CET Beijing Summer 2019

I had a very enriching time this summer at the CET Beijing program.
Language wise, I significantly improved my Mandarin ability. They made all students follow a Mandarin-only language pledge, which was very intense. On the same note, we had to do four and a half hours of class every weekday, not to mention daily homework and essay compositions on the weekends. I found it difficult to simultaneously keep up my physical health, social life, and results in class. Many nights, I was only able to sleep for 6 hours and struggled to stay awake in class, which started at 8 AM every weekday. As challenging as the academic load was, I would say it definitely paid off, as the constant repetition led to the expansion of my vocabulary and my Mandarin becoming more and more fluent.
On many weekends, we had sightseeing events organized by CET. I thought these were a great way to both see the beautiful sights near Beijing, learn more about Chinese history, and get closer to the other CET students. My favorite trip was to Da Tong, where we got to stay in a four star hotel and see over four cultural sites over one weekend.
CET was also great for my own development, as I got the opportunity to connect and get to know students from colleges all over the US. This, in combination with exposure to Chinese culture, really opened my eyes to the different perspectives in this world.
I really enjoyed my time at CET and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is willing to challenge themselves on multiple fronts.