Program Reviews

This summer in Siena with CET was everything I could ask for and more. Siena is a great place to be, especially during the summer. It's a small enough city that I was able to feel adjusted in only two months without running out of new places to explore. I loved being a part of the preparations for Palio, including a contrada dinner and tour organized by CET. My professors were great and I especially enjoyed the excursions part of my Sienese Art and Architecture class. My Italian class helped me reach a new level of confidence speaking Italian and taught me a lot about the culture of Siena and Italy. I loved being able to travel on the weekends and even got to connect with some relatives in Italy. My Italian roommate Giada is the sweetest person ever and it was great having the opportunity to learn about each other's cultures.

My semester with CET Prague in the spring of 2013 has influenced me in ways I never could have predicted! I initially applied to and went with CET for my semester abroad as a means of fulfilling a requirement with my international studies department. I learned about Central European history, the Czech language, nationalism, the memory of the Holocaust, and so much more. I traveled on weekends to incredible cities across Europe, and gained a true sense of independence as I learned to navigate Prague.

4 years later, I ended up at an internship with an organization that shares an office with CET, got the chance to reconnect with my old resident director Jiri, and as a result am now starting out my career in international education. We never know how certain experiences may end up shaping our future, and my semester with CET started it all!

The CET Intensive Chinese Language program changed my life. There is no doubt that the academics are challenging and you will experience many challenges. However, this program challenges you in all the right ways. I can confidently say my Chinese ability has improved drastically. If you are planning to further your studies in Chinese having a language pledge is essential. It keeps you accountable, and I think you improve much quicker. The best part of CET was easily the people I met. I made several several friends who I know I will have lifelong friendships with. Since my program was small, we were a close knit group of students which I really enjoyed. We formed a strong support system which was comforting when your in such a new place like Beijing. Although this program is hard, I would do it all over again. I went into this program just expecting to learn Chinese. However, I learned so much about myself personally. I feel a new sense of self-confidence. This program has definitely allowed me to grow as a person and discover new things I'm passionate about. I would absolutely do this program again.

CET Florence gives its students the perfect opportunity to grow as adults but also offers support when necessary. Whenever I asked for help from the CET staff they were overwhelmingly helpful and informative. I hope that anyone who participates in this program takes special care to spend time with Elena and Laura. They were amazing to talk with on the CET trips to Rome and Venice and I highly recommend getting to know them.

While abroad in Shanghai, I was exposed to its international community of expats studying abroad at my university. Shanghai is the largest city in the world, and as such, there is an enormous contingent of foreign students looking to tap into its growing business environment. On my hall, about three doors down from me lived an international student from Senegal. Bobo, a Muslim African, had been conducting his graduate studies in Shanghai for eight years, and was going through Ramadan during my first month in Shanghai. As part of his religious tradition, he and his friends could not eat until after 8pm every day. While returning from an early evening on the town, I happened upon Bobo and began to chat with him. Just as I felt the conversation growing a bit awkward, I mentioned that I had homework to do, and needed to retire to my dorm for the night. He insisted that I stay and eat dinner with he and his five friends. I took him up on his offer, and continued to eat a traditional Muslim dish out of a tray on the ground, with our hands. We ate, talked about the Senegalese way of life, their government, and their aspirations. After spending the better part of two hours with them, I finally went to my room and finished the homework I had put off in order to learn about a culture foreign to myself. This encounter is special to me in that I learned about a group of people I had no prior knowledge of, and it was in an especially unique place: Shanghai. The experience proved to me that it is grossly important to learn about other people's experiences, and also gave me an alternative view on my abroad country from somebody other than native Chinese person or an American on my program.

Going abroad for me was a huge change. I had never even flown on a plane before, let alone tried to live in a new country and speak a different language. CET's program is great in that they emphasize learning the language and culture of Prague so that students can integrate themselves well. They gave me an apartment, a tram pass, and helped expedite the visa process, which is something few abroad programs could offer. I got to take classes at FAMU, which is a hugely prestigious school with some great professors. The film you make during this program has a generous budget and you work with real actors and FAMU students to make a very high quality end product. Sometimes it was difficult to communicate with both my professors and with the people of CET, but eventually issues I had were resolved. Overall, I was very happy with my decision.

Leaving my business focused university for a semester in Siena could not have been a better decision. In Siena, I took classes on cultural topics that were a huge change from my classes in the USA. I experienced the art, language and culture everyday in and out of class.

The everyday pace of life was also such an important change. It is easy to get wrapped up in the due dates and academic piece of college, but being able to slow down and enjoy life in Siena was wonderful. The food is fresher, there are fewer cars, the history is richer...

This experience did not, however, make me resent my school back in America; it gave me a better perspective. I am now back at school and I keep pieces of Siena with me. Whether it is walking down the street a little slower without looking at my phone, taking the time to cook a fresh meal, or joining the Italian club at school. CET Siena has given me a better perspective for which I am forever grateful.

My time in Sao Paulo was the exact study abroad experience I was looking for. Every aspect of the program exceeded my expectations and I could not be happier when I look back at my abroad experience. CET's unique class options, along with the direct enrollment option at Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Sao Paulo (PUC), made for a very engaging classroom experience. Not only was I able to meet Brazilian's in my PUC courses, but I was also able to form relationships with my professor's, who truly demonstrated their passion for the subjects they were teaching. Outside of the classroom, CET made sure to pack the program with trips and excursions. While some were within Sao Paulo, other trips took us out of the city and into completely different cities like Salvador da Bahia and Paraty (where we got to feed monkeys!). The change of setting was great and always provided for a good time. What I considered really special about CET was the commitment of Sergio, the Academic Director and Sulia, the Resident Director to the program and to us, the students! From the pizza parties for everyone to get to know each other, to the final goodbye dinner, they were always there to facilitate our time abroad I knew that if I ever needed anything I could go to the CET office and either of them would be happy to help! Sergio, who was also my Portuguese professor, did an amazing job in making Portuguese very enjoyable to study, through his unique teaching style. CET did an incredible job in organizing their Sao Paulo program and I'm forever thankful for that!

The CET program in Beijing is not only an excellent way to improve your Chinese, it can be a life changing experience. In particular, while the class and homework schedule is definitely intense, in my opinion the program provides an excellent balance of academics, planned cultural activities, and time to explore Beijing in a non-structured fashion. All of these are very important if you want to not only improve your language skills, but also gain a better understanding of China. That being said, it is also definitely the case that what you get out of this program depends on what you put into it. You have to make the effort to keep up with your studies, follow the language pledge, seek out opportunities to practice your language skills, etc.

CET has found a fantastic academic director in Manal Youssef. She is a strong leader, intelligent, and beyond amazing in the classroom. She and the administrative director make sure you see the tourist-y parts of Jordan, and get an amazing experience in Wadi Rum, but also push you just hard enough so that you come out of the program stunned at how far you've come.
This program was well worth every penny, the only issues I faced were the comments from people on the street, and how chilly it is indoors during the winter! So bring layers if you'll be there close to winter, otherwise, just be ready to learn and learn and learn, more than you ever thought you could. I learned more from this program than it appears from friends did in year-long stays with other programs.