If you want to have fun, CET is the wrong program Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

4 and a half hours of class a day, with just as much if not more homework. If you truly want to the master the material, you will be working on Chinese from sun up until sun down. However, it is easy to make a passing/decent grade without exerting that much effort.

On-site administration of your program

I absolutely hated the on-site administration. I have never been surrounded by a group of people that care so much about money. They will nickel and dime you for absolutely everything, they only pay for the bare minimum and although they do offer free trips and events, they are only free if you sign up and attend. Even though they have the money and room for every student to go to every event, if you sign up for an event and can't make it (because they often close the sign up sheets a week before the actual event), they charge you for everything that they spent.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

One of the finer parts of the program. The dorm rooms are some of the best that China has to offer. My advice though - do not sign up to have a Chinese roommate. Although I had one and I really liked him, had I not picked a roommate, I would have had a full bedroom to myself. Twice the space, an extra bed, twice the storage, it would have made my experience alot more enjoyable. I could have had parties, brought friends over, but since I had a roommate, it was not easy to do this.

I ate in the cafeteria the first week, and then I said fuck this and went out to eat for every meal. The food is mediocre, and you can find incredible meals for virtually no money in almost all parts of Beijing.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

If you are a good student, and feel obliged to get the most out of the program, you will not integrate with the local culture at all other than the Chinese roommates. Almost all of the students in my program holed themselves up in their rooms studying all day, and would go out and groups of 10 to eat dinner. You will never integrate with the culture that way. My biggest advice is to take a few bad grades, and go out there and meet people.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Health care seemed fine, I never used it, but noone died on the program, so it can't be that bad.

The University does a very poor job at maintaining security. There were several instances where strangers were able to walk into the dorms because the front gate and the front door were both unlocked.

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

I had plenty of money.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

We had a language pledge, and also I wanted to go meet people that spoke Chinese, so I always felt the desire to use the language.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students

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• Americans

• the dorms
• the roommates

• their draconian attendance policy
• we should have been given more free time
• we should not be treated like children

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer