CET Beijing Language Program - made my Chinese awesome, gave me lifelong friends. Past Review
By Emily B (Government/Asian Studies, The University of Texas at Austin) for
CET Beijing
Yes. It has made me realize that China is a big part of my professional future as a policy researcher and international NGO staffer/consultant. I can't wait to return.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was fairly heavy, though once I got used to it, it was completely manageable. The key is making sure you are placed in the correct class. If it is too hard, you will be miserable. If it is too easy, you will be bored. I had to switch once to get into the correct level - don't be afraid to ask about this if necessary! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administrators were helpful, and clearly dedicated to student success. My expectations were definitely met. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My Chinese roommates were great. The dorms are quite basic (though luxurious, by Chinese student standards!). Most of the necessary items were provided, though I decided to buy a second blanket in January because the weather was freezing... |
| * Food: |
The sheer amount of cheap, delicious food available was amazing. Cafeteria food wasn't the best, but it was definitely sufficient. When I got bored with it, there were numerous hole-in-the-wall restaurants to try! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My relationships with classmates were wonderful. We made many close friendships during our time in Beijing. The CET activities were pretty good, and helped us get started on these friendships, but the best fun we had was after we got to know each other and the city, and set off to find our own adventures. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Health-related issues existed due to stress, climate and food. These were handled promptly and professionally. Beijing is (aside from traffic) a very safe city, and I had no real concerns. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Living next to a massive, wonderful wholesale clothing market created an unanticipated clothing expense... Otherwise, nothing substantial. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 4th semester Chinese (but that was 2 years prior to studying abroad) |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The language pledge and quality of instruction together helped me improve my Chinese from extremely halting basics, to discussing high level economics at a natural speaking pace, all within 4 months. Incredible! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Want to learn Chinese? Want to have fun doing it? Willing to work hard? Willing to live away from normal student neighborhoods (and see "real China")? Go to CET Beijing Language! |
