CET Academic Programs Reviews

CET Siena was an amazing, extremely unique experience. My homestay was the best part of my four months in Italy-- I lived with a single grandmother and she was amazing. All of the people in my program were EXTREMELY happy with their homestays and I highly recommend doing a homestay. HIGHLY. LIKE DO IT. DO IT!

My program was very small, unfortunately. There were only five of us-- but this isn't always the case. Next semester there are 17 people! Yet Siena is definitely small. This means that compared to the programs in Florence you will actually learn Italian and use it every day! It also means you can walk everywhere, and that at times, the social scene isn't that big or easy to find. It's also hard because there are very few Americans studying abroad in Siena, so most of the people you meet will speak only Italian.

The CET staff was great, very helpful and always there to help out with all questions. The teachers were overall pretty good-- some of the classes are long (like 3 hours), but the homework wasn't overwhelming. The Italian teachers are AMAZING, the best language teachers I've EVER EVER had.

The amount of Arabic I learned studying abroad with CET was worth every dollar (or dinar) and every second I spent there. I grew at a speed I once thought was unimaginable, I feel it would take me years in an American setting to make the gains that did. On top of it I made new best friends, and was immersed in a culture that is strikingly beautiful and sincere. CET rules (and so does the academic director Manal, and my wonderful proffesor Noor!)

One of the best aspects of the cet Vietnam program is the service learning. While I was working for vinacapital foundation, I helped plan a giant 5k fundraiser. I got all the other cet students and Vietnamese roommates to join. And we participated in an event with over 5000 other people! My picture ended up in multiple Vietnamese newspaper, making me feel like quite the celebrity; one was captioned in Vietnamese s"even foriegners enjoy the race" :)

Sao Paulo is a bustling, metropolitan city that really feels like the New York of South America. Although the city can be overwhelming with its traffic, commutes, and pollution, the city has so many places and events to visit that a semester will simply not be enough time for one to visit the myriad of places. Sao Paulo is a city rich in culture, art, and fashion, and I loved exploring the city with CET and with friends.
Moreover, my semester in Brazil was a learning experience that went beyond the classes I took at PUC--I had the amazing oppportunity to experience the sociopolitical activism in Brazil through the friends made. From attending protests, to following the occupations of public schools from high schools, to talking to teachers about their opinions on the public education system of Brazil, I loved learning about the current events and politics in the country through the friendships I made with my roommates and close friends I am still in touch with. Brazil has amazed my with the tenacity of social and political activism from its citizens. Beyond my amazing study abroad experince, my immersion in Brazil has given me so many new friends that I cannot wait to see again when I visit Brazil again. I know I am going back!

CET Beijing was a decent experience that could have been made great with better planning,and more consideration for its students. However, the social experiences that I had with actual people from Beijing was fantastic. I made more than one friend, who could only speak Chinese, and it forced me to use my limited knowledge, and knowledge I gained through the course of CET, to actually communicate. To me this was the greatest, and best, part of CET.

To call this program anything other than life changing would not do it justice. In many ways it was the most difficult thing I had ever done, and yet at the same time most rewarding. During the week it was constant Chinese classes, and much homework. However, the weekends in Beijing were what made the trip so memorable. I think this combination of challenge and fun is what made the trip so enjoyable. I definitely improved my Chinese, yet at the same time had the time of my life out on the weekends.

The program is top quality, with very good teachers willing to help at all times. Outside of this, I really did fall in love with Beijing. Everything is really cheap, so your dollars will go a long way, and there are many activities to do.

I would recommend this program to anyone.

Not only was this program very challenging because of its high language requirements and heavy workloads, but it also emphasized the importance of personal experience and growth. Students spent a large amount of time drilling vocabulary and grammar, but were often given opportunities to become familiar with Chinese traditions. Intermediate level students learned the necessary vocabulary to talk about traditional Chinese medicine. In addition, they were required to talk to doctors specializing in this type of medicine, and encouraged to convey utilize the practice if they saw it necessary. As always, this type of program is only as effective as students are willing to participate.

I arrived in Harbin ready to make the most of this opportunity to participate in a semester of CET, funded by my Fulbright fellowship. My Mandarin abilities were minimal so the first month under the language pledge was excruciating. But I persisted through the discomfort of sitting silently at the dinner table because I knew this all-Mandarin environment was rapidly improving my speaking and listening abilities. I was forced to figure out how to express myself in Chinese, even if it meant stumbling through butchered sentences at first. By the half-term Fall break my Mandarin had already improved at an exponential rate. By the end of the program, my Chinese roommate was my best friend and we were regularly staying up late at night giggling in bed over stories from each of our days. The subject of these stories was often boys. My uncle told me there are several truly beautiful things one will experience in life: having a baby, falling in love, and making a friend in another language. Needless to say, my Mandarin has improved dramatically since my first week of “你好吗？”.

This program will most likely not greatly improve your Italian language skills as a beginner. The Italian lanuage class is only twice a week for an hour and a half. Because I already knew Italian I made a commitment to talk to people on the street only in Italian which helped. However for a beginner this can be difficult. Also the language class was not heavily focused in grammar, instead we mainly talked during class. I was the only one in my program who had prior experience with Italian so it was a one on one language course. All of the other people in the program said that they could not speak Italian after 4 months.

This was the thought that ran through my head throughout the first few weeks I was experiencing my time as a student under the dreaded Chinese language pledge. Before arriving I did not realize how serious this pledge would be, and I also did not realize how well it would actually improve my Chinese.

The program was intense, but it does its job. My Chinese has become remarkably better than when I started my semester in Harbin. It is also possible to form deep friendships with Chinese roommates and classmates in the program. I feel like I have been left with friendships that will last a long time. I am also thankful for the unique experiences that CET has left me. For example, visiting the China-North Korean border, Great Wall and other excursions!