Intensive Chinese with Time to Explore Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Having done a fair amount of research into intensive language programs in Beijing, I knew there were a wide variety of intensive language programs in Beijing. When I decided on the CET Beijing Chinese Language program, I viewed CET as a happy-medium between the overly intensive programs that keep students in their room all day and night doing homework, versus programs where students realistically spend more time at the bars and shops rather than studying. I also heard prior to attending the program that CET provided some of the best teachers who were trained in American educational methods and were dedicated to their students. Most importantly to me, CET had a language pledge where everyone signed a contract not to speak any language other than Chinese for the duration of the program. For the most part, the academics of CET held to my expectations. The academics were intensive, but not quite as intensive as I thought. I was prepared to do about 3-4 hours of homework per night but instead ended up doing anywhere from 1.5-3. In my semester, students completed one chapter every two days which meant memorizing around 30 characters per night for dictation and completing a two page homework assignment. Each Friday all students took oral and written tests as well as completed an essay. Most surprising to me were the leniency of the teachers. Even though the professors did practice more American teaching methods, such as encouraging class participation, discussion, and not emphasizing as much rote memorization, I was surprised by the leniency of teachers regarding handing in homework late and class absences. Grading on homework was fair with most students getting 9.0-9.4/10 on homework per night. Oral presentations were usually the more difficult to achieve a high grade. During my semester, there were 6 class levels (100, 150, 260, 300, 400, and 500). There were two students at the 100 level with no Chinese experience, five students in the 500 level class who were heritage speakers and CET accommodated every level in between. Most crucial to language learning is the language pledge. I found that most students held strongly to the language pledge despite some students giving up on the pledge early in the semester. Both with the pledge and academics overall, the experience was what one put into it. If a student completed their homework each night, studied diligently for dictation, and held to the language pledge, the student could expect their Chinese to improve exponentially during the semester.

On-site administration of your program

The administration of the program was solid overall and I did not encounter any students with major complaints. The director of the program was an alumnus of the program so he was extremely familiar with the history of the program, the teachers, and student needs. Also as someone who had lived in Beijing for a few years, he had a pretty good knowledge of the city. The director also offered himself as a resource for any students who wanted to chat about any problems. His office was the only place at CET where students could break the language pledge and speak English. The administration was very organized about trips. The big trips (hike on the Great Wall and weekend historical trip) each had mandatory meetings during the week before the trip preparing students. Phone numbers for all the administrators were provided at the beginning of the semester. The director also carried an emergency phone that students could call at any time. One of the best administrative parts of the program was the cultural reimbursement. Each student could get up to 70 yuan reimbursed from his/her expenses for cultural events/activities. For example, going to a local concert and museum or taking ping pong lessons or lessons on a traditional Chinese instrument were are considered activities students could be reimbursed for. The program itself had around 60 American students. One of the weaknesses of the semester I was on the program was the cohesion of the students. The students quickly split into many cliques and there was not a general program spirit during the semester. From hearing stories of past semesters, my semester seemed to be an exception rather than the norm of social life, and usually there is more program bonding. The program also provided different extracurricular activities. The four activities provided my semester were ping pong, martial arts, Chinese paining, and calligraphy.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

CET Beijing Chinese Language program is housed at a small satellite campus of the Beijing Institue of Education (BIE). The campus only has about six or seven buildings and the CET program students represent most of the students on campus except when a French program for middle school students arrived for two weeks. The CET residence hall will be pretty familiar to any American college student. Most students live in a double room with a Chinese roommate although some singles are available. There are multiple common bathrooms on each floor. The dorm is pretty barebones but does include a kitchen, washing machine and dryer (a rarity in China), a small study room, and a lounge with a large television. All the classes were in the building next door and that building also included a computer room with printers. The neighborhood is authentically Chinese and for many students is a highlight of the program. Within a five minute walk of the school, there is a small park, many restaurants, small shops and lots of street food. About a fifteen minute walk from the school are two large department stores that supply almost any need. Located on a small alley street under the Beijing Zoo, the Beijing Institute of Education is a quick five minute walk to the Beijing Zoo stop on Line 4 of the subway. No students had any issues with safety in the neighborhood.

The only meal served at CET was lunch. Lunch usually included a choice of six dishes and rice, dumplings, fruit, yogurt, and small desserts. Although the quality was on par with American dinning hall food, and certainly satisfied most students after a full morning of class. There were always vegetarian options. Students on the program really enjoyed getting street food (肉饼，煎饼) in the morning and going out for dinner at night. There are about 5-7 restaurants within a five minute walk of the BIE of varying price and quality. Most restaurants offered a good meal for 20-25 kuai a person (about 3-4 dollars) although some places where much cheaper or much more expensive.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Beijing is full of cultural attractions and CET provided field trips to see many of the attractions including the Great Wall and Summer Palace. The big trips organized by CET were a hike on the Great Wall and a historical trip which changes from city to city each semester (my semester was 平遥 and 太原). CET offered small trips nearly every weekend which ranged from a trip to a local hill (香山) to pick up garbage with in environmental group to trips to the 798 Art District. Each week there would be a sign-up list for trips and students would have to sign up by mid-week for the trip. The hike on the Great Wall was a highlight for most students. As opposed to going to 八达岭 Great Wall which has turned into a very "touristy" attraction for visitors. CET took us to 司马台 and 经山岭 Great Wall which were very authentic. They are considered "wild wall" which means they have not been renovated. The hike took most students around three hours to complete and was fairly rigorous. In the evening, a bond fire was organized. The program originally planned for us to sleep on the wall however rain prevented us from sleeping on the wall. The program did organize a Yoga class on the wall that still took place.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Although Beijing is a large city and students should be careful like in any other big city, Beijing is extremely safe compared to major American cities. No students encountered any major safety-related incidents on the trip. In terms of healthcare, any students with medical issues went to the Western-style Beijing United Family Hospital. One classmate on the program got appendicitis during the semester and had to have emergency surgery. The classmate raved about the care he received at the hospital and most of the costs were covered by the health insurance purchased through the program. I visited the classmate and was impressed at the modernity of the hospital.

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

Due to the language pledge, students were required to practice Chinese 24/7. Aside from class, students' best opportunities to practice Chinese came in their room, with their Chinese roommates. The Chinese roommates in the program prove to be an invaluable resource for language acquisition. Although finding natives who speak English well is not uncommon in Beijing, and to find people who will speak English to you is more common, Chinese is still essential to getting around and more importantly, getting to know Chinese. The bar for Chinese people to compliment foreigners Chinese language abilities is extremely low, and nearly any Chinese person will happily engage you in a conversation if you put out the effort to practice your Chinese, especially Beijing taxi drivers. I do not think any country is more friendly towards foreigners learning a language than China.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students