Program Reviews

I chose the CET Kunming Program chiefly because of its Language Pledge component, and its reputation as a first-tier study abroad academic institution. Individually, I was not disappointed in either respect; classes were rigorous, and the Chinese roommate kept me honest to the Language pledge as much as possible. By the end of the two-month program, I was speaking fluently and with confidence. Also, my character writing improved substantially; I struggled at first with strict standards for handwriting, but over time adjusted my habits and found success. Also, the Chinese roommate component is fantastic; every roommate (not just your own) is excited to chat and exchange with you, and most are eager to share local sights, pop-culture, and restaurants with you.

On the flip side, making friends with classmates using only Chinese was challenging in the beginning, due to varying levels of Chinese ability and the strict Language Pledge. Also, the class schedule truly keeps you working hard weekdays, which although exhilarating left me quite tired by the weekend. In short, I didn't get to travel in-country as much as I'd hoped on the weekends, and only near the end of the experience found space to bond with my American cohort.

I would recommend this program to any student who is eager to improve their Chinese ability across the board, and excited to spend a summer studying hard in a beautiful city. Opportunities for engagement with Chinese students are copious, and I have made lifelong friends on this program.

CET Beijing: Intensive Language was more than anything I hoped for. It is very difficult to even think of a single complaint I had about this program. They were very receptive to my needs, and no matter what the topic, I felt like I always had someone I could go to.

Academically, the program was adequately challenging. Although we progressed very quickly, the teachers provided us tools such as office hours to make sure we could succeed and get the help we needed. The progress every student made was evident, and we were all very happy with how much we improved during our time at the program. I especially enjoyed the daily one-on-one sessions the curriculum included, where every student was paired up with a teacher to converse for 25 minutes every day. By giving us an opportunity to talk about topics that were not strictly included in our textbooks, our language comprehension became much more versatile, enabling us to converse fluidly even with natives.

Recreationally, CET did an excellent job of keeping a balance between providing opportunities to venture Beijing by organizing trips (for example, to the Great Wall or the opera) that students could sign up for and giving us freedom. For example, if some students decided they were not too interested in the opera, they could go to an alleyway on their own and try traditional Chinese street food. And since Beijing's public transit is very easy to learn and use, many students took advantage of the freedom CET provided the students with. Some even took the bullet train and went on a weekend trip to different cities such as Shanghai!

The housing situation was very neat and comfortable. Honestly, it was better than any housing accommodation I have ever received from my university in the States. It was very spacious, came with ample furniture, and each room had a bathroom that was very convenient. Although the dormitories had an air filtration system since Beijing's air pollution is a concern to many, the CET staff additionally offered filtration machines in the rooms of those who were particularly sensitive or concerned.

All in all, this program gave me a summer I could never forget. For students who are unsure what to do during their summer, I strongly recommend this program, regardless of if they have studied the language before or not. At the program, I met students from a wide variety of majors and backgrounds, and they all took back valuable lessons and memories. It is the perfect balance of academia and fun, all while making many new friends!

I had an incredible time with CET Vietnam. Unlike the spring and fall program, the summer program only has one traveling seminar. Coursework was flexible enough to allow for some travel, but work did start to pile up towards the end of the program. I loved my Vietnamese class, and the Development Studies class gave me a good overview of development issues in Vietnam. I loved the people at my internship, but the work I did was not directly related to my interests. Although my dorm room had some issues and accommodations could use improvement, the dorm was centrally located in the city and was walking distance from many attractions in the city. I had a local roommate, and I found it rather difficult to connect with her, but I made some truly amazing friends through the program. Overall, I had an extraordinary time exploring Vietnam and learning about Vietnamese culture. I feel like this experience helped my develop significantly, personally and professionally.

I thought that the CET Harbin program was a very well organized and well-run program. One of the things that I think really stands out about this program is that you can choose two elective courses which allow you to focus on certain areas of study in Chinese (e.g. literature, classical Chinese, composition etc.) I found that all of my teachers, as well as the on-site CET staff were always willing to help and answer any questions I had.

While I think this is a very good summer program, it is also an extremely intense one, with a lot of homework. I was very overwhelmed at first, and in the end, I dropped one of my classes to lighten my work load. After I did this, I didn't really have any problems. However time management is definitely an important skill to have if you select this program. Also I would advise anyone who is planning to attend this program, do not overlook the importance of sleep. Sometimes it feels like you just have too much homework to get a good night's sleep. In this case, I would strongly urge you to not finish all of your homework and go to sleep at a reasonable time instead. Think of sleep as a part of your homework every night. Sleeping well each night is one of the best ways to prepare for class the next day.

Previously I had no Chinese knowledge which made the program difficult in that respect. I expected this to occur but as I began to learn Chinese it became more difficult because there was phrases or words I understood but not the entire meaning of the sentence. The language pledge was the most difficult barrier of all because I felt that I missed out on a lot of potential friendships because I could not communicate with anyone given my limitations. However, I still found myself around students at a higher level than me which helped me be constantly surrounded by the language and little by little I began to have some conversations with higher level students. If you are looking to begin studying Chinese abroad without any prior knowledge, prepare to be challeneged but do not give up, patience is everything.

The CET Siena study abroad program is organized very well. The staff is extremely supportive and caters to your every need as well as offering helpful tips. The teachers were very attentive and due to the small class sizes they were able to personalize each course towards the level of their students. In fact, every student improved drastically in Italian. I also really enjoyed my Sienese Art and Architecture course since it offered historical background on the local Sienese culture.
Siena is a great town to study abroad in since its small size allowed us to actually explore the whole city on foot and by the end of the two months we all knew our way around. The location in Tuscany makes it a perfect place to do day trips from and explore the surrounding beautiful rolling hills. Also, the tuscan food is superb, we even learned how to make pasta from scratch in our cooking class. Another fun activity that CET planned was a wine tasting course. However, the most important thing in Siena is the Palio. We waited in the piazza for 5 hours to watch the horse race, and it was worth it.
I stayed in an apartment with 3 other college students and one local Italian student. I really enjoyed this set up since we had our own kitchen and a large living room to hang out in. Living with an Italian student allowed me to practice my Italian and it offered an authentic view on Sienese culture.
The program was organized perfectly since classes were only Monday through Thursday, allowing for many weekend trips. For instance, I traveled to the Amalfi coast, Cinque Terre, Elba, Capri, London, the Alps, Milan, Bologna, and Lake Como. From Siena it was easy to hop on a bus or train and explore the nearby tourist attractions. The traveling was tiresome but it was so enjoyable traveling in groups with new friends and exploring foreign cities.
Overall, I highly recommend this program. Not only are the teachers great but the CET staff is super supportive and Siena is the perfect study abroad town.

Before I chose to go to CET Taiwan, I was really anxious since it was my first time abroad and I was even considering backing out. However, I am extremely happy I went because it ended up being a life-changing experience! I am currently on one of my last weeks in Taipei and I almost feel tears welling up in my eyes as I type this because I am going to miss Taiwan so much! T^T One thing you need to know about CET Taiwan is that it is a mixture of CET + ICLP + Internship. ICLP is a world renowned intensive Chinese Language School so if you are looking to improve your speaking ability, this is THE place to be! There are diplomats and Phd students from all over the world that travel here to learn Chinese. The teachers are amazing and super motivating. You are not strictly tied to grades so it won't be a rote memorization experience. Teachers grade you on progress and since you often have great teachers, it almost makes you want to try your hardest!

On the CET side, I loved the support we had. Chunling and Andrew are the most amazing human beings to walk upon this planet. (not an exaggeration) They were essentially the glue that held our sanity together amongst all of the school/internship stress we had. They really go out of their way to make help us feel at home and are there for our highest and lowest points. Without them, this review could have a complete 180 turn tbh. Internship depends on the company you are interning for. My experience was okay but if there are any improvements to be had, I would love it if we could look for internships on our own! The CET excursions are much better than ICLP's, so I highly suggest you go to all of them! I have never regretted coming out.

On the ICLP side, the workload is heavy, but doable. You go to school 5 days a week for about 3-4 hours a day in the morning. The ICLP trips are honestly dreadful, there's just so many people and sometimes it is poorly run. The good thing is, you can always split from the group when you get tired so I suggest you go since CET helps pay for these excursions!
The first two weeks of the program is orientation and just trips here and there. And classes begin after that. At the end of the program, you have to do a 5 minute talk which basically gives you an opportunity to show your improvement and the teachers will try their best to help you prepare you for that. There is a language pledge inside the building and I think that's about it! You also get an ICLP language partner (a local you can communicate with). Some of my classmates didn't meet with their's much but most of my unforgettable experiences are from the local excursions I had with my partner.

For internship (for the summer program at least) you need 80 hours. Personally I think you should work more in the beginning so you can get these hours out of the way. The workload gets heavier as the weeks progress. Internship course is decent, not much more to say! It is what it is, an internship.

You will probably come to Taiwan scared af but I guarantee that you will leave feeling very fulfilled. There is so much delicious, affordable food, wonderful night markets, and some of the kindest people you will ever meet. Everyone is really forgiving and patient so if you want to learn and test out your chinese, this is the place to be! It is also extremely safe which was a culture shock bc I was always so paranoid at night in the US. You can also get more on my blog, valerieenguyen.wordpress.com (or just .com)

احلا
I studied abroad in Jordan through the CET language intensive program in the summer of 2018 and it was truly on of the best experiences I could have asked for. From day one the onsite staff and directors were so helpful and welcoming. They really tried to make sure every student was settling in with ease. The summer language intensive program was a lot more difficult than I was expecting and there is a lot of work since its shorter than a normal semester. The classes could feel overwhelming at times because everything is taught in Arabic but the professors will and other onsite staff work diligently to ensure that you're progressing. Even when it feels overwhelming or you are tired, the professors are alongside you cheering you on.

Aside from the classroom experience CET offers multiple trips that really help bring you into the culture. The first trip, we visited a Jeresh, Umm Qais, and Ajloun, this trip gave us the opportunity to learn more about the history of the region and practice Arabic with our friends in a new setting. The second trip, was also an opportunity to site see and speak with our friends but most importantly it also gave us the opportunity to speak with the locals of Petra, and Wadi Rum.

This trip impacted me in an academic and personal way. Before studying with CET I thought I knew a lot about the region because I studied the Middle East for three years before going there, I was wrong. I knew nothing. Books can teach you about politics on an international level but there is nothing like interacting and with living with the locals.

I am sorry, but this review will be a little negative. I've been on intensive summer language programs before, and I have always had wonderful experiences. However, this program (though there were some good parts) was not what I wanted. This program was so stressful that all of my classmates want to leave (that's literally awful). If you choose this program, be ready to be in class until 5 PM everyday and then have 5-7 hours of homework every night.

I recommend this program to anyone looking for a challenging but rewarding immersive language experience. Looking back on my first day in the program, my Chinese rapidly improved, to the point where I feel comfortable enough to discuss anything with anyone! The CNU campus is a very welcoming area, and the people of Beijing are always gracious. For me the best aspect was the enthusiasm and effort exhibited by our teachers. I genuinelly believe they cared about us and our wellbeing during this program.