Program Reviews

I chose to do this program to catch up on my Italian courses. I just declared an Italian major and needed to learn the language more quickly, since I didn't start taking it until my second year. This course was perfect for me. I got to spend time in a lovely medieval city in Tuscany while practicing my Italian every day and learning so much about what life was like in Italy and in Siena. The program staff was very friendly and helpful, and they made an effort to get to know us and host fun programs for us. I lived in an apartment with an Italian roommate, who was extremely kind and helpful in showing us how to get around in the city, the best places to eat, etc. I know that my friends who lived in homestays loved their host families as well. The weekend began Thursday afternoon, so we had plenty of time to take weekend trips all over Italy, and even abroad. And of course, as a Classics major, I loved the opportunity to connect all the things I have been learning with the actual landscapes where they took place.

This is branded as an intensive language program and it certainly lives up to the billing from that standpoint. The classes are very structured and intended to fit a semester's worth of work into two months. Of course what happens in the classroom is nowhere near the whole if the experience. While having to speak only Chinese during my time here and living with a Chinese roommate (which is really another story) the chances for you to apply what was learned in the classroom in real life situations were really endless. I would be remiss if I did not mention the faculty and staff of this program are truly second to none in their caring about your wellbeing and your studies, they are there to help and certainly make the experience as smooth as it can be.

Great program- perhaps overpriced, but the support is nice to have and some aspects of the program (language partner, roommate in apartment) are ingenious and well executed. The internship class was hardly a class and had some major flaws- I don't think our teacher even read the class syllabus as we did almost nothing on there- but I understand the primary teacher was missing and our filling teacher did give us some intriguing insight on life and culture in Jordan as he was at the top of a powerful tribe. Still though, it did not qualify as a college level course by any means.
The class should be slightly more intensive- I really didn't understand the need for three cooking days (learned a lot the first day, not a lot the second two) and the short trip was hardly a class. I thought the orientation was a little excessive and we could have started class and roommate/language partner relations sooner as the program is already so short. My internship was absolutely incredible. I wasn't sure how the internship placement was determined as some of my friends were doing exactly what they had emphasized they didn't want to do, but it worked out great for me. My Jordanian roommate and language partner were also wonderful.

I loved my semester abroad. Prague was a beautiful city, and CET did a great job of having classes that taught you about the history and people of the place you were living in. Most of the professors were excellent and knowledgeable, and incorporated cultural and interactive components into their lectures. The course load was interesting but not so heavy as to prevent us from exploring the city and learning by doing. The staff members were PHENOMENAL and made me feel safe, cared for, and helped introduce us to different aspects of Prague we might not have otherwise discovered. I also had an amazing Czech buddy as a roommate: we became great friends and she helped us adjust to the new experiences and was also just an incredible person to talk to. I also bonded with my flatmates and fellow students in my building, and we had a great time trying out new restaurants, visiting museums and points of interest, and even traveling outside of the country together. CET's traveling seminars were also and unbelievable opportunity to visit many other countries along with the program, which was great because it provided some structured learning and also gave us the freedom to explore on our own. While no abroad experience is perfect, CET gave me a chance to learn by doing, make new friends, and adapt to a new cultural atmosphere and I am so glad to have had this experience.

My semester in Florence was incredible! The CET staff was very helpful and engaging, and the CET activities were a great way to engage with Italian culture and with Italian locals. I loved living in a city with such beautiful culture, buildings, and landscapes for a few months. I also loved traveling around Europe, and I would highly recommend traveling to smaller Tuscan towns near Florence to get a true feel for Italian life. I personally really liked Arezzo and Volterra. Learning how to travel practically is also a good learning experience and I feel that I have become more confident in solo travel. And of course, the food in Florence is amazing and I have never eaten better pasta. This was such a fun experience and I would recommend a semester abroad in Florence to anyone!

I will start off by saying CET does a great job with organizing events and trying to get students to feel at home in Prague. The Berlin trip was awesome and so was the trip to Cesky Krumlov. I was on the FAMU side of CET. The program at FAMU is slightly flawed, but it’s a great experience. It was amazing being surrounded by people who also had a passion for film. The program doesn’t feel like college or school whatsoever. The schedule is all over the place and can take some time to get used to. The screenwriting class and directing class are entirely pitching for most of the semester. I was very disappointed with directing class, nothing was taught about directing styles or techniques. It’s important to know coming in that if you have an idea for a film that you are passionate about, do it. Some professors will try to push their own ideas on you and make your film their own. Listen to what they have to say because some of their advice is amazing but ultimately go with what you think is best. Some of the professors are awesome. Editing class was very helpful and insightful. The cinematography class was very informative. Storyboarding class is way too short, there should be more of those classes. The electives at FAMU are a hit or miss, some are great, some aren’t. The key is to just test them out before choosing. The lighting seminar is one of the most fun and helpful parts of the program. That is when you get hands on the camera and lighting equipment for the first time. Unfortunately, that is the only time you get to see the camera before shooting. In my opinion, much more time should be spent on preparation for the shoot instead of pitching/screenwriting. The best part of the program by far was production. I highly recommend getting on multiple sets to get as much experience as possible. Being on set is ultimately what the whole program is about. The program provides you the resources to go out and make a film. The best way to learn filmmaking is to get hands-on experience. This program gives you that. I believe that although there are flaws, the set experience you get is invaluable. I met great people here who have taught me a lot as well. I am very happy with what I have learned and would recommend this program to anyone interested in filmmaking.

The CET program here in Jordan is very eyeopening. You have the opportunity to meet so many new people all while being nestled in a lively little street in the capital. But this program is very different from what you may see some of your friends that study abroad in other parts of the world because the coursework is heavy and often found myself in my apartment or in cafes working on papers and homework. But the support given by the staff and teachers is truly helpful. It is a challenging program but it is planned to give the students breaks to explore and learn the culture along with the language. I came to the program knowing none of the dialect and it was extremely challenging at first but being surrounded by the language and being able to speak to other students at your same level is really great and very different from what I experienced at my university. To any future CET students, I would say to keep a very open mind because the country is so beautiful but very different. If you want to improve your Arabic from speaking to writing and just overall getting out of your comfort zone, this program is a good path.

Prague is a beautiful European city, and I am incredibly grateful that I got to spend four months studying at one of the oldest film schools in the country. CET provided me with an amazing apartment that was close in proximity to a lot of places. In all, I can honestly say that I enjoyed my time here, and learned many things about myself and international filmmaking.

However, there were some things that left me feeling out of sorts. There were times where communication was lacking from the advisors to the students, and it left the majority of us feeling lost. It was very disorganized, and students did not feel as though they were being listened to, and it was unsettling. Better communication and organization would have helped.

While I would ultimately recommend this program to others looking for international filmmaking experience, I think it's important for them to understand what they are getting themselves into.

CET Beijing and CET Beijing Janterm were experiences I did not know I needed until after I experienced them. CET Beijing Intensive Language Program could not be a more appropriate name for this program. From 8:20 a.m. to 3 p.m. I was challenged in the classroom, and the challenges continued beyond class hours as the language pledge really pushed me out of my comfort zone.

As I mention above, CET Beijing has a language pledge which made the first few weeks extremely challenging as we pledged to speak no language other than Chinese throughout our time in Beijing. It was challenging at first, because it was hard to communicate with each other as a lot of us did not have the Chinese speaking skills to have a full conversation. As time went by, it became easier to communicate with teachers, classmates, and even local people as our Chinese improved every single day (I am not being sarcastic here). At first, I thought the language pledge would prohibit me from making new friends, but in reality it brought us all closer together. The struggle that we were all going through, regardless of Chinese speaking level, made the bond even stronger.

I participated in both the semester long program in the Fall and the Janterm program (1 month). In terms of academics, they focused on different things. The Fall semester focused more on improving your reading and writing skills, while the Janterm focused more on your speaking skills. I recommend students interested in studying abroad in Beijing to participate in both the semester program and Janterm.

Overall, CET pushed me to become more independent. It helped me reach a lot of my goals, and I hope in can do the same or even more for others in the future.

I have been to several pre-college academic college programs in the US and this study abroad program blew them all away. The dorms were great and the dorm food was incredible. There was a full four story cafeteria that served fresh made Chinese food everyday. I had a steaming bowl of fresh wonton soup almost every morning for breakfast, along with a steamed soy milk drink (which is better than it sounds!). There was a grocery store around the corner that had all the necessities and some great Chinese snacks like pineapple cakes. There were many restaurants right in the few blocks around us. My favorite was a fresh bao shop just across the street with meat and red bean buns, perfect for a quick breakfast or snack. My class had only three people and was personalized so I could focus on my own career aspirations. We practiced interviews, made resumes and cover letters, and met professionals who had made their careers in China. There were excursions to great sites almost everyday and the destination trip to Xi’an was definitely a highlight.