CET Academic Programs Reviews

If I had to describe my experience in Harbin in one word, it would be intense. That definitely described the academics, which were very rigorous. The program challenges you, but at the end of it you'll have immense gains both in language skills and confidence. Also, although Harbin may not be as fun as huge cities like Beijing or Shanghai, it's not too bad either. My time at Harbin was characterized by both frantic studying and some very fun weekends spent hanging out with new friends.

CET Beijing's trademark characteristic is its language pledge. This presents a lot of challenges and anxiety to incoming students, which is very understandable. Being cut off from your home culture in a brand new country can be intimidating and terrifying. My classmates often reacted to this by speaking English to each other, which of course is detrimental to the program's success.

The success of the program depends mostly on the commitment that the students themselves make to upholding the language pledge and enforcing it among themselves.The first few weeks of the spring semester in 2014 were critical for establishing precedent for speaking only Chinese. A few students, for example, set up an "English Jar," into which students had to throw one "kuai" (Chinese unit of money) each time they spoke English.

Bottom line, this program works. All Chinese, all the time, will not fail if you stick with it. Problems start to arise when participants break the language pledge constantly.

CET provided not only a wonderful academic environment, but also a thriving social environment as well. Every day, I would have several hours of class and homework, but the work-load was not so extreme that I was cooped up in my room 24/7. In fact, I had ample time to chat and eat meals with my room mate, go out and explore the city of Harbin, and generally immerse myself in Chinese culture.

CET in Kunming has several defining features: very small class sizes, a language pledge, and Chinese roommates.

The Kunming program is distinct from other CET programs in that students in Kunming are placed in a city where very few locals speak English. This makes it easy to uphold the language pledge, and gives foreign students a sense of authentic Chinese culture, instead of being surrounded by Western influences. Furthermore, we were not overly affected by pollution, which is a rarity in modern China.

My day-to-day activities went like this: get up early to go for a run around the nearby lake (yep, you can go running outside in Kunming!). Come back, shower, and review characters for the quiz of the day. Go to class for four hours in a class of four students. Eat lunch in the cafeteria and then go to a one-on-one tutorial for half an hour. Work, either in my room, the common activity room in the dormitory, or at a local cafe. Go exploring around the campus or in the city center. Come back for dinner with friends and roommates. Work a bit more. Sleep. Repeat.

If you're looking to become fluent in Chinese, this is the only way to do it. The only students who struggled with the program were those who weren't committed to improvement. It takes dedication and hard work to get through this program, but if you have the drive, I can't recommend this experience highly enough.

CET Harbin is one of those programs where, especially if you haven't taken a language pledge program before, you may go in apprehensive or even a little scared. But everyone I know who came out of the program wish they had gone to Harbin sooner or stayed for at least another term. It really is a wonderful opportunity if your goal is to massively increase your foreign language capabilities (in this case Mandarin and the Dongbei dialect), and immerse yourself in Chinese culture. Go to CET Harbin, you won't regret it!

Overall, CET Osaka was a truly rewarding experience. This program's strongest assets include the intensive Japanese classes and the roommate program. Use it all to your advantage and practice as much Japanese as you can!

I would usually have one or two classes a day. Vietnamese language classes were intensive and three hours three days a week. The teachers from VLS were all very friendly and welcoming. The classes taken with CET were also very interesting and really helped me to adjust to the new environment I found myself in. For meals, my friends and I loved to go to the small restaurants in an alleyway nearby CET. The food was always delicious but you do have to be wary of the quality of water. The workload was not too stressful so we had plenty of free time to explore the city. There are many fun small markets and stores to check out. One of the highlights was definitely spring break when my friends and I travelled to Sapa and Ha Long Bay. One difficulty we encountered was theft. When walking on the street, one has to be very careful because someone will probably try to steal your purse or phone. It is important to be aware and cautious.

Everyday, I woke up and joked around with my roommate. Sometimes we ate quickly together, and would always discuss the day ahead. Then we headed off to our respective classes, where I discussed current issues and important problems that occur all over the Middle East, but especially in Jordan. After class I would meet up with a friend to chat, maybe grabbing coffee or a snack at a café. I would return to my apartment and hang out with my roommate, once more swapping stories and talking about life as we finished our homework. Then it was off to bed to get ready for a new day.
And you know what? I did all that in Arabic. I could never have imagined doing so without trouble before, but after being a part of the CET program I did so everyday with ease.
There were definitely some difficulties - being harassed and stared at in the streets, and having to cope with a whole different culture. However the CET staff did a fantastic job of helping us all out, and more than prepared us in terms of language.

Studying abroad in Japan was one of the best experiences of my life. I have always wanted to participate in the JET program and live and work in Japan, but before studying abroad and spending a year there, that goal felt more like a dream that might not be realized than something that I could actually work towards. I felt so comfortable in Japan and I can't wait until I can go back!

I wake up in the morning to a rooster's cry in the distance. I bike to school beside the river with a thick piece of パン in my mouth. I pass by the group of elderly men on their morning walk along the river. 「おはようございまーす！」
Living in Japan is surreal - the resident director can sure echo that with you. The entire experience is surreal, from the classes being taught entirely in Japanese to the residents talking to you as a native. You have the freedom you receive to explore the beautiful area on your own and participating with the local culture on all levels. Cherry blossom season was the most stunning one's life could take. 桜 petals raining down on you have the power to calm all your troubles.
Although one cannot account for one's peers, the staff were so helpful and encouraging, it was not difficult to solve any issues. Truly one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.