My Experience through CET in Taipei, Taiwan

This past semester was such a time of growth for me, and was full of many rewarding experiences. Taipei is such a cool city to explore and Taiwan itself is such a unique place to live/travel in. For me, the academics of this program were fairly difficult and I won’t sugarcoat that. I did the intensive language program and took one of their harder elective classes (Cross-Strait Relations Between Taiwan and China), so most of my weeks were spent studying in coffee shops or the library. In comparison to my American University it was not as difficult, but I think it is still harder than most study abroad programs. However, my Chinese professor was kind and was willing to help in any way so we could succeed in her class. My Mandarin improved a lot from speaking 3 hours a day in class to speaking with friends and local roommates. Also, I definitely had plenty of time to explore the island and be involved in student clubs/activities I was interested in! For example, I practiced with the NTU tennis team and practiced with them once a week, was involved in RUF, and volunteered at the NTU Hospital once a week- all things that enriched my experience in Taiwan! CET also offers program led activities as well which I highly recommend taking advantage of, these allow you to learn more about Taiwanese culture, food, and history! My last piece of advice, travel as much as possible!! Taiwan is such a diverse place in what each of its cities/regions have to offer, so take advantage of where you are!