CET Greater China

There are a lot of reasons that my semester with CET in Taipei was an awesome experience. CET does a really good job of encouraging you to immerse as much as possible in the local community (like the language partner program, local roommates cultural reimbursements, travel reimbursements, organized programs, etc) while also providing a lot of support and planning for you (housing, orientation, metro pass, programs, etc). While being in a language study program does mean you spend a lot of your time in class with other study abroad students and not locals, having local roommates and built in language partner program was a really unique chance to make connections and friendships with local students, and definitely helps to balance out the bubble of only hanging out with other Americans that can be an easy routine to fall into. In terms of location, Taipei is such a great city to live in and there are endless things to do for whatever you love; amazing hiking and nature, BIKING!!, history and museums, night life and night markets, sports culture, etc, all easily reachable by the safe and accessible public transit systems. The food I ate during my semester abroad is by far the best food I've ever eaten, and also the cheapest.
The academic culture of this program and Taiwan in general should definitely be considered before coming. There is a heavy focus on academics and you will be spending a lot of time in class and studying outside of class. While it is an adjustment to make, I think it is overall a good opportunity to learn how to prioritize time management, because you will have to put in effort to make time for all of the things you want to do/explore.
Looking back, my favorite things about Taipei became the routines I created for myself. The riverside bike path that runs all around the city is extremely lively all afternoon and night, and realizing that going on nighttime runs was something that was safe to do in Taiwan was a game changer for me: this little routine became one of my favorite things to do after my busy days of class and interning, and is one of the places I'll miss the most. Finding a nearby food alley in the neighborhood my apartment was in also became a part of the daily routine, and becoming friendly with the owners of my go-to breakfast street cart or braised pork restaurant really contributed to the sense of home in the corner of Taipei that I lived in.
Traveling all over Taiwan was undoubtably a huge highlight of this semester as well. The HSR and train systems make going virtually anywhere in Taiwan really easy as well as affordable. My favorite part of traveling in Taiwan is that Taiwan is not a major international tourist hub, and so traveling within the country was a really cool way to get a sense of the different local indigenous and regional culture. One of my favorite trips was over Mid-Autumn Festival, when my roommates and myself visited family of one of my roommates in Chang-hua (a small rural city). We were able to stay with her Taiwanese cousins and celebrate moon festival and barbecue with them.
These are just a few of my biggest takeaways from my semester abroad. I am so grateful for the three months I got to spend in Taipei, and know that it is a place I want to be a part of my life in the future.

Classes: I took Mandarin classes at National Taiwan University's CLD during the weekdays. The courses are pretty difficult, we went through units quickly and were tested very regularly, but the professors are understanding and are happy to work with students. The test taken to determine your level before the program begins is pretty holistic, and I felt comfortable at the level I was placed in.

Housing: Most housing was around 30 minutes away from NTU's campus. Some were further, which meant other students had a long commute. My apartment was in a very nice neighborhood and was a clean environment. Cleaners came bi-weekly to clean the apartment, but daily chores were done by myself and my roommates. We created a schedule to clean and take out trash and kept our living areas clean. If anything in the apartment broke or went wrong, such as AC units or getting locked out, CET was always on call to help us out.

Programming: CET admin planned a lot of events that were very engaging and well attended by students. We visited museums, attended theatre shows, did local tours, and even went to a Guardians baseball game. Sometimes, events seemed a little disorganized, but they were always fun to attend.

Internships: The summer program gives you the option to intern as well as take CLD classes. We had weekly meetings with the CET admin to check in about our roles and expectations at our different placement sites, and they were helpful. My internship was amazing, and I got really close with the other interns and my supervisor.

My Phillips Summer abroad in Taiwan program was excellent. The program was cultural immersion so I had no Chinese prior to attending, and survival Chinese gave me just enough to make my way through Taiwan. The program allows for travel across Taiwan to places like Hualien and Toroko, up to Jiufen. The building we studied in at NTU was fantastic along with our professor Ken. Our program leader Greta was fantastic along with our culture buddies. Within our program housing was hit or miss with one group getting far superior living conditions. The program could be improved by spreading out more of the activities beyond the first week and allowing for more interaction between other CET programs in the country, but really the program was fantastic.

I participated in the CET Beijing program, which took place in Beijing and lasted for a duration of 2 months. The primary reason I selected this program was due to its emphasis on language immersion through a language pledge. The program's language pledge required participants to communicate exclusively in Chinese during their stay, which I saw as a fantastic opportunity to enhance my language skills.

One of the most compelling aspects of the CET Beijing program was the chance to interact with local students. This interaction not only allowed for language practice but also provided insights into the local culture and way of life that I wouldn't have gained through a traditional classroom setting.

Beijing presented a unique backdrop for my studies. As a student with certificates in Chinese and a strong interest in climate solutions, I found the combination of linguistic and cultural immersion, along with the potential to explore climate-related initiatives in China, to be an ideal fit for my academic and personal pursuits.

My experience with the CET Beijing program broadened my horizons, deepened my language proficiency, and enriched my understanding of Chinese culture.

Studying Abroad in Taiwan was a life-changing Experience. This was my first time studying Abroad, and I was unfamiliar with the application process. However, whenever I had any concerts, I could email or schedule a Zoom meeting with the CET Taiwan student services coordinator to clarify any questions.
I studied abroad with CET Taiwan in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023. During my time abroad in Taiwan, I improved my Chinese language skills and learned about Taiwanese history and culture. When abroad, making close friendships with the locals can be difficult. However, the CET language partner program and cultural activities facilitated my communication with Taiwanese and immersion into Taiwanese culture. While abroad, I joined as many CET cultural activities as possible so as not to miss my chance to create a new Taiwanese friend or learn something new about Taiwan. Although CET Taiwan does not have a language pledge, this did not stop me from wanting to use as much Chinese as possible. CET Taiwan staff encourage the language students to attend the club fair and join school clubs and organizations. I learned about the club fair with the CET Taiwan Newsletter and reminders on the group chat. I joined the girls' soccer club in the Fall semester, and it was an excellent time to meet new students and relax. Overall, I loved my time abroad in Taiwan, even though learning Chinese was not easy, and at times, homework was quite a lot. This experience pushed me to work hard and develop the techniques to communicate in Chinese. I always felt motivated to keep learning Chinese when I would meet with my Taiwanese friends, and they tell me 你的中文進步了！ My test grades were not what I hoped. However, my friends and I could see personal improvement. 大家加油！

This was my first time traveling to Taiwan and it certainly did not disappoint! I studied abroad during the Fall 2022 semester when COVID-19 regulations were strict, so there were some notable differences. For example, I was required to stay in a quarantine hotel for a week after my arrival and I lived in an apartment with four other CET students as my roommates. During my quarantine, CET held orientation remotely, which made it difficult for me to connect with other students in my cohort. The transition from remote to in-person was stressful but also exciting. Because CET was unable to host a large start-of-program meal, they instead funded a meal for me and my roommates so we could get to know each other better. While my beginning study abroad experience suffered due to COVID-19, I applaud CET in its efforts to recoup the excitement that comes with starting one's time abroad.

Because Taipei is such a rich city with plenty of attractions and historical landmarks, I was extremely thankful for the cultural activity reimbursement CET offered. It encouraged me to explore everything Taipei and Taiwanese culture had to offer. In addition, CET also hosted some cultural excursions to places outside of Taipei which were packed to the brim with historical and cultural learning as well as social experiences with Taiwanese locals. My personal favorite trip was to Pinglin Tea Farm where we learned about the tea-making process!

As for Chinese language speaking opportunities, CET set me up with a Taiwanese language partner from NTU who was the perfect match for me. We shared some common interests but diverged in our cultural backgrounds allowing us to converse about our similarities and learn about each other's differences. While I was glad that CET offered language partners and daily 3-hour long Chinese language classes, I wished that there was a language pledge enforced in apartments, so I could improve my Chinese speaking even more. Regarding the daily commute, it was around 30 minutes to class for me (10 minutes to the subway station and 20 minutes by bike). However, I was fortunate enough to live directly next to an MRT station. Some students lived 10 to 15 minutes away from an MRT station, which made commuting much more time-consuming.

Towards the middle of the program, I was feeling pretty homesick at the time, so I sought out a therapist while studying abroad. The health insurance provider's app was extremely easy to navigate and helped connect me with an in-network therapist. While it took a few weeks to process at the clinic, the insurance provider covered five individual therapy sessions for me. It was a pleasant but welcomed surprise as most health insurance providers in the U.S. don't cover mental treatment and only physical ailments.

Overall, I had a terrific, unforgettable, and fulfilling experience with CET Taiwan and I would encourage other college students to seriously consider studying abroad in Taiwan when looking at Mandarin Chinese language programs abroad.

I spent the summer of 2023 with CET in Beijing, the first CET group back in mainland China after the pandemic. While I was initially nervous about going to China, it was clear that CET was fully prepared for the challenges we might run into, and had planned an amazing two months for us. Besides the intensive language courses, the two months included a five-day trip to Chengdu, optional weekend cultural activities, a forum with Renmin University, weekly extracurricular classes, and more. CET also helped us set up phones and bank accounts in China, one of the aspects I was most worried about before going.
CET's Chinese course was a challenge, but a challenge with clear rewards, which I would emphasize to students interested in language study but worried about whether it’s worth it to go abroad. Over the course of two months, I progressed from only being able to read short, artificial dialogues in a textbook, to being able to read Chinese short stories. Before I came to China, I couldn’t have an everyday conversation in Chinese; now, I have multiple friends from Beijing I keep in touch with only in Chinese, and I gave speeches in Chinese at the forum and at our graduation ceremony. In our first martial arts class, I could hardly understand what the teacher was saying; by our last one, I could be coached through a martial arts routine only in Chinese. While the day-to-day workload could sometimes feel overwhelming, we truly made progress every single day. Additionally, our wonderful teachers took us on excursions to practice Chinese in Beijing, such as a Chinese bookstore, a hutong museum, and a restaurant selling traditional Beijing foods. Every Friday, after our exams we had "Chinese Table" with them, eating authentic food at a local restaurant.
I also enjoyed that CET Beijing had a satisfying balance of pre-scheduled activities and free time. The scheduled activities were so unique--we ate takeout hot pot on a livestream for the restaurant Haidilao while in Sichuan, for example. This free time allowed us to become more confident and independent in experiencing Beijing ourselves, learning to take the subway, visit museums, even plan independent travel for the weekend. It also gave me more confidence in the possibility of returning to travel in China myself in the future. One small caveat, I do wish the CET program organizers had planned a trip for us to the Forbidden City and/or the National Museum, the two most famous tourist sites in Beijing, but which were difficult to get tickets for.
Finally, CET paired us with language partners, graduate students at the university, which might have been my favorite part of the program, something I wish I had taken advantage of earlier on. Only in the last few weeks of the program did I truly appreciate this special opportunity to make friends with people from completely different backgrounds than us, and I’m so glad I had that realization and then spent more time having meaningful exchange with Chinese students.
I would add: while CET sets up the opportunities and schedule to have a great summer abroad, it’s ultimately up to the individual student to take advantage of these opportunities, to keep an open mindset, and to fully immerse themselves in the experience in order to have the best possible experience. I’m so grateful that was my experience, and I would recommend any student interested in China or Chinese to consider this program.

CET Taiwan was a well run program. At it's core is an intensive Chinese language program, 3 hours a day, everyday. There is no language pledge, so the program is suitable for all levels. There are internship opportunities available but the level of Mandarin needed varies. For students who want a full language immersion program, I might consider ICLP, literally upstairs in the same building where CET classes are held. Taiwan is beautiful and filled with friendly people. The food, travel and night life scene is very approachable and affordable. You can stretch the dollar a long way in Taiwan. Engaging with local Taiwanese students was also very cool as an American. If you are looking for an experience to expand your view of Taiwan beyond the televised military pressure, studying abroad in Taiwan will be worthwhile. Rewarding, challenging, well worth it.