CET Greater China

There is truly no substitute for studying abroad, but there will always be someone who tries to convince you not to go, because of some horror story. I guess the best thing, and the most true thing I can say about CET is that I felt safe, sane and intellectually stimulated the whole time. I've never studied abroad with another program before CET, and so for that reason I can't draw any comparisons, but I feel very confident in saying that as far as study abroad programs who get things right are concerned, CET is certainly among them.

The word intense does not even begin to describe this program, but I would have it no other way. There are three things that make this program unique: the language, local roommates, and the city itself. The program's language pledge seems like it will be extremely hard to keep up, however by the end of the program it seems weird to speak English. Still I have to admit, this was the most challenging thing I have ever encountered in my life.
The city allows students to fully immerse themselves in the culture and the language. Kunming is a city in which the majority of the population does not speak English. Also, in the city there are places to take local classes such as Jiequandao or Jeet Kune Do. I took group classes from a local master and it was a great way to meet locals while learning a fun skill.
However, the best part of the program is the roommates. They are the source of information about the campus and where to get great, cheap food! They are also so supportive. They become more than just a roommate, they become a friend. I still keep in touch with my roommate as well as a few others.
If you are looking for an intensive program where you can learn the language and have fun, then this is a good choice. Though, you need to prepared to be under stress and be dedicated to staying in Chinese the entire duration of the program.

I would give this Program 4.5 stars out of 5.
The location of Kunming Is great. The city has comfortable weather year round and the location of the classrooms, your living area and everything else you could need is very convenient. The residence provided during my stay was actually a hotel owned by the school. Complete with a cleaning staff to make your beds and replace anything you might need.
I would say that the local dialect is what I found most challenging. Although it is safe to assume that most people you will come in contact with are able to speak standard Mandarin, especially the younger generation, occasionally I was unable to understand a few of the locals. This was usually avoided because the roommates selected by CET often traveled around the city with us.
Overall I would say this experience was fantastic for me. My first impression of China was definitely a good one, and I can't wait for my next chance to go back.

During my year with CET, I fell in love with Harbin. It is an incredible city and now all I want to do is to go back. Our classes were challenging but always fun; our teachers were our friends and were 100% committed to teaching us to speak Chinese. We would WeChat after class, see each other around the university and the town and even eat together. It was great! Our roommates were almost always willing to take us out or to join us at bars, restaurants or even just for a walk around the town. I dated one of the female roommates, visited her home and traveled all over China with her.

There were some challenges. Sometimes a few of the students turned the study of Chinese into a competition, with the bad attitudes to match. But it was always easy to rise above it. There was some horrible pollution, but a pharmacy right down the street sold the appropriate masks. It was cold... very, very cold... but honestly, it just added to Harbin's charm!

Living in Beijing, for the most part, was the best experience of my life so far. The food was out of this world, the people were generally hospitable, and the memories you make with your friends and roommates are priceless. School work is tiresome at times and can really wear you down, and the pollution can get to your brain, but it wasn't worth sweating over. There was always someone you can hang out with to cheer you up if it got to be to much. Even your professors care about your well being and will ask how you're really doing when you're feeling down. Also, thanks to the little bit of time we had off during the semester, there was enough time to travel and see more of China. During my stay, I went to about five different cities all along the southern coast - some of them twice. There's just so much to see and do that I honestly feel I could never get bored. Also, day to day life was done in the middle of a district made up of only Chinese people. This was a nice way to really focus on bettering my local Chinese and getting to know the people around me and how they live. Honestly, I feel like BIE was just far enough away from strong foreign influence that I got to experience a part of Chinese culture that most others don't when they visit. And that was what I feel made my whole time in Beijing with CET priceless.

If I had to describe my experience in Harbin in one word, it would be intense. That definitely described the academics, which were very rigorous. The program challenges you, but at the end of it you'll have immense gains both in language skills and confidence. Also, although Harbin may not be as fun as huge cities like Beijing or Shanghai, it's not too bad either. My time at Harbin was characterized by both frantic studying and some very fun weekends spent hanging out with new friends.

CET Beijing's trademark characteristic is its language pledge. This presents a lot of challenges and anxiety to incoming students, which is very understandable. Being cut off from your home culture in a brand new country can be intimidating and terrifying. My classmates often reacted to this by speaking English to each other, which of course is detrimental to the program's success.

The success of the program depends mostly on the commitment that the students themselves make to upholding the language pledge and enforcing it among themselves.The first few weeks of the spring semester in 2014 were critical for establishing precedent for speaking only Chinese. A few students, for example, set up an "English Jar," into which students had to throw one "kuai" (Chinese unit of money) each time they spoke English.

Bottom line, this program works. All Chinese, all the time, will not fail if you stick with it. Problems start to arise when participants break the language pledge constantly.

CET provided not only a wonderful academic environment, but also a thriving social environment as well. Every day, I would have several hours of class and homework, but the work-load was not so extreme that I was cooped up in my room 24/7. In fact, I had ample time to chat and eat meals with my room mate, go out and explore the city of Harbin, and generally immerse myself in Chinese culture.