CET Beijing: Internship

Going to Beijing was amazing and being able to do it with CET was even better. The people at CET are amazing and they are always willing to help if you have problems. CET allows you the comfort of exploring China independently, but you will always have a great support network with the CET people, the local roommates and your fellow students.
This program is a great way to explore Beijing and its culture because the internship allows you to see first hand how different the international work place is and it allows you to interact with different aspects of the Chinese culture like for example the working environment. Another great thing is the chance to explore the many sites of Beijing and you can get to most by subway or other types of public transportation. The best part was all the amazing food. You can never go wrong with their snacks especially the many different flavors of chips such as cucumber or honey butter. This program definitely makes you want to go back to China one day.
P.S: When you go pack to your own first aid kit with any type of medicine you will need especially stomach medicine. Going into any country that has a different type water and food will cause some sort of stomach issue. That is the truth.

I actually came to be admitted into the Beijing quite last minute. I'd originally planned to spend the 2016-2017 Academic year in Amman, Jordan. Midway through the year my school decided to pull me due to a U.S. State Department travel warning on Jordan. So instead of returning to campus I hurriedly applied for CET Beijing. From the beginning they were extremely helpful in my odd application process. They even managed to have my internship setup on an extremely short timeframe.
Beijing as a city is massive an can be overwhelming at first. Getting to places will take time and patience. Things were easier for me as a Chinese American so I blended in with the ethnically homogenous society better than other students. There's a good amount of history and culture (Hutongs, Tiananmen) to see in Beijing and modern architecture(Birds Nest, National Theater). Even though you aren't in a 'language pledge' intensive Chinese environment the Chinese classes are still quite rigorous. In addition to this, I know the others in my program and myself gained immense Chinese technical/business jargon while on-site at our respective internships. The semester was fun and challenging and I would recommend this program to any students who are thinking about potentially working in China in the future, this will be a great litmus test for you.

CET Academic Programs is a great program for study abroad. The most unique aspect of CET is the local roommate feature. No other program I found had this feature, and it was one I was specifically looking for. My roommate was the best resource for me to practice my Chinese, as well as a lovely person. She helped me every step of the way. My Chinese would not be half of what it is without her. In terms of academics, the English-taught courses are taught by professors that are top-notch experts in their fields. The Chinese courses are taught by experienced teachers with a wide knowledge base. My internship placement was identical to my career goals and interests. I got to learn more about the foreign environmental NGO sector in China as well as network with Chinese and other international coworkers. Although the program was extremely academically rigorous and kept us busy every minute of the day, there was one week in April where we had the freedom to travel wherever we wanted in or out of the country. The program also includes one trip outside of Beijing with the whole program that is a ton of fun. Lastly, I made great, long lasting friendships during my time abroad with CET which I expect to last the rest of my life. If you want a program that is academically rigorous, language intensive, career focused, and also gives you the freedom to travel and meet great people, choose CET!

There are so many great things to say about CET's Beijing programs. The Chinese classwork is demanding yet rewarding, the social life in the city is fulfilling, and the classmates you are surrounded with share your passions and open your eyes to new opportunities at the same time. Something that some other reviewers have not yet highlighted in depth is the helpfulness of the staff. I experienced a rather significant personal event while abroad, and the Resident Director (Zuo Cui) was right by my side through every step of the way. I honestly do not know what I would have done without her. When CET is recruiting future RD's, they should use Zuo Cui as a model, because she truly demonstrates the utmost care about each and every student through her actions.

When coming to China for study abroad I knew that I would be challenged in my language study and hoped to learn more about Chinese history and culture, but I didn't anticipate to meet the wonderful people that I did. CET Chinese Studies and Internship in Beijing seems to attract people genuinely interested and passionate about China and Chinese, but the people that attend all share similar levels of language. Through shared experiences, such as travel, we built relationships that will last us long into our careers. Students held a range of issues related to China, such as Chinese Traditional Medicine, Chinese Military, Chinese Music, Chinese Economics, etc. All of these passions allowed for us to learn from each other and enhance each other's experience abroad. CET really is an amazing program, and if you allow yourself, you will meet some of the most amazing friends!

CET is neither easy nor hard academically, neither over-the-top nor unremarkable socially, neither too serious nor too blasé programatically. It's simply a well-balanced program, full of students from diverse backgrounds. I was a gap year student in Beijing in 2009 and felt welcomed and supported by staff and classmates, many of whom were years older than me. I look back on CET fondly as a program that fostered connections among roommates and peers.

As an aside, two of the couples in a 30-odd-person program got engaged five years later. It can and does happen!

I decided to study abroad CET at the spur of the moment during last spring, as a 2nd-year student in Chinese. There were many good things about CET - I had many amazing experiences in Beijing, including facilitated trips to the Great Wall, as well as my own ventures to different places such as the Summer Palace and Lama Temple (all of which I highly recommend!). Most of the staff was incredibly kind and competent.

However, I will say there were many parts of CET I was frustrated or dissatisfied with - people in our program found that internships were often lacking in some way (or didn't have them until late in the program); trips were sometimes a bit unorganized; often, people had serious problems with their Chinese roommates. In general, it seemed like the program was over-capacity with the 25 students we had this summer. For the amount paid, I feel like the program should have gone a lot smoother than it did.

That being said, I had a wonderful relationship with my roommate, and good or bad, I took away a lot from the program. Just do your research before applying - I would also suggest perhaps finding an internship on your own before coming :)

With no connection to the sandstorms that sometimes o cut in Beijing, I can truly say that I was blown away by Beijing. When assumptions met reality,my preconceptions were cast out day-by-day as I explored the city and learned more about the people. The CET staff in Beijing is second to none! They were my family away from home and still are. I experience great improvements in my Chinese language abilities while still being able to explore the city, do service work, and have an internship. I cannot wait to return!