Program Reviews

Jordan is a beautiful country with extremely hospitable people. During my time there, I was able to see events and places ranging from a family birthday party, Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, and the Roman Ampitheatre. To be able to understand the cultural and historical context made understanding the language easier. My favorite memory is staying the night in Wadi Rum but really not sleeping at all because everyone is looking at the stars. It's a surreal experience because you are totally disconnected from the outside world - no phones, no light pollution. CET Jordan impacted my life in such a way that I returned to the States with a new understanding and appreciation for the things we have in America and also for the way other cultures function and operate. To totally immerse yourself in another person's culture is, in my opinion, the sign of respect. One of the hardest things during my time in Jordan was the language pledge. It is incredibly difficult at times and truly, truly pushes you out of your comfort zone. However, because I upheld the language pledge, my Arabic language skills have improved tremendously. CET pushes students out of their comfort zones while simultaneously providing them with an extremely wonderful support system for when things get tough. Every single CET professor is kind and encouraging but also driven to ensure that students learn something new every day. The teaching assistants in the classroom are there for extra support, to help explain something again or go over a worksheet with someone individually if needed. Their goal, just as much as the students, is for the students to learn. Students are paired with a language partner that you meet with weekly, and through them you get to see firsthand what it is like to live in Jordan. In addition to a language partner, students also have a Jordanian roommate. Through them, you are able to speak within your home with a native speaker and get a glimpse of what it is like to live with someone from a different culture. Not only is CET extremely academically driven, it is extremely culturaly driven as well.

If you choose to undertake this program, prepare to have your life changed forever. My two months of language study in Kunming shattered my preconceived notions about Chinese life and culture, and gave me an opportunity to truly assimilate into local life (as much as a foreigner could, at least!). By the end of the program, I was actually reluctant to return home! The language instruction is indeed rigorous, but all means doable, and within a few weeks of arrival, speaking Chinese became more natural than speaking English for me. I found the campus of Yunnan University and the surrounding area to be an incredibly warm and welcoming environment for international travelers and students. To top it off, the rich ethnic diversity, history, culture, and comfortable climate of Kunming, in my opinion, made it the ideal city in China to study. I will forever consider Yunnan in general, and Kunming in particular, to be a second home to me thanks to this experience.

Don't get me wrong, I love America, but CET may have forced me to give China a first-place rank. I started my time in China with the CET Spring Beijing Intensive Term and then I opted to continue into CET Summer Beijing Intensive. CET is incredible because firstly, my Chinese level catapulted from absolutely 0 speaking ability to being able to whole full-blown and fluid conversations with locals. In addition, I will be taking an Advanced Modern Chinese course when I start at university this fall. Secondly, through my 6 glorious months based in Beijing, I was able not only to explore a world-famous city, but also to branch out into China: Xi'an, Tianjin, Shanghai, to name a few. CET and its language pledge (which I would not change for the world) gave me the foundation of language skill confidence to be able to reach far beyond my comfort zone and venture into other Chinese cities. I am so grateful to CET for gifting me with advanced Chinese language skill and a plethora of new cultural experiences. I often question why I came home...

Overall, I think that the program was very spiffy.

As an absolute beginner to the language, I was nervous about the program and how it would be especially since there was the internship component; however, after touching down in China and meeting everyone, it was not as bad as I thought it would have been. The staff of CET, the teachers, the staff of CNU, and everyone in the program were all nice and very helpful. Without their help, I would have been lost and confused in my first couple of weeks in China but because everyone was so willing and kind to help a poor soul out, I was able to adjust to being in China quickly.

I do think that having a Chinese roommate for everyone in the program was very beneficial and all of the Chinese roommates were great people. Having them there was great as they would help us with getting around China as well as becoming our long lasting friends.

The trips planned by the program were very nice and we did have weekends free for the most part so we would go out and see different places on our own. The classes themselves in addition to the internship were definitely challenging and homework was daily. I would confidently say that the program was similar to a work-study in the States. Though, the daily Chinese language class did help a lot and I was able to learn a great deal of Chinese and improve what I learned as well.

The program did require a lot of work and somewhat little sleep at times but in the end, it was definitely worth it. The experience of both studying abroad in China as well as the internship component were very valuable in terms of academics as well as making new friends.

The program is very solid. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to develop their Arabic or just get out of their University. The program director and employees are very understanding and help you through all of your problems. For example, I got sick the second week and Ahmed(CET employee) drove me to the hospital and walked me through the entire process. Before I knew it, I was out of the hospital with medications in less than 40 minutes.
Through the program you get to see Petra, the Dead Sea and Wadi Rum in the long trip and Um Qais, Jaresh and Ajlun in the short trip. This was a much needed breath of fresh air, as classes were starting to pick and much of the day was spent in the books. Petra was my favorite location from the trip. Pictures don’t do the city justice. Being face to face with the treasury really makes you wonder how a primitive human can accomplish so much in the desert. The Dead Sea was a close number 2 but was very painful(don’t get the salt water in your eyes). If I had studied abroad on my own I would have not been able to assess there locations. I am very happy the program sets these trips up.
Participating in the language pledge for two months undoubtedly strengthened my Arabic. Being in the thick of course work and college student life, I didn’t realize how far I had come. Arriving in Amman, I could introduce myself in Arabic and talk about where I was from and what I studied; after the program, I could maintain a conversation with my uber driver for 30 minutes on the way to the airport. We talked about our favorite music, why I was in Jordan, what I wanted to do, what he wanted to do and companies he worked for. I didn’t realize how far I had come until he dropped me off and I headed back to the states. Overall, I am very happy with my decision to study and I have gained so much from my experience.

All in all the program was good. The environment was truly immersive. We were given many opportunities to use our Chinese, and in many cases there was no other option than to use Chinese. The majority of local places did not have a way to communicate in English, so Chinese was the only option. The teachers at CET were absolutely fantastic. They were probably the best part of the program. The Academics were very helpful and rigorous, but without the excellent teachers we had, we definitely would not have learned as much as we did. As far as what was the best part about the experience, I would say the city of Beijing in itself. Beijing is a very large and interesting city with many interesting places, so get out and explore. The homework is a lot, but you generally will have plenty of time to check out the city. So explore! When speaking Chinese, the most rewarding times were always when I was alone, exploring the city and engaging with locals in a natural way.

Overall, this program was exceptional.

A few highlights:
1) The CET staff, from the resident director to the teachers, were fantastic and second to none. They truly cared about each student and made every attempt to be accommodating of all of our individual needs. Due to small class sizes (2-9 people per class), there were plenty of opportunities to participate, ask questions, and connect with professors one on one. Professors and teachers are patient and very qualified, bringing valuable experiences to the classroom.
2) The historical weekend trip, day trips to cultural sites, and class field trips for the most part were valuable, well organized, and fun. On all of the trips, the CET staff did a great job organizing the excursions and I learned a lot from each of them (they also planned a lot of them, which was great!)
3) My internship placement was awesome! I learned a lot about working in China and I got to meet a lot of new people that I wouldn't have gotten to meet if I had only taken classes. This made this specific program unique to others and was why I picked this program!
4) My roommate and housing situation was also great. Initially before coming to China I was worried about living with a local Chinese student (I feared our cultures would be too contrasting and language would be an issue). However, CET does a great job of picking the best roommates and making the most suitable pairings. My roommate was always there for me and was my greatest resource and friend in China. He really showed me a local perspective to China, while helping me out throughout the way. Also, the rooms are very nice and spacious which is a plus (better than my home university dorms).
5) While many may be concerned by the small program size (my term only had 13 students), I felt it was a great asset. Not only were class sizes small, but I got to connect with all 12 of my classmates and I feel like we became a little family in China as we always had each other’s backs. I think this community would not have developed if the program was a lot larger.
6) My Chinese improved a lot!

Some difficulties:
1) The program is exhausting. There are some days where your schedule is packed from 8:30am-9:30pm (plus homework after). This should be understandable and expected as there are 10 credits (3 classes) and 10-12 hours of internship per week. I enjoyed this because I felt like I had a productive summer and learned a lot. However, students should be aware that this program is no joke. Be prepared to have late nights, academic stress, and lots of work (daily Chinese homework and quizzes, term papers, readings, etc.). Sometimes I wished that we had more free time to explore Beijing and China, but this just motivated me to take full advantage of weekends.
2) At times, I felt the Internship course (not the placement) lacked structure. I thought some of the focus topics were not relevant, classes were not structured well, and there was a lot of work that does not equal the two credits we receive. Sometimes, I felt that the class was an unnecessary addition to our already packed schedule/program (between Chinese class, elective class, internship) and the time could have been better used to focus on other classes, relieving student stress, and exploring Beijing. However, the teacher is very passionate about China, cares about the students, and did try her best to accommodate everyone’s needs, which I appreciated.

Overall, the pros far outweighed the cons, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Beijing. Beijing is a great city for culture, history, and food. It is quickly growing and bustling, and it is a great city to explore and meet new people. After coming to Beijing, I now see China in my future and can picture myself returning some day. CET does a great job cramming a lot into one short summer and truly cares about their students. I would definitely recommend this program to others considering it.

This program was very intense as the name suggests, especially since I was a Chinese beginner. Not being able to speak English for such a long time allowed me to be an observer, which was a very rewarding experience. Get ready for a semester of good food, great friends and going to Salintun every weekend. You will also get to see may great Chinese cultural destinations. My Chinese skills improved so much and I loved every minute of this program. I would suggest this to anyone looking to improve their Chinese speaking ability!

The experience that I had with CET in Viet Nam is one that I will never forget, without a doubt it has changed my life. The community based learning program is not a typical internship, it is physical service work in a small town in Viet Nam. The physical nature of it was fairly intense, but overcoming the struggle of the work together as a group made us that much closer. For a group of over twenty people everyone got along great and I consider each and everyone of them a great friend. The Vietnamese and American students didn't let culture or language get in the way of building lasting bonds and memories. Besides the work on building a basketball court we also taught language at a local school, and on weekends traveled together to beautiful places around the central region of the country. The program offered endless opportunities to immerse ourselves in the culture and language of central Viet Nam. My biggest takeaway from the program is that there are amazing people in the world who strive to make a difference, that there is hope for a better and more harmonious future for humanity. Do something out of the ordinary, GO TO VIET NAM!

CET Beijing is probably one of the best programs there is in CET. I loved it. It was absolutely amazing. The dorm rooms were very immaculate because there would be someone that would take the trash out about 3 times per week and someone would come in and make your bed once a week (if you lived in zhongguofangzi). I know if you live in keyuan that they take your trash out once a day and make your bed more often than in zhongguofangzi. The classrooms were suitable to the students, and the teachers were ever so friendly and kind. The other students were just as friendly, if not more so and everyone was just all around very sweet. My best advice is to find a group of people to become friends with and do stuff with, such as exploring or shopping. But just so you know, it's okay to do things by yourself too. A lot of people might not want to go see a temple or go to this particular restaurant that you want to go to and that's perfectly fine, you can go there by yourself. But I do suggest not doing everything on your own because it would get lonely at times if you did.