Program Reviews

I loved using Florence as my home base for my studying abroad experience! Classes were fair, and the professors were understanding. The city is fantastic, and there are many places to go out and eat or walk. Many courses also take you to museums so you can have on-location learning (which was my favorite part). There are a lot of study-abroad students who spend the semester in Florence, so it's easy to make friends and get away with speaking English. Finally, everyone in the program lives in apartments around the city center. Although the location of the apartments are great, not everyone gets the same quality.

My experience at CET Jordan was absolutely incredible. It was amazing to be able to see so much of the country, whether it was the mountainous natural reserve of Ajloun, or the vast beautiful desert of Wadi Rum, or even the bustling capital of Amman. You will be able to see everything you want to see and learn anything you want to learn. You just need to put in the work because the curriculum is pretty demanding. However, you will be able to get through it and you WILL be satifsified with how much you learn.

My summer in Florence was one of the best experiences with CET. The 6 week program was the perfect amount of time to get to know Florence and the Italian culture. The classes were engaging and allowed students to see Florence in a new way, while being fair with the workload. The professors were also very knowledgable and passionate which made the classes so interesting. I met so many new friends through the activities that were organized by the activity leaders who were both young and became close friends with the students by then end! There was a wide variety of activities for everyone and was one of the best memories from the summer. The housing was great and you live among locals, although some apartments are farther from the school than others. Overall, I would highly reccomend this program to anyone who wants an amazing summer!

I didn't quite know what I was getting myself into when I applied for CET Japan, but it truly changed my life. The location of CET Japan is unbeatable. Being in Osaka, especially as a student at the beautiful Osaka Gakuin University, is as good as it gets while abroad. Being in the Kansai region was a great balance of city life, accessibility for traveling, and escaping to nature. After a few mere weeks in Osaka, I could picture myself living there long-term. The endless support from CET staff, teachers, roommates, and the local community is exactly what I needed while spending 3 months in a foreign country. Students in the program were very friendly and open to exploring and trying new things. I made some of my best friends while with CET. The language program is rigorous and my language skills significantly improved. The elective classes offered an opportunity to engage with other international students at OGU. I can confidently say that I was able to create a daily routine in Osaka and try at least one new thing every day. It was great to be around other students who had similar goals of travel and exploration. Boarding my return flight home, I definitely felt accomplished, and left with no regrets.

CET Jordan is an incredible program for language aquisition. The teachers are incredible, class sizes are small, and there are a plethora of opportunities to customize learning to how you like and need. We had 2 hours a week of 1-on-1 office hours, which was a great way to get to know my teacher and to improve on my personal language struggles. The elective classes were interesting, although the directed research class was very very independent, especially if your research interest didn't fall under the professors realm of experience. The administration was great and supportive. If you are focused on Arabic aquisition this program is for you. I will say I think host families would help with that, but that of course comes with its own difficulties. The location is in a nice area in Amman, although a little disconnected from public transportation if that is a priority of yours. CET is good because you can chose how connected to the program/cohort you want to be.

I loved CET Taiwan mostly for the reason that it was in Taiwan. Classes were overall fine, and I made a couple really close friends, but the island's food, activities, and different cities all were the most memorable.

You only take a Chinese language course and an elective course, so the academic course load isn't that heavy. I really enjoyed the Chinese course because I had an understanding and capable teacher and my classmates were all fun to be around. My professor for this class made an effort to get to know each of us on a personal level. I love to sew and so did she, so we would talk about this during break times, and she even gave me a Qipao sewing pattern that I could take back with me to the states. The class moves very quickly, but this wasn't a huge deal to me because the language placement test was pretty accurate. I took the internship class for my elective course, and if you're planning on doing this program, this is the course I'd recommend. The internship class itself felt like mostly busy work, and I don't think I gained a whole lot from it. However, the internship placement was a lot of fun and really hands on. I interned at a news station, and was out in the field shadowing reporters every shift, so I gained a lot from that experience.

Even when I wasn't in class or internship, I still found that I was busy all the time. Honestly, I was exhausted and sleep deprived most of the semester, but because I filled my whole schedule, I got to experience a lot of Taiwan. I went on day trips or overnight trips on the weekend (most of which are pretty affordable), and during the week, I would go to new places in Taipei. My all time favorite trip was a weekend trip with my roommate to an island in the south called Xiaoliuqiu and a city called Taizhong. Travel was a bit stressful, but the train system is pretty convenient. We spent about half a day at Xiaoliuqiu, which had perfect warm weather for snorkeling and some good street snacks. Then at night, we traveled back up to Taizhong where we spent the whole next day touring. The Gaomei wetlands were super cool though a little rainy. We also went on a two hour bike ride in the pouring rain to get to a subway station to take us into the city, which in theory does not sound fun, but looking back it is my favorite part of the semester.

Its really hard to manage time while abroad, especially since everyone back home was on a complete opposite time zone, so phone calls always ran really late into the night. Time went by fast, so I felt a pressure to do as much as possible, which has it's upsides and downsides. I could have balanced my time better, but I know I would have regretted not doing some activities, so I wouldn't change anything even if I could.

My favorite part about being in Taiwan was the food. It is really yummy, affordable, has lots of options, and usually pretty quick and convenient. If I ever found myself doing nothing in my apartment, I would go out with a friend to a new place to eat. There are so many boba shops around Taipei, I had it so many times I got sick of it (did not think that was possible).

CET also gave us reimbursements for daily public transportation, meeting with language partners, and doing cultural activities. All of these motivated me to try things that normally I wouldn't because I didn't have to worry about the cost of it. I loved going to tea houses, but they tend to be on the pricier side, so the cultural reimbursement made it possible for me to go more than just one time.

To begin, I'd like to emphasize that this curriculum takes intense Arabic studies but is extremely rewarding. I had only taken one semester of Arabic during my first year of university prior to this program. When I first moved to Jordan, I knew very little Arabic. But only after two weeks of classes. I was able to express my wants, grasp and comprehend simple phrases, and hold basic conversations. My favorite quality of this program is how much Jordanian culture is woven into our studies and daily life. We went on multiple field trips throughout our time in Amman, also had Jordanian neighbors, Language partners. Which played a huge role into our cultural immerse.

My primary goal was to learn Ammiya (Jordanian dialect) Arabic, which is spoken by the locals. So, when I expressed an interest in developing my conversational abilities, my teacher was very supportive, and we scheduled one-on-one sessions throughout the week to practice conversing. Which led to the accomplishment of my goal and my ultimate personal success in this program.

I loved my semester studying Chinese in Taiwan. The classes were small and intensive but also super fun, and there are plenty of opportunities to practice your language skills when you’re out and about. The switch to traditional characters wasn’t as challenging as I expected, you’ll get used to it via exposure. I did an internship along with my language classes which meant that I had less free time, but I’m glad that I got to experience the work culture there. There’s a LOT to see and do in Taipei — museums, nightlife, hiking, eating, etc. — and public transport to other parts of the country is pretty reliable, especially if you take the High Speed Rail. Would super recommend you to take a train out to the south in the weekend!

Taiwan is a special place! My study abroad wasn’t all perfect but I really loved it there.

This program is great if you want to see a lot of Florence. The classes take you to so many locations--I really feel like I saw all of the important Florence sites and was able to learn a lot about them from my professors. The program also had a lot of included extra activities like gelato tasting, a cooking class, a soccer game, and a pool day at a Tuscan villa.

Florence is a really great city as a study abroad students. There are so many students from US schools and it is really fun to meet them all. Traveling from the train station is so easy, too--pretty quick train ride to Rome, Milan, Pisa, and a lot of other great places, and easy to get to the airport. The week long fall break is great for seeing a lot of Europe.

Studying abroad with CET Siena was the most rewarding experience of my life so far! As a first-generation & Latina student, imposter syndrome made the idea of studying abroad seem impossible but everyone at CET Siena made me feel so welcomed and like I finally belonged somewhere. The staff genuinely care about getting to know you and put in so much effort to make your stay as comfortable and fun as it can be, from choosing nice apartments to planning a fun and immersive weekend trip. The roommates are some of the best people I have ever met. The staff plan some great weekly bonding events that help immerse you in Italian culture, let you get to know them and your peers, and get you walking around the beautiful town and learn about all its unique history. They’re also a wonderful resource to help you practice Italian language!

In terms of academics, the professors are very receptive of your needs. The Italian course is very comprehensive and it makes learning and practicing Italian in Siena so much less scary. Class schedules are arranged so you have plenty of time in the day to explore the city, visit the biweekly market, and enjoy the amazing Tuscan sunsets (one of my favorite things to do during my time there). The workload is also pretty light overall so you can take weekend trips relatively stress-free. If you’re looking to improve your Italian skills, CET Siena is definitely your best choice. English isn’t spoken as commonly as in other Italian study abroad cities (Florence, Rome, etc.) so you really get to practice what you learn in the classroom! In my experience, the people of Siena are genuinely happy to hear people trying to speak Italian and are very kind even if you make some mistakes. As a Latina, you find so much in common with Italians and Italian culture that you can genuinely feel like you’re at home.

The experience wouldn’t be complete without the food and travel. Siena has some amazing restaurants and local shops that have some of the best foods I’ve ever tried (if you choose CET Siena you should definitely check out the Tea Room by Piazza del Mercato). CET Siena also sets up a cooking class activity where you learn to make your own pasta and sauces from scratch at an incredible restaurant — it was one of my favorite activities by far! Traveling around Italy is super accessible from Siena’s train station; I was able to visit six other cities in Italy and four other countries during my time abroad for a relatively low cost. Siena itself is a very walkable city with very pretty architecture, making your walks to class or the store more enjoyable.

One of my favorite aspects of the program is the opportunity to meet other students from different US universities. The people I studied abroad with are now some of my best friends and made learning Italian and exploring the country so much fun. Overall, my study abroad experience with CET Siena was one of the most memorable periods of my life so far and I would do it all again if given the chance!