CET Beijing Fall

My handful of months in Beijing allowed me both depth and breadth of insight into Chinese culture, language, and society. Although my time was limited, the coursework and contact time with small class sizes allowed for me to improve my Chinese at a very expedited pace compared to learning in my American classroom. Classes were taught with student's engagement and participation in mind, ensuring that we were able to improve our language skills as effectively as possible. All of my teachers were very invested in our learning. The curriculum incorporated Chinese culture and interaction with Chinese people with language learning. Outside of the classroom CET also provided weekly activities so that we could explore Beijing together. The program is a great balance of learning inside the classroom and time to experience all that Beijing has to offer.

Living with a Chinese roommate is also a unique trait of the program and is especially beneficial for making close connections to Chinese locals. I became very close with my roommate, which had the added benefit of helping me practice my Chinese with a native speaker all of the time. I loved the program and thought that the lessons, activities, and organization of the program were thoughtful and made our time in Beijing smooth and meaningful.