Program Reviews

My time in Siena this summer was incredible. I loved waking up and starting my day with a cappuccino or expresso from down the street. After the bar, classes started at 9 and then by 12:30 I was out finding an authentic lunch down a random street or cooking in my apartment. On Wednesdays there was a big market with fresh vegetables and fruits and some of the best baked chicken. I was only a short walk from the campo where much of the tourist would crowd during the day, but then by night all the locals would be having an aperitivo or dinner later. Siena was a great place to study abroad for me, because I really wanted an authentic experience. Siena had tourists, but for the most part they only were on a day trip to the city. Also many of the shop owners and waitresses would speak Italian with us to allow us to apply the skills we were learning in class. However, I noticed this was not always the case in other places we travelled to in Italy, therefore Siena was a great choice. Classes were Monday through Thursday with an exception of one or two Fridays which was very helpful when traveling. Because of the longer weekend, I was able to travel to Budapest, Amsterdam, Capri, Venice, Cinque Terre, and many other little towns or cities. This was amazing because I was able to compare cultures to the Sienese culture I was living in everyday. I would highly recommend this program if you are looking to learn a lot through classes and then be able to use your knowledge out on the streets in your free time.

I actually came to be admitted into the Beijing quite last minute. I'd originally planned to spend the 2016-2017 Academic year in Amman, Jordan. Midway through the year my school decided to pull me due to a U.S. State Department travel warning on Jordan. So instead of returning to campus I hurriedly applied for CET Beijing. From the beginning they were extremely helpful in my odd application process. They even managed to have my internship setup on an extremely short timeframe.
Beijing as a city is massive an can be overwhelming at first. Getting to places will take time and patience. Things were easier for me as a Chinese American so I blended in with the ethnically homogenous society better than other students. There's a good amount of history and culture (Hutongs, Tiananmen) to see in Beijing and modern architecture(Birds Nest, National Theater). Even though you aren't in a 'language pledge' intensive Chinese environment the Chinese classes are still quite rigorous. In addition to this, I know the others in my program and myself gained immense Chinese technical/business jargon while on-site at our respective internships. The semester was fun and challenging and I would recommend this program to any students who are thinking about potentially working in China in the future, this will be a great litmus test for you.

I initially decided to apply to this program offered by CET Vietnam, because as an undergraduate student planning to eventually become a practicing physician, I find it crucial to broaden my views and examine the social determinants of health. My short 8 weeks in Vietnam allowed me to not only study these factors, but also to fully immerse myself in the beautiful Vietnamese culture.

Culture/people:
Being Vietnamese-American in this program meant that my identity landed me right in the middle of two very different cultures. I was initially worried that I would not fit into either group, but I quickly came to realize I didn’t have to fit into a category. I had incredible support and constantly had the CET staff, my roommate, or my program-mates to discuss with. I learned more about myself with every interaction I had (even if it was just my uber driver!!), and being able to interface with the Vietnamese public was a special opportunity.

Academics/internship:
The summer program consisted of 3 courses: public health and development, service-learning, and Vietnamese language. The language course was very well organized, and I found my Vietnamese improved quickly because of how much I was able to practice and ask questions. The public health course, alongside the internship, moved outside the typical teaching style I was used to. Instead of the typical classroom learning, we always had the chance to attend events or interact with Vietnamese people in order to apply our readings and lectures on an interpersonal level. I greatly appreciated that each student could dive into the material as little or as much as they wanted to.

I am incredibly happy that at the conclusion of the two-month program, I was able to learn more about Vietnam’s development, gain insight about my identity, and make friends I know I will keep for a lifetime.

Having the opportunity to live, work and study in Shanghai will always be one of the most memorable and amazing experiences of my life. As a program, CET outdid themselves in every aspect, both inside and outside the classroom.
The combination of both Chinese language classes and Chinese cultural classes really helped me have a better grasp of living and experiencing Chinese society. I really enjoyed the one-on-one instruction the program offered as well as the field trips we would take as a class to new parts of China I would have never had the opportunity to otherwise visit on my own. Getting to live with a local Chinese roommate, especially a native Shanghainese, greatly enriched my experience learning the language and making new life long friends.
My internship taught me a lot as well. Working for a Spanish company's Asian headquarters immersed me into the international business world in the best way possible. I was surrounded by colleges from all over the world, in a multilingual environment who helped me in so many ways to learn how to successfully navigate and interact in a professional and multicultural business setting.
Shanghai is an absolutely stunning city and has so much to offer. I loved exploring the city every chance I had, whether it be with my Chinese roommate, my fellow American students or just by myself. The sense of independence and confidence living in a whole new part of the world instills in you is unlike any other. Taking the initiative to even look outside of the program, to go to new events and make new friends all from around China, to learn more of who you are as a person, is the most rewarding aspect you can take from program.
Overall, I couldn't have been happier with CET. They were extremely well-organized and tremendously supportive all throughout my time there and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

The CET program in Osaka is, in my opinion, one of the best study abroad programs in Japan. It will NOT be the program for you, however, if your goal is to have an easy semester that allows a lot of travel and free time. It WILL be if you want to enhance your Japanese language ability and truly live like a Japanese college student. The Japanese classes are intense, often, and have a lot of work involved. The language pledge forces you to express yourself in and use Japanese every single day. Living with a Japanese roommate means that you have to communicate and learn about your roommate's style of living, and it also gives you an easy entrance into how a real Japanese college student lives. Because there are a lot of pros and cons of this program's aspects, I will break it into parts.

Japanese language classes
Pros:
- They are HARD and rightfully so. You will see your Japanese improve quickly.
- The professors are amazing, available, and encouraging.
- The class field trips made me more connected to different parts of the culture, while also using Japanese to understand them and talk about them. My favorite was probably my class's trip to Himeji-jo.
- The classes are small (at least smaller than at my home university).
- The project class was a huge turning point for me. I would have never thought that I was capable of interviewing local Japanese people, creating a presentation about a topic, and presenting it completely in Japanese.
Cons:
- The learning gaps between class levels are large. My class (200 level) was more encouraging and fun, but we also learned a lot. My friends in the 300 and 400 levels found these classes extremely hard and time-consuming, and were incredibly stressed about them.
- If you're looking for a program with good English-taught electives, I would not recommend this program. My electives were, quite simply, jokes, and did not challenge me in the way I hoped. That being said, it was fun to take a Japanese culture class while in Japan.

Living situation
Pros:
- Living with my Japanese roommate gave me a view of what it was like to be a college student in Japan.
- I was able to practice with my roommate and get help on my homework almost always.
- I made a friend that I can still connect with and talk to, even after I left.
- I lived in an apartment in Toyonaka with only my roommate, so my experience was different than the majority of students who lived in share houses. However, living in a small city on the edge of Osaka was amazing -- I was able to travel by train to anywhere and eat anything within the vicinity of my apartment.
Cons:
- Some people get closer to their roommates than others, which is frustrating.
- Some roommates don't try to hang out with the American students and are busy with their own lives.
- There are definitely cultural differences that come with living with someone from a different country.
- How you live in Osaka is strongly dependent on where you get placed. Students living in share houses had very different experiences that students living in apartments.

Excursions and Travel
Pros:
- The CET official excursions were AMAZING and things I would have never thought to do myself. Examples include: eating a vegetarian meal at a Buddhist temple, traveling to Gifu prefecture and staying in a ryokan, visiting Byodoin temple
Cons:
- There was VERY little time for travel outside of the program. We had 2 breaks during the spring semester, and one was Golden Week. I wish there had been more long weekends so that we could explore more of Japan.

Others
Pros:
- CET offered fun activities during the week that really enhanced my experience. These included: takoyaki party, karaoke party, origami making workshop, naginata demonstration, calligraphy class, etc.
- The CET staff were always available to students, especially with things like injuries/illness and emotional difficulties. Additionally, they always helped with simple Japanese living requirements like paying bills, enrolling in health insurance, etc.
- Living in Osaka means that you are close to SO many major cities. Nara, Kobe, and Kyoto are all barely 45 minutes away. Thus, it is easy to travel around the areas and visit famous places on weekends. This starkly contrasts studying abroad in Tokyo, where you need to take a bullet train or airplane to get to larger cities in other regions.
- The language pledge forced me to think in Japanese and express myself through the words I knew. This was probably the MOST important point that enhanced my language ability.
Cons:
- CET is on a normal American spring semester system, which means that Japanese students were on summer vacation for a majority of the time. Thus, there were no opportunities to participate in clubs or events on the OGU campus, and meeting other Japanese students proved exceptionally difficult.
- CET staff is strict on the language pledge. Although it was extremely beneficial, it was frustrating when you wanted to befriend other English-speaking students. Additionally, CET staff scolded Japanese students that wanted to speak English with us, which was unfortunate.

Overall, this program truly changed my thinking in terms of what I wish to do after I graduate. I loved Japan so much that I decided I wanted to steer my career goals toward living and working in Japan. If you want to learn Japanese and live in a way that is more closely aligned with how it is truly like to live in Japan (vs. living in a bubble where your only friends are other American students studying abroad), then this is the program for you.

There are a lot of programs that enable you to learn Arabic in Amman, but none will match the language instruction with CET. When the professors say that they are there for you 24/7, they truly mean it - they will answer your questions any hour of the day. Since the program is embedded inside of the university, you have an incredible amount of resources available to you, which is great for language learning. Also, the program gives you a lot of free reign to explore the city, country, and region, which a lot of other programs have restricted, so that is good.

When deciding what program to pursue for study abroad, I knew that I was very interested in going to SE Asia, but I just didn't know where. As luck would have it, I stumbled upon the CET program at a study abroad fair and was very intrigued. I have now returned from said program and know that I made the right decision. Vietnam is an absolutely beautiful country and CET helped me see all of that. The program staff took us on several trips throughout the country where we got to learn more history and about haw the Vietnam War has shaped the country. Also, they were very accommodating in offering local activities and excursions to partake in during our time in ho Chi Minh City. Everything about HCMC (with exception of the heat) was amazing. The food is phenomenal and reasonably priced and the guest house accommodations CET provides are close to SO much. I absolutely loved my time in Vietnam and know that you will too should you choose to go with CET. Also, one amazing thing is that they are very generous with refunding for cultural events or trips. So, if you go to a museum or see a show, they will work to try and reimburse you for your ticket or fee to ensure that you can experience as much as possible!

If I had to advise anyone what to be prepared for in this program, it would be to:
1. Shed any preconceived notions about how cold your winter is, and to think that you are "prepared" for Harbin's weather (a.k.a. make sure you have clothes for multiple layers packed, at least 3)
2. To only speak Chinese 只说汉语
These are my simplest pieces of advice for one of the most fulfilling experiences I have had in my undergraduate career and 20-something-year-old life. CET Harbin is not one of those study abroad programs where you go to mess around, or to take a semester just to have some fun (you certainly can enjoy yourself), but it is one where you will go in with a particular goal (to speak Chinese better) and will come out having accomplished that goal (actually being able say more than your name and your favorite color).
The reason why I liked this program so much was the way it was set up. It's really well-organized with amazing people and small class sizes. You have a world of opportunity to practice your Mandarin in class and with your Chinese roommate until your mouth is so tired that you give up and result to hand gestures and small drawings to explain your meaning. There will be many funny anecdotes to tell your friends and family, such as the time your tones and pronunciation were so bad the 服务员 didn't understand that you wanted 热水, and when the pharmacist gave you that peculiar look when you meant to ask about 口罩 (masks, for air pollution) but instead inquired about 口交 (oral sex). However, CET Harbin will provide you with a 1-on-2 class that will focus specifically on your pronunciation and tones so you can buy your masks with confidence.
Harbin also provides weekly excursions which I highly recommend taking a break from studying to participate in. There are outings to museums, restaurants, mountains, local parks, restaurants and a Buddhist temple. I mentioned restaurants twice because about every excursion includes food that you don't have to pay out-of-pocket (FREE FOOD) and Chinese food itself is packed with flavor and deliciousness (Vegetarians be warned, it is hard to find meatless food). There is also a 3-day trip that differs depending on the semester you go, and it tends to be a really good bonding experience with other Chinese roommates and your classmates. My semester (Fall 2016) we had a bonfire and outdoor karaoke session on a farm, climbed the Great Wall, and saw the border of North Korea. Plus there was food included.
I said earlier that one of my favorite parts of the program was the amazing people I met. Take advantage of having the roommates, as I remember one of my biggest regrets was starting to get close to people at the very end of the program who I didn't talk to much earlier. Also there are over 10,000 students on HIT's (host institution) campus, so if you have the opportunity and confidence to; talk to people outside of the program, or join a club even. It'll take some time to settle into your life in China, but after the first month life becomes a lot easier and your Mandarin will skyrocket.
Overall I'd say again, pack warmly and just speak Chinese. Be open-minded. Talk to the roommates and your classmates. Don't cry over the amount of homework you have or if you forget something. Know how to pronounce the word for "masks" before you go into a pharmacy. There's a lot more I could go into, but there are other reviews for that!
My semester in particular had a lot of Fulbright scholars that chose to go here to improve their Chinese. If that doesn't say anything about the rigor of the program, then I don't know what does.

My professor from my home university recommended that I attend CET Harbin, and I don't regret listening to her advice! I was academically challenged in many ways, specifically with giving many presentations and essays. In addition to the homework, the professors engaged us in class and encouraged us to practice our Chinese in culturally relevant discussions. My favorite aspect of the program was how useful the language skills that I acquired were to my needs. CET Harbin does an excellent job at tailoring the classes to what the individual student wants to concentrate on. The other students strictly follow the language pledge, creating a language environment in which everyone helps each other progress. Although I did not participate in many activities, I had a chance to travel around the city, which was beautiful. It is not a big city like Beijing or Shanghai, but has much character and beauty. It was overall a wonderful environment to improve my Chinese level, both academically and aesthetically.

This program was definitely challenging both academically and personally, but overall I am so glad I did it! I am confident that over the 8 weeks of the program I gained new skills, a broader perspective, and an appreciation of difference, and I came to realize and understand the major differences in culture and society between America and China. Our classes were manageable, though the work we had to put in every week could get overwhelming, and getting around communicating just in Mandarin was daunting. I definitely improved my confidence in conversing with native speakers, however, and I learned about the culture and lifestyle of Beijing locals, discovered the most popular areas and activities among my generation of Chinese people, and picked up plenty of area-specific vocabulary that I only learned by being immersed in the city environment. Apart from practicing new vocabulary and sentence structures in class, our teachers took us on trips to interview natives, explore nearby areas, and watch movies to apply our new knowledge, as well as encouraging us to practice speaking with our Chinese roommates and each other as much as possible. Our extracurriculars and excursions with classmates were super valuable in using and applying new vocabulary.