Because of Beijing, I fell in love with China Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The program's directors and teachers were very helpful, talented, and professional. The academic director, although being strict, is a very professional lady who knows how to plan courses and teach. most of the teachers are graduate students, but most have been teaching English for years (or even decades). The workload has been described by some as too intense, but I found it completely manageable, and nothing compared to the intensity of the CET Harbin program. It's not possible to be absent, as the teachers will literally hunt you down if tardy. I think CET Beijing's program is most suited for getting your Chinese from nothing or a basic level to a good command of the language and fluency, although because the courses offered outside of the language drill classes are fairly limited in scope or altogether not offered for lower levels, the content isn't that diverse. Classes start early, around 8 or so, and will last until 2, with a break in between for lunch. It requires a sort of endurance.

On-site administration of your program

No issue here. As I've said the program and academic director are very knowledgeable and professional, and almost all the teachers have a surprisingly huge understanding of America, colleges, and although they can't speak it well, of English too. The resident director, a very cool fellow, was very nice and fun to talk to, extremely helpful with providing help with students struggling with the pressure or sickness, or even very helpful in tipping off possible job opportunities and always knows the good places to eat.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

neighborhood is dirty and amazing. the food is also very good in the area around CET. there is no more convenient place for CET to be, right by a subway stop with quick access to other sections of the city. The dorms are newly renovated and cozy, but some certain matter-of-life facts about living in china, like the pollution, no-potable tap water, and others make life a bit of a chore. The laundry machines are, as in all of china it seems, completely undependable, learn to wash clothes by hand. the chinese room mates are the best part of the program, and are important aspects of learning the language (and finding good places to eat/party).

The streets by dorms/campus, like every street in China, are completely packed with restaurants and small food kiosks. There is no reason you should be hungry at any time of day. for breakfast walk a couple feet from the dorm and grab some amazing street food and some milk tea. lunch is taken care of by the CET's canteen, which is surprisingly tasty at times and usually satisfying, also free. For dinner go to one of the restaurants around campus. cheap and fast and oh soo good, if not completely diverse. for more exotic foods go to the xinjiang hotel a couple streets for campus and get some Uighur noms. otherwise the subway close by ensures you can pretty much get dinner at any of the city's notorious food and nightlife districts very easily.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

trips to the great wall, and other such cultural outings arranged by CET was alot of fun and very spectacular. i also really enjoyed the extra curricular classes, like yoga and painting

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

we were given an orientation on health and safety, and because beijing has several foreign-run hospitals, any health problems could be addressed to. one student did have to leave because of tonsillitis, however. beijing's streets are safer than any in america, and i felt completely comfortable at any time of night or day.

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

The language pledge is the thing that seperates CET (and other good programs like ACC) from the rest. The non-language pledge programs in Beijing are jokes, and pale in comparison to the superior ability of CET to get students familiar with China and have a strong command of the language. Fluency doesn't really exist for students learning Chinese, however, with some people speaking fluently about politics and other topics but unable to utter a response to "paper or plastic" and other daily uses. Your ability to speak Chinese really depends on your attitude in the program, willingness to get out of the dorms and into the streets of Beijing, and probably most importantly, your ability to mix and hang out with the Chinese roomates, who will probably end up teaching you more of the spoken language than the teachers. The courses alone at CET won't cut it, you'll need to take advantage of the environment CET puts you in (Beijing) to get out and help yourself learn chinese. As for myself, the language improvement was enormous. you'll need to use the language every day in every setting, although the lazy can probably get by pointing at menus, it won't make you any new friends.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans