it helped my listening and "on the spot" speaking/conversational skills. I loved my language partner! (My first language partner did ghost me...but the staff found a new one which shows how valuable those pair-ups are!). My local roommates were also such a great way to immerse myself in the language and culture.

Studying abroad in Taiwan is also so ideal because of how easy it is to get around with the MRT, local trains, buses, or even HSR (but these are for places farther away). Not only is commuting easy but traveling and exploring is made much easier. Additionally, eating in Taiwan (and most things) is super affordable and accessible (7-11s/family marts, night markets). One thing that surprised me as a vegetarian was how many vegetarian restaurants. There usually are not a TON of veggie options at regular restaurants but eating was never a problem for me here.

In terms of the program itself, the CET staff were super helpful and supportive. There was some miscommunication between the CET staff and me and my roommates regarding some housing/apartment stuff but overall, I was super happy with the staff and support available during this experience. They played a big role in the time I had here.

I could keep raving about Taiwan, but the last thing I wanted to say was that I wish this program was longer because time goes by so fast. Particularly when you factor in the academics to it as well with 3 3-hour class every day. To me, there isn't a lot of time to "settle in" once you get to Taipei or enjoy your last moments in Taipei before leaving. Many of my friends and I especially felt that we would've liked more time at the end of the program because the move-out was the day after the last class. I actually did end up staying longer in Taipei after the program was over for about three more weeks. I think that if I hadn't stayed longer, I would not have felt as satisfied with my time here as I do now (really comes down to the length of the program).