CET Academic Programs Reviews

It is hard to "summarize" or even pick out a few experiences that represent the year I spent immersed in Chinese language and culture.
Culture shock hit me pretty hard when I arrived in Beijing. I couldn't sleep because the beds were so hard, the water was too hot, the food had too much oil, the air was polluted, I didn't feel comfortable speaking Chinese. The list goes on, but the people that made up my program are the reason I was able to continue, my roommate especially. She spoke to me when my Chinese was terrible; she introduced me to new foods, family, and friends. We were born in opposite geographical locations, education systems, and cultures, yet slowly discovered how similar we are. From her, I learned Chinese food, culture, and language, but also gained an indescribable and lifelong friendship.

When I was first deciding what study abroad I wanted to go on, I made a checklist of everything that I was looking for. CET: Shanghai was one of the only programs that fulfilled all the requirements that I was looking for, and in short, I was not let down. The main reason that I chose this program was because I believed that I would be able to get the most immersive experience in going abroad with having a local roommate, taking classes on campus, and interning in the international city. With all of these opportunities I was able to really get a feel for what exactly Shanghai was - besides the pearl tower. My favorite aspect of this program, and the reason why it made my study abroad experience different was because it was a program that was not directly associated with my school, and while I went to Shanghai to experience another culture and gain global experience, I was not expecting to learn more about the States as well. Being a meeting point between meeting people across the globe, but also across the United States is really what I enjoyed the most. Being abroad and making the memories that I did are experiences that I wish could last a lifetime, but for now I am saying see you later. I hope that others are able to seize this opportunity like I was and realize how great Shanghai is.

I knew signing up that the program would be work-heavy and very intensive--and it was! We were at OGU for five hours a day, four of which were dedicated to class time. On top of that I did homework for 3 - 4 hours a day. Of course, depending on what you want to get out of the program, this can vary. If your intentions are to learn as much as you can and really take advantage of the resource of academia, then you will be doing lots of homework and pushing yourself mentally. If your goal is to explore Japan while getting a little learning on the side, then perhaps you will do less homework and more adventuring. Personally, I really wanted to improve my language skills, so I spent more time on homework and studying than other students. I would advise incoming students to know exactly what they want to get out of the program before going into it. In studying abroad, you are going to want to do everything--try all the foods, visit every cool shop, make lots of new friends, get straight A's, and still be able to sleep. Well that's tough. Prioritize your time with what you most want to do; figure out what is most important. Maybe making a lot of local friends is more important than spending time exploring the country. Keep that in mind when you plan, because it's impossible to do everything. The summer session was 9 weeks, which might sound like a lot of time, but for an entire country, it's miniscule.

CET Shanghai was an incredible program where I improved my language, advanced my career, and explored Chinese history and culture. CET in particular made this possible by providing reimbursements for cultural experiences, support for all living necessities (and more), coordinated events such as movie nights and tours, strong courses with great professors, and a Chinese roommate to learn from locals. One specific note is the strength of Chinese class with CET. They provide courses in every level. Most beneficial to me was the weekly one-on-one class we have with our professor. This gave me a time to ask questions about everything from the textbook material to my life in China. As well, the professors have great methods to teach language effectively such as repeating useful vocabulary and skipping words that aren't as common. This helped me spend time where would be most useful as I studied.

I spent the summer of 2019 in Shanghai participating in CET's study abroad plus internship program. While I was there I not only had the incredible opportunity to study Chinese culture, but CET also helped me find an internship site that allowed me to really experience China first-hand and helped me improve my resume. The CET staff in Shanghai supported me through every step of the process and were available 24/7 to give me and my classmates detailed instructions and advice. Going to a foreign country for any length of time is challenging and going to a foreign country to study or work for months can be very scary, but CET never failed to make me feel safe and secure while I was in Shanghai. My overall opinion of the CET Shanghai program is that it perfectly blended education, career training, and fun to provide me a summer I'll never forget.

The two months I spent in Beijing with the CET Intensive Chinese program have proven to be incredibly impactful, both with regard to my Chinese language ability and my life more broadly.
It's certainly an academically challenging program, with four hours of class plus a half an hour one-on-one session with a teacher every Monday through Friday (not to mention the homework) but you'll find that there's no better motivation than being in China and seeing immediate real-world benefits of your studies, such as being able to more effortlessly communicate with Chinese students, choose dishes at nearby nearby restaurants, or just get around Beijing.
I could not recommend this program highly enough to someone who's looking to improve their Chinese and who's also interested in getting to know China and its people.

The CET Prague program could not have been better tailored to my academic interests. As a History and Political Science major on my home campus, I was constantly amazed at the political and historical significance of everything around me. On the first day of class for Refugees, Minorities, and Migrations, our professor took us on a walking tour around Prague. All within walking distance of the CET Center were significant landmarks, monuments, and sites. I was especially fascinated because Central Europe had been so neglected in my historical education.
In addition to the myriad of historical sites to take in around Prague, CET took us on a traveling seminar around Central Europe, where we visted Krakow, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Brno, Mikulov, Vienna, and Budapest. Easily the best part of the program, the traveling seminar balances lectures with educational outings and free time to explore.
Additionally, I can't speak highly enough of the CET staff - our resident director and student life coordinator both made the program amazing for everybody.

My time in Florence was absolutely incredible. I had great housing with a central location so it was easy to explore, and I got to see a beautiful view of the Ponte Vecchio on my way to class every day. There was a fairly wide variety of classes to take, so every student could find things they were interested in. Many of the classes made a large effort to interact with the local environment in order to differentiate the classes from ones at home, and that was a really great way to see differences between the US and Italy. The staff was all very friendly and nice, and Giada (Student Life and Services Coordinator) even took me out to coffee a few times to help me practice my Italian! I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a wonderful semester in Florence.

China is the most populated country in the world and has one of the longest human civilizations in history. During my trip to Harbin, not only did my Chinese level improve tremendously, thanks to CET Harbin's intense language program and 24-hour language pledge (Chinese only, no English allowed), but I also experienced the culture of China's beautiful Ice City of Harbin. I visited Harbin during the Summer months when it's famed Ice and Snow Festival was not open; however, Harbin still had plenty to offer. Our daily weekend excursions in this program included hiking a pristine mountain, learning how to curl and much more. We also had the free time to go on extra excursions including skiing in the world's largest indoor ski resort, visiting a cat café, and feeding Siberian Tigers in Harbin's famed Siberian Tiger Park. Along with intensive one-on-one language classes, each program participant also was paired with a Chinese roommate who helped us with school projects and brought us along to night markets and Karaoke and to experience many of China’s cultural treasures like experiencing a Tea Ceremony and interacting with Chinese children. If you wish to improve your Chinese proficiency, CET Harbin is one of the best programs. The improvement in my Chinese speaking level and the friends that I made in these short two months will last a lifetime.

Going to Siena in Spring 2019 was an irreplaceable time of growth and learning for me. I highly recommend this program because of the individual care for students, and the opportunities offered to have genuine and meaningful cultural experiences. The teachers challenge students an optimal level to where they learn a lot but are not stressed. Additionally, there is bountiful cultural diversity within Italy, with Swiss, German, Austrian, Greek, and French amongst other influences being present (region dependent). From Siena, students can bus or train to just about any of these areas, which is much more cost-effective than flying, but offers a similar experience to traveling to each of these places. The stereotype about food is completely correct, and it is worth coming to Siena for this reason alone. I would like to add that if you do select this program, I highly recommend doing a homestay because the families are very kind, they make amazing food, and its consistent and direct cultural interaction.