Program Reviews

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.

My overall experience with CET Shanghai was extremely positive. The program provides a variety of opportunities to engage with Chinese language and culture and the staff is very supportive and helpful to student needs. Jeremy and Nova are always able and willing to lend their help and support. The program is academically rigorous compared to some other study abroad programs, so it's important to be prepared to put in the work. Daily Chinese classes are especially time consuming and require a good deal of preparation outside the classroom, but if you put in the effort you will be able to significantly improve your Chinese language skills. The professors are all extremely knowledgable and personable. Weekend trips and excursions provide ample opportunity for students to experience Chinese culture. There are also two breaks (one 5 days and another 10 days) where students can do independent travel.

It's tough to describe this experience on a 1-10 scale. While there were many aspects of this program that I really loved, there were many parts of the program that were very frustrating. Overall, I'm glad that I chose this program and I hope that one day I can return to Prague. I also think that the program has a lot of room for improvement, but compared to other study abroad programs I think that they are the best option for those interested in practical film production.

FAMU is a very unique film school and the professors are very talented filmmakers. I don't think the general core classes were the most productive way to learn with these professors, but I felt that they all made time to meet with us individually several times throughout the semester and those meetings were when I learned the most. I enjoyed my FAMU electives a lot and the general arts community in Prague. I also really enjoyed the optional Kutna Hora trip, and found some personal time to explore Cesky Raj (which I really recommend!).

I wouldn't recommend this program to everybody, but I am glad that I did it and I think that some people could really enjoy what this program has to offer. I also think it was a very valuable character-building experience that I don't think I would've gotten anywhere else. I personally chose to study abroad not just for the cultural experience but also because I wanted to learn film production. While there are many other programs that offer a much more consistent experience (particularly with academics and scheduling) this is the only program I know that provides an accurate experience of what film school and the filmmaking process can look like.

If you are looking for a challenging and immersive study abroad experience please consider CET Japan.

One of the most beneficial things about CET Japan is the language pledge: which forces you to speak Japanese inside and outside of the classroom. This can seem quite intimidating, but it was so helpful for my Japanese. In addition, it strengthens camaraderie with the other CET students who also took the pledge.

The CET program staff were also very supportive and always available to help. They pick you up at the airport, help you fill out important documents, and even take you to the hospital if need be. I always felt extremely comforted knowing that I could talk to them if I had a problem.

The CET academics were very high quality. Class sizes ranged from 2-5 students, which really helped me to participate in class and develop a strong relationship with my teachers. The teachers were extremely knowledgeable and skilled.

There were many social opportunities and it was easy to take advantage of them to fit your own lifestyle.

My building was somewhat old and things occasionally broke. That being said, the landlord always responded promptly. You should be advised that you may have to pay extra for utility cost.

Studying abroad with CET Japan was one of the best experiences in my life and I am extremely glad I chose it. I highly recommend CET Japan!