You Won't Regret Going

I did the CET Summer in Shanghai program at Donghua University, and it's safe to say my experience started out pretty rough. My first connecting flight was delayed, so I was forced to change flights. Rather than arriving on time, a day before the first day of orientation, I arrived at the Shanghai airport at 4 am in the morning on the day of the first day of orientation. To make matters worse, my suitcase - which had literally all of my clothes in it - never arrived. Luckily several people on my flight, who spoke english, experienced the same problem, and we were able to meet each other and find help at the baggage claim help desk. The rest of the first day was just as rough. I completely bombed the placement exam, as I was super jet lagged, and I had no fresh clothes to change into. Anyway, I was able to buy clothes at the mall, and my suitcase was eventually found and shipped to Donghua University 4 days later, and CET was super helpful in getting it to me. Outside of this, my experience with the CET Summer Shanghai program was fantastic. This is a great program, and it is your best chance to test if you are capable of living in a major city in China.

Classes:
Whether you are going in with no Mandarin skills, or you are an advanced speaker, you will finish the program impressed with how much you learned or improved. Having language class everyday can be tiring, but the professors are amazing and make class fun. There is also a wide range of interesting electives to take. I took the Chinese cinema course, and it was one of the most interesting classes I've taken. The internship experience is also one of a kind, and is something you could not obtain without going through CET. You will be very busy during the summer program, but it is a great way to test and improve your organizational skills.

Activities:
CET also has several great opportunities almost every weekend to explore famous areas in Shanghai, but you can always do things on your own. My favorite activity was going to the movies every weekend with my roommate and playing basketball. CET also has an overnight trip to the countryside. I had my reservations at first, but it is great way to make friends. You will spend most of the time riding on a bus, but the creek crawl and white water rafting are still fun.

Roommates:
Another thing is that the roommates are all amazing and very helpful. I was nervous at first because my roommate could not understand me at times, but you will get over these language barriers. At the end your roommates English will be better and your Chinese will be better. I can't emphasize how important it is to practice speaking Mandarin with your roommate. I was embarrassed at first, and I regret not trying it more at the beginning of the program.

Weather:
One complaint is the weather is unbearable at times. Highs of 118 and extremely humid, so bring very light and breathable clothes (as much linen stuff as possible). It can also rain for weeks without stopping. There was a typhoon at the end of my program, which prevent everyone from flying home for a few days.

Dorms:
My only other complaint is that Dorm Building 3 is a little rough. The rooms aren't the cleanest and the power in your room can occasionally turn off. I once woke up drenched in sweat at 5 am because I lost power in the night, so my AC stopped working. But there is usually someone at the front desk in the lobby who can help you. Also there is a woman who will do your laundry for you on the first floor of the building. You will have to use a card that CET will give you to use hot water in your shower. It comes with 150 yuan on it, and a 6 minute shower will use about 4 yuan. Some people never had money taken off their card, but I ran out of money by the end of the program. Taking ice cold showers sucks, so conserve your shower money and take fast showers. Also the sink water is not purified, so you should get used to brushing your teeth with bottled water. It is recommended for you, but your roommate will just use the sink water. You can pay to have your sheets and room cleaned as well. Dorm building 2 is much nicer, and you are lucky if you stay in the hotel, but I heard the wifi wasn't very reliable there. I had no problems using wifi or VPN in my room for the most part.

Dining Halls:
The dinning hall food was decent, but there are plenty of restaurants near the school. Cafeteria 1 has two floors, but the best food is on the second floor of Cafeteria 2. I recommend getting breakfast from 1 and eating lunch and dinner at 2. Cafe 1 is much cheaper. Breakfast there is around 1-5 yuan and lunch and dinner will be like 12. Cafe 2 is more expensive. A plate of dumplings is around 15 yuan. I recommend bringing as much money as possible because you likely need 100-200 yuan every week for food on campus and towards the end of the program, you can only add money to your meal card 2 days out of the week from 10:30 to 1. You will also need around another 200 every week for commuting and eating at work. Donghua also has a basketball court and track, but not really a gym. If you want to exercise you'll have to get a membership at a gym nearby .

Overall, I think this program is 100% worth going on. By the end, you won't feel like a tourist, instead, you will feel like an actual citizen of Shanghai.