Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I learned so much Chinese in such a short time. I thoroughly enjoyed becoming more fluent in Mandarin, and learning to read and write Hanzi as well. My only complaint would be the repetition of each day's class, never switching up activities, just using different vocab to do the same thing every day.

On-site administration of your program

There are several different administrative groups who oversee this program. Firstly, there is the Institute's administration who, while not supervising us academically, housed us, tended to our needs and conferred our diplomas. They were wonderful. Then there was the CET administration, with the Chinese staff who oversaw our academics, and an on-site American staff member whose job it was to oversee our out-of-classroom lives. While I feel that the Chinese staff performed their jobs well and were helpful to me and my fellow students, there were serious failings in the efforts of the American staff member. Enrolled in the program for two terms, I was under the supervision of two different American staff members. Neither impressed me. They were very unprofessional, careless, and seemed too young to properly address any serious issues which arose. After witnessing several of my friends being left to fend for themselves in a foreign country when they had passport and medical issues, I did not feel that I would be cared for if anything befell me whilst I was the charge of these two people.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I do not think that my comments on housing can apply to any future participants in this program, because while I attended, the campus usually used by the program was being refurbished, and I spent the spring semester on a sister campus in apartment-style dorms which had been renovated specifically for our use. These were wonderful, spacious, accessible and clean, because we were the first to ever use them. They were also very safe and close to great restaurants and several markets.

This program only provides weekday lunch to students, but don't let that worry you! Beijing is famous for its xiaochi, little eats, which can be found on every corner in delicious variety. There honestly isn't a location in Beijing that is far from good, cheap food. Just use your judgment when considering smaller, potentially dirtier restaurants. As for the lunch CET provided, I found it to be quite good. There were many vegetarians in my class, and one vegetarian student with celiac disease, and they managed to eat well. Vegetarianism can be hard in China, but not impossible.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I love the people of China. With few exceptions they were all very congenial and welcoming to my peers and I. I lucked out in that the close American friend I made had a lot of family in China, and so I got an inside-look into peoples' homes, and was housed and fed as one of the family. It was a truly authentic experience. I disagreed with the outlook of some of the other American students in my program. Many seemed to view the entire semester as a vacation and treated China and its people as an object for their entertainment and ridicule, rather than as a host which deserves respect. I stayed away from people with that attitude and explored China in my own way, and I learned and gained a lot of cultural and personal insight which is the greatest thing I took away from the entire experience.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

As stated before, it was CET's American administrators in the program which led me to have these feelings. China itself felt extremely safe to me. Crime is low, civilians cannot own guns, and most people feel bound by an unspoken code of respect and honor. I never felt in danger, except when I saw the way the American administrators handled my friends' medical emergencies. While traveling in a group of four in Sichuan province, one of my companions became seriously ill and had to be hospitalized. When we called the American administrator in Beijing and explained the situation, he chuckled and took his leisurely time in contacting the other administrators and the student's parents. Another friend who had a common cold, was pulled from class without explanation and told to find her own way to a hospital because the administration suspected she may have had H1N1. They were extremely unhelpful, unprofessional and unsupportive throughout the entire situation. While the Chinese administrators apologized later for their poor handling of the situation, the American staff member refused to discuss the issue further, not replying to any contact and not showing up to meetings with the student thereafter. I was appalled at how unprofessionally the American staff member acted. However, I have since learned that this individual is no londer working with the program.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I don't think there is a better way to improve your foreign language skills than studying in a country where English is simply not to be found, and being held to a language pledge which permits you only to speak in the language you are studying. My brain literally hurt at first, but after a couple weeks, I was surprised at how much I had learned and felt proud of myself.