Program Reviews

I studied in Siena through CET Academic Programs for the summer of 2018, and it was by far the best summer of my life. Siena is an incredibly unique city, unlike anywhere else I've ever been. Big enough to feel like a city but small enough to feel like home, the sense of community in Siena abounds. Although I wasn't a local, by the end of my two months there I came to feel like I belonged as I saw the same familiar faces in the park each morning and at my favorite cafe's and shops. The most amazing part was to see my Italian improve as I became more and more comfortable conversing with the friendly locals.
The academics in Siena were also amazing. My teachers there were honestly the best that I've ever had. Class sizes were small so I formed close relationships with my teachers. My Italian professor was incredibly passionate about teaching and making sure we were happy and successful. My elective was Sienese Art History, taught by another dedicated and passionate professor, and our field trips to see the artwork we studied allowed a connection between the classroom and my life in Siena that was absolutely priceless. The head staff at CET were always cheerful and attentive to each of us, always striving to make sure we were having a wonderful time.
Siena is honestly such a wonderful place. Between the Piazza del Campo, the beautiful city square where one can relax and study by day and come to socialize by night, the experience of the Palio horse race and the sense of community held by each contrada, my cherished morning runs at the fortress (a park with amazing views of the city and countryside), the stunning Duomo in the heart of the city, the endless gelato, and the overall safety and comfort that I felt in this city, coming back to Siena after a weekend exploring the rest of Italy felt like coming home.

I honestly can't imagine having a better experience anywhere in the world than I did this summer in Florence with CET! Living in an apartment in the heart of Florence was such a unique experience and, unlike with programs that house students in dorms, I actually got to immerse myself in the city life and have the independence to explore the city. I loved how invested the professors were in their subjects and, though the courses were challenging, I really found myself enjoying them and learning a lot! I didn't know how many field trips we'd take in Food and Culture, but being on-site for most classes was amazing - we even got to take a cooking class at Cordon Bleu! Italy itself is so beautiful and easy to navigate from Florence since it's so centrally-located. Already counting down until I can go back!

The Beijing CET program is not only a language program, but by default a cultural program as well. Why? Because all teachers are Chinese, and most of them have never taught abroad. Being taught Mandarin Chinese by a fully native faculty is very insightful and useful in getting insider perspectives on topics discussed in class ranging from politics to the arts, to environmental protection. Many of the opinions you hear will challenge your own, and this is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART of being in China; to hear these contrasting opinions and to try to understand why they exist, rather than simply listening and then immediately providing your own opinion before reaching that understanding. Suggestions for having a great time in China:
1. Travel alone as often as possible, interact with Chinese people. You will make countless friends, business connections, collaborators(for artists), and people that can make your life much more rich and informed.
2. On a similar note, do not spend most of your time with your classmates, it will not be worth it, no matter how fun it seems. If you wanted easy camaraderie based on a mutual home-country/culture, why did you come to China?
3. Indulge Chinese people while you are here: forget about your own practices, your pet peeves, your habits, learn all of these anew from the Chinese people around you and you will gain an entirely new understanding of East-Asian thought-process and life. If you do not, you will find yourself at odds with Chinese people at every turn, and will end up living in a foreign cultural sphere within China.
To Sum it Up: This program was wonderful, but it won't be that way on its own.
Beijing CET is a platform, so use it to go far and delve deep into China, in my opinion, the best place in the world for a lone traveler!

CET Florence was amazing this summer! From the first day we arrived in Florence, we were taken by CET to an amazing lunch with multiple courses and delicious, authentic food. I loved that we were taken on field trips every Tuesday—we even had a cooking class where we made our pizza and gelato! The classes were great. CET brought one Vanderbilt professor, who was great. I also took a class with an Italian professor who was probably the best professor I’ve ever had. CET clearly put a lot of effort into choosing their professors. The housing was also great. Our apartment was centrally located and very spacious. All of the staff made sure we were comfortable in it. They also helped us find amazing restaurants and helped us with all our travel plans. Thank you CET for the best summer ever!

I had a beyond incredible time with CET/FAMU Prague. I fell completely in love with the city and made many amazing friends. My experience living in the provided apartments was close to perfect and Prague always provided something new and interesting to do. The CET staff was also helpful, caring, and responsive.

The main issues I had with the overall experience were mainly academic. While I did feel like I had the undying support of multiple great teachers, namely Pavel Marek and Michael Gahut, making a film with this program felt extremely difficult, despite the fact that my group members and I have been studying film production for the past 3 years. This was mostly due to the disorganization and mistakes made by the production team hired by CET/FAMU to help us. Nevertheless, we were still able to make a few good connections through our set and do not regret the overall experience working with 35mm film.

Other than that, doing something I love in a completely different country and culture was a once in a lifetime opportunity that has shaped me further as a student, filmmaker, and human being. I definitely recommend this program and destination.

I really enjoyed my time at CET this past spring. I am finishing my gap year after graduating high school/ starting college and I am so thrilled to have used my time at CET to learn an entirely new language. The Capital Normal University (CNU) campus in West Beijing where CET is based is very convenient and of course living in the country of the language you're studying improves your level faster than any other method. Immersion is the way to go if you want your language level to improve immensely and CET exudes that idea in more ways than one. The program and staff are excited to be here teaching Chinese and there are countless activities, excursions, and outings available through the program itself and friends met while here. I loved my time this spring so much I'm doing their summer program, too.

CET Beijing Intensive language program allowed me to improve my Chinese at a incredible pace. At some points it felt like I was not improving at all- but when I called my friends (also Chinese majors) back home or had a full conversation with a stranger in Chinese, I knew that my Chinese language level was constantly improving. The professors and environment that CET exposed me to has made me feel comfortable with the language, to the point that when I came back to America I still found myself saying "谢谢", "好", "对", and other simple phrases to my friends, family, and strangers. Another example of how CET allowed me to be more comfortable with Chinese is that some words I think of first in Chinese. The language environment was a unique experience that every single person benefited from. I think my favorite part of the program was that it allowed me to slowly find my personality in Chinese, for example, I loved being able to make jokes with my friends and roommate. The program classes were not as intensive as I thought they would be (probably due to the lower level I was placed in), but that did give me a chance to explore Beijing and other parts of China.

This is the place to go if you want to improve your Mandarin! The language pledge is particularly challenging but it’s really the best way to jump start your learning. In addition, the teachers and program leads are amazing — they are strict but will help you with anything you need. The class/homework load make for busy schedules but there is still time to get to know the people on the program and the city. Great people, great program.

The staff is incredibly helpful, caring, and all around great people to spend time with. They really want you to have the best experience in their country. Great attention was paid to matching me with an internship as well. The coursework wasn't so heavy that it took away from my time exploring the city. The excursions to other regions of Vietnam and to Cambodia were very rewarding and super fun. I will truly miss my time with CET Vietnam!

One of the best parts about this study abroad program is that you live in apartments instead of dorms. Apartments ranged from 2 to 5 students, but the apartments with more students had the space to accommodate them. Since we were enrolled at CET and at FAMU we had classes in both buildings, but they were only 15 minutes away from our apartments by tram. All of the CET FAMU students lived in the same apartment building which made it easy to collaborate and spend time together, but we also quickly became immersed in Czech culture because we had to visit grocery stores and use public transit on our own!

CET provides students in this program with a budget for film and other supplies for projects, which is not only very kind of them but also makes the program accessible for students from all socio-economic backgrounds. We worked on weekly assignments for the first half of the semester and spent the second half of the semester working on our final projects which were displayed in a public gallery for a week. This program includes working with both film and digital cameras, so bring one of each if you have them!

Other highlights include very kind staff members and incredible optional weekend trips to small Czech towns and even Munich!