Program Reviews

CET Taiwan was my very first experience traveling abroad. I've never really been away from home for an extended period of time; even at university, I visit home quite often, and my summer work also allows me to work at home. But for the duration of my time in the CET Taiwan program, I never had even one homesick day. Actually, for me, the saddest thing about this program is that it ended and that I had to go home.

I would recommend this program to the following...

...students who have never traveled abroad or to Asia. Taiwan is a friendly and beautiful city. If you think Taiwan's too "westernized", you need to do some self introspection regarding why you think that (hint: you have some existing prejudices that should be addressed with lots of research). Taiwan is a beautiful island with a diverse history. The city you live in--Taipei--is large, eventful, and incredibly convenient with regards to shopping and transportation. The metro system is clean and punctual. The convenience stores are always stocked with cheap food, snacks, and daily necessities. A good restaurant is always within walking distance of a short ride on the metro or the bus. No matter how late it is, you can walk home in the streets without any fear. It is the best city for any first time traveler simply based on its convenience and safety.

Not only this, but our resident and internship directors were the most amazing and receptive people to ever oversee our program. Anytime we had an issue, they were always there to help us resolve it. They also organize amazing extracurricular activities and trips! The two of them really made our program worth every minute.

...students who are double majoring in Chinese and something else. CET Taiwan has a mandatory internship component. The internship component allowed me to keep up with my Computer Science major (I worked as a junior Rails developer for a marketing company), so when I returned to my home university, I wasn't any step behind my CS peers as far as coding experience was concerned. I not only improved my Chinese, but my coding abilities just as well. However, because CET Taiwan is a new program, some internship opportunities are hit or miss; some, like mine, were a wonderful addition to my Chinese learning, but I had some classmates who didn't have the same experience. If you have a second major or a strong extracurricular interest and express this clearly to the internship director, then you may improve your chances of landing an incredible internship.

...students who want to improve their Chinese as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. Students in CET Taiwan are enrolled in the ICLP at National Taiwan University. This translates to the first (and the best) International Chinese Language Program at the top university in Taiwan. ICLP was the first of its kind before any program in the mainland, and every teacher at ICLP is incredibly esteemed, usually having taught at top Chinese language programs in America. Class sizes are between one to four (five is usually considered too much), so individual attention is a given. There are many students at ICLP and many courses, ranging from introductory to intermediate and high-level culture (contemporary Taiwanese culture and society, studying radio plays, newspaper reading, ancient Chinese fables, short stories). There are one-on-one classes as well, where you spend a whole hour every single day with just yourself and your teacher! The classes are rigorous and have a strong emphasis on speaking over writing. Leaving CET Taiwan, your Chinese abilities will definitely be much stronger than when you came in.

It goes without saying, however, that CET Taiwan is incredibly rigorous! You take three hours of courses that may begin at around 8 AM and end at 12 with a break somewhere in between, then attend your internship, and then have to do a large amount of homework and preparation when you get home. Excelling in this program is definitely all about time management!

I studied abroad in Jordan last semester (Spring 2018) and had a spectacular experience. In fact, the challenges of living in a new place, speaking a foreign language, and acclimating to a new culture made me appreciate the experience even more. I met amazing people (Americans and Jordanians alike), learned a ton, and pushed myself in ways I didn’t think possible. The 4-month intensive immersion program improved my Arabic skills in tremendous ways and provided me with a greater insight into the culture. You will work hard, but it’s all worth it. Highly, highly recommend!

My experience in Prague was incredible! Not only did everyone who visited me tell me that it was easily one of their favorite cities in Europe, Prague's central location made it easy and cheap to travel to and experience almost anywhere in Europe. A specific benefit of the CET program was that our required traveling seminars gave us the perfect opportunity to explore places in Central and Eastern Europe that I probably would have never thought to travel to. The biggest challenges I faced while living in Prague were the linguistic and cultural barriers. Things we take for granted everyday such as shopping for groceries or asking for directions became a much more complex ordeal. The CET buddies that we lived with became fantastic resources for tackling these challenges. Besides traveling, Prague was great because it was one of the few cities in Europe to not be leveled during WWII. This means that almost all of the cities rich cultural, historical, and artistic treasures have been preserved.

CET Siena has all the basics you might be looking for: a supportive and incredibly kind teaching and administrative staff, immersive language learning, amazing homestay opportunities, etc. What really made my semester incredible was how everyone in the program went above and beyond what was required to make me feel comfortable and also to help me explore Siena and Europe! The environment was incredibly supportive, and I made amazing friends and learned so much about Italian culture and the language!

The city of Prague is breathtaking and magical--if nothing else, I would have lived there simply for the city. In addition to the city, the transportation and low cost of living made the living experience spectacular. Though cold in the winter, there are a mindblowing amount of cafes around the city that are cozy and trendy.
The professors at FAMU are incredibly talented; they plan for cool trips and workshops with renowned photographers and there are many ways to make the most of all the resources in FAMU--from the high-end scanners and printers to the dark rooms and studios.
The administration is sometimes a little disorganized, particularly with communication to CET and us, but eventually it all works out. The support from the CET side is particularly helpful!
I came back with so much more photo knowledge, especially film photography, and am excited to continue my photographic journey!

CET Beijing Intensive Language program provided me with a wonderful learning experience. The program was certainly intensive. I spent 3-4 hours a day studying, and sometimes the workload was a bit daunting for me. The academic rigor, while intense, was really valuable and was central to my progress. Aside from the academics, CET housed me with a student from Beijing. He was a fundamental part of my experience in Beijing and I have come to know him as a friend. In tandem with academic study, during your time in Beijing it's imperative that you also practice, A LOT. I feel great now and have seen real progress (completed the equivalent of at least one year of study in the span of two months). I now feel comfortable engaging in a number of day to day activities: buying food, navigating public transportation, going clubbing, making friends, and many more. I had a great time in Beijing, and I'm sure you will too.

The CET Intensive Language Program in Beijing Provided me with a wonderful experience. The curriculum certainly felt demanding at times, but the workload facilitated real progress in my fluency of the language. Aside from the academic experience, living in Beijing without restriction was a transformative experience. My roommate was a fundamental part of my time in Beijing. Living and studying with him was great, and he was and is still a valuable friend that I can practice Mandarin with. When I come back to Beijing, It'll be nice to have a friend there. I learned how to navigate public transportation, buy food, make friends, go clubbing, and many other day to day activities all in Chinese! Overall, my experience was an amazing and memorable one. Sure it was daunting and even a little scary at first, but ultimately one of the best times of my life. I can't wait to go back.

Before I left for Shanghai, CET promises the stars, they promised a summer study program at a rigorous university, Chinese language and elective classes taught by highly skilled proffesors, as well as a job internship in the heart of finincial capital of China. As the old saying goes, if something sound too good to be true, it probably is. But just 2 months after the experience, I can safely say that, if anything, CET was underselling the experience. This trip was a tranformative experience for me, as not only did my language skills improve , but I also gained the confidence and affirmation that I could actually use them to live, work , and in China, as well as gaining a global perspective on how a vastly different culture views and engages Work and education related mores and traditions. Studying abroad, and this program in particular, is something I cannot recommend hard enough to anyone/

I had the experience of a lifetime studying in São Paulo, Brazil. The program is designed so that you live off, but near campus with Brazilian students who attend PUC. At PUC, depending on your Portuguese fluency, you will either direct enroll in two courses of your choice or take two courses previously designated by CET. Additionally, at CET's hub, you will take an immersive Portuguese language course and Poverty and Inequality. The CET staff is incredibly involved, fun, and supportive. The staff plan excursions and trips that complement what is being learned in class and fuel the program's fun. Altogether, these elements coalesced into one of the most beautiful and unforgettable experiences of my life. I came from a non-traditional background: my parents are immigrants and I am a first generation student. Study abroad felt like a stretch and leaving what was comfortable was scary, but perhaps more than any other program could have, CET Brazil really touched my soul. I am Afro-Latino and at its heart, Brazil is too. This made adjusting to many of the changes easy because they felt distantly familiar. I immediately connected with my roommate, other Brazilian students, and the CET staff because their hospitality and warmth felt like my family's. From Day 1, the staff was on board to answer all our concerns and questions. My roommates were always willing to take us around and within a week the students on the program had already planned our own excursion. We became a family quickly and I'm still in touch with almost all of the students and staff involved. The professors were similar, particularly the ones for Portuguese and Poverty and Inequality. They were very involved and present and interested in our personal lives. This was instrumental in making the work truly immersive because the coursework was tweaked to fit our experiences in Brazil more meaningful. With these two classes, there were tons of excursions - such as one to an indigenous village and a week-long trip to Bahia, which I really enjoyed, because I got to learn about a unique region of Brazil that is very different from São Paulo. All the courses contextualized what we saw day-to-day, particularly socially (i.e. race, sexuality and gender issue) very well. Finally, there are many fun things to do in São Paulo regarding food and nightlife. Compared to the US, going out is cheap...like $1 Uber cheap. So, I highly recommend this program and actually cannot wait to go back to Brazil and perhaps even pursue a master's degree or job there. Too often we get wrapped up in what America can offer us, but the reality is the whole world is your oyster and you should take advantage of all the traveling you can do because you never know what you'll learn or who you'll meet.

It was a great cross-cultural experience. The students were offered great opportunities to attend awesome excursions with the program.; The staff and the local roommates were definitely supportive of the foreign students for the most part. Although the academics had proven to be rather challenging, it was definitely an effective way of learning a language in a fast pace. One thing that I would recommend on improving is the communication between the local roommates and the foreign roommates. A weekly check-up on both of them could be beneficial.