Years of Chinese in 8 Weeks?!? Past Review
By Kevin B (Electrical Engineering, ) for
CET Beijing
This was the best 8 weeks of my life. I wish I had the time/money to continue at CET for another semester.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
This was far more effective than my home university's Chinese courses, mostly because there was no English allowed and every day was completely devoted to learning Chinese. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
CET's office personnel and other administrative figures were extremely helpful, both academically and otherwise. Anytime I had a question about anything China-related, from booking tickets to finding a good place to tour, they were always very knowledgeable and prompt. I loved every single thing about CET, especially the size of the program, and the willingness of all the faculty to help students. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The dorms were extremely modernized, very well cared for, and extremely convenient. From the classrooms to the dorms was about a 30-second walk. Living with a Chinese roommate really enhanced the experience, almost every roommate I talked to was very polite and also willing to help you out, or just wanted to chat about American life or Chinese culture. There is a kitchen if you wanted to cook, and laundry facilities were nice, albeit a little expensive. |
| * Food: |
I had no dietary restrictions. If you didn't like what the CET cafeteria offers, you can run out to one of many delicious and cheap restaurants in the close vicinity of CET. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Best time of my life. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Never had a problem, I felt extremely safe in all of China and especially at CET. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I absolutely loved the language pledge forbidding spoken English, it is the true reason why my Chinese has improved tenfold. I practiced Chinese with my teachers, friends, roommates, Chinese acquaintances, and the general Chinese population. English-speakers were very very rare, which I thoroughly enjoyed. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Do it. Just do it. You will thank yourself later. Why bother taking culture classes when you can learn about culture as you learn the language? |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
High-Level Intermediate Chinese |
| Course Department: | CL261 |
| Instructor: | Jiang Xiaojie |
| Instruction Language: | Chinese |
| Comments: | I felt as if the 260 level of CET was by far the best. Not only did a small class size of 7 students help |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Well, I'm still working on claiming credit, it seems like a very slow and involved process that has yet to be streamlined. |
