The CET Intensive Chinese Language program changed my life. There is no doubt that the academics are challenging and you will experience many challenges. However, this program challenges you in all the right ways. I can confidently say my Chinese ability has improved drastically. If you are planning to further your studies in Chinese having a language pledge is essential. It keeps you accountable, and I think you improve much quicker. The best part of CET was easily the people I met. I made several several friends who I know I will have lifelong friendships with. Since my program was small, we were a close knit group of students which I really enjoyed. We formed a strong support system which was comforting when your in such a new place like Beijing. Although this program is hard, I would do it all over again. I went into this program just expecting to learn Chinese. However, I learned so much about myself personally. I feel a new sense of self-confidence. This program has definitely allowed me to grow as a person and discover new things I'm passionate about. I would absolutely do this program again.

While abroad in Shanghai, I was exposed to its international community of expats studying abroad at my university. Shanghai is the largest city in the world, and as such, there is an enormous contingent of foreign students looking to tap into its growing business environment. On my hall, about three doors down from me lived an international student from Senegal. Bobo, a Muslim African, had been conducting his graduate studies in Shanghai for eight years, and was going through Ramadan during my first month in Shanghai. As part of his religious tradition, he and his friends could not eat until after 8pm every day. While returning from an early evening on the town, I happened upon Bobo and began to chat with him. Just as I felt the conversation growing a bit awkward, I mentioned that I had homework to do, and needed to retire to my dorm for the night. He insisted that I stay and eat dinner with he and his five friends. I took him up on his offer, and continued to eat a traditional Muslim dish out of a tray on the ground, with our hands. We ate, talked about the Senegalese way of life, their government, and their aspirations. After spending the better part of two hours with them, I finally went to my room and finished the homework I had put off in order to learn about a culture foreign to myself. This encounter is special to me in that I learned about a group of people I had no prior knowledge of, and it was in an especially unique place: Shanghai. The experience proved to me that it is grossly important to learn about other people's experiences, and also gave me an alternative view on my abroad country from somebody other than native Chinese person or an American on my program.

The CET program in Beijing is not only an excellent way to improve your Chinese, it can be a life changing experience. In particular, while the class and homework schedule is definitely intense, in my opinion the program provides an excellent balance of academics, planned cultural activities, and time to explore Beijing in a non-structured fashion. All of these are very important if you want to not only improve your language skills, but also gain a better understanding of China. That being said, it is also definitely the case that what you get out of this program depends on what you put into it. You have to make the effort to keep up with your studies, follow the language pledge, seek out opportunities to practice your language skills, etc.

As someone not exactly fit for a study abroad - having had mild depression and anxiety throughout my college years, going to a foreign country where the language nor the people were familiar to me was a very sound choice.
I was scared of whether I could do the internship that I found, something that was exactly what I had asked for, incorporating business and publishing all in one neat package, and I didn't know how I would do in this new environment.
The program was amazing. I was not just a tourist, although I had plenty of time to do that, but the program cared for me in a way that I didn't think about the money being paid - although I tried to remember. They truly love their students.
When I was struggling, they checked up on me. When I needed to talk, they were always there with encouragement and advice. The classes are difficult, but very good. You learn a language for real, and they're serious about leaving you with amazing skills.
I was able to go on trips with plenty of time left to explore with my roommate, who was a lifesaver for me who couldn't speak a full language. I learned the most from her than anyone else. If anyone ever is worried they can't do it - you can. And this program is something I'd really recommend.

I arrived in Harbin on the 4th day of the Spring Festival, a sharp scent of gun powder punctuated the night air and the rattle of firecrackers cut through the weary numbness then descending on my jet-lagged brain. I had strained to understand the signs in the airport and I couldn't seem to get a single tone right when I tried asking for help, 'what am I getting myself into?' was the prevailing thought of the day. Luckily, all of the exhaustion of travel and the shock of entering a new cultural environment were assuaged as soon as I arrived on campus at HIT and met with Li Laoshi, Xuan Laoshi, our RA, the other staff whose patience and kindness left me smiling and ready to take on the challenge of the language pledge. As soon as the pledge started, all the students began getting used to the sounds of our Chinese names and growing into our new identity as foreigners, although we made many mistakes, confusing tones or flipping characters around, our roommates and teachers were always patient and encouraging, laughing with us and helping us take the next steps to making our Chinese more 地道。We had fantastic courses where small class sizes allowed everyone to participate and get our questions answered. Our teachers were super willing to answer questions after class hours and supported us to make sure that we all got the most out of the program. Some of my favorite memories also come from outside of class: cooking wonton soup, and going out for hot-pot, learning to play Harbin Majiang, taking my first high speed train ride on our class trip to Beidaihe (where we saw the eastern-most section of the Great Wall), and learning to bargain, and picking up on local slang from our roommates.

For most Americans, when they say "Asian" or even "Asian-American" they lump all of East Asia and South-east Asia together. However for me as someone with cultural heritage from both Thailand and Hong Kong I find it really important to tell people that I'm not just a Asian-American or even a Chinese-American, I am a Hong Kong-Thai- American. I've heard stories, whether from my co-workers in China or from CET, that Chinese-Americans are usually judged at a higher standard than most people. While this might be the case for others, I really didn't feel this was true. First, my name in English is "translated" from my Cantonese name, sounds that don't even exist in Mandarin, so whenever I introduce myself people, including the CET teachers, assumed I was Korean. I also have really dark skin so people assume that I have southeast Asian blood in me and therefore can't speak Mandarin either. For me, I was really lucky because I looked foreign enough where most people wouldn't judge me too harshly if I messed up, but at the same time I looked "Chinese" enough that people wouldn't feel like they should practice English with me.
In terms of how my background affected my Chinese learning in class, I'm really grateful for the teachers at CET. One thing I was really worried about is the fact that a lot of the words I know in Mandarin Chinese are more Southern/Taiwanese style Mandarin, but the head teacher, Qu laoshi, assured me that this wouldn't be a problem. Her reasoning is that as Chinese-Americans, we've grown up using that terminology and while that terminology isn't necessarily standard, it isn't incorrect either so she sees no need to force us to change that habit. I was also horrified that they would try to change the way I said the pinyin "sh" and "s"s. Once again I say it with a Southern accent. Actually at one point I did get into an argument with one of my teachers, but that argument quickly melted away as we continued the lesson. My other Chinese teacher said that as we are in the 300 level class, it is too late to change our accents. She thought it was more valuable to learn new grammar and words rather than to change something like grammar. I agree with this reasoning. The point of language is to communicate and I feel like no matter what accent you have, some one will always think you have an accent.
My Chinese teacher was also really good at telling me when I was using a Cantonese/Southern way of saying something rather than the Mandarin way of saying something. Rather than saying I was wrong, she would simply say that in the mainland they don't use that phrase/word and tell me what they use in the mainland. The teachers I've had in the past would straight-out say I was wrong so I'm grateful that the teachers in CET have a basic understanding of other dialects.

One of my favorite experiences when I was studying abroad in China happened over Fall Break. When my friends and I were in Shangri-la in Yunan, we were tired and hungry from a long and windy bus ride. We decided to have a recommended Tibet-style meal for late lunch. We ate ground yak meat (amazing), spicy Tibetan tofu (amazing), bread with caramelized cheese honey (amazing), and yak milk tea (amazing). This was one of the most unique, memorable, and tasty meals of my life.

I first attended CET Shanghai program with the simple reason to learn more Chinese and for cultural immersion. However, CET provided me with much more than I had expected, even linking me with some of the best corporate internships in Shanghai. The experience later proved to be invaluable, enabling me to work with Chinese companies after graduating from college as I pursued the path of an entrepreneur. CET's Wide selection of internships not only helped me to think about my future career, but also provided me with professional knowledge in the industry that I was interested in. I can also say that my internship placement at the marketing/PR agency also facilitated an extensive improvement of my Mandarin skills because my supervisors often instructed me in Chinese and I was placed to research, write, and speak in Chinese during working hours. Also, weekly seminar sessions with the director of CET program helped me to organize my internship career and how to quickly solve problems so I could balance both internship and coursework effectively. Even after I completed the program, the director continued to provide students with opportunities for career advancement and developing tight networks among CET students.

Besides from internships, intensive language coursework and my awesome Chinese roommate helped me learn and experience Chinese culture! Due to small class sizes, I could maintain close relationships with Chinese teachers and weekly 1:1 discussion sessions with them were especially helpful in improving my Chinese oratorical skills. It is true that there was not enough time to hang out with my roommate because of homework and internships, but weekend getaway with her was definitely memorable and such intimate gathering helped me learn Chinese slangs that were not in textbooks.

The program director and the staff of the program are family-like and are always ready to listen and help students. When I became sick during the program, all of the staff members not only helped me to receive proper treatments, but also even arranged me with extra study sessions to catch up on the course materials. Also, because of thorough care and instructions of staff members, my worries about safety in Shanghai dissipated as silliness. Due to the warmth and reliability of the director and staff members, I was able to have a great time in Shanghai without concerns.