Taiwan is Amazing! January 28, 2023
By A student (International & Global Studies; East Asian Studies, Brandeis University) - abroad from 08/24/2022 to 11/19/2022 with
CET Taiwan
I learned that your experience with other cultures will only be as great as the amount of energy you put into it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The educational experience was amazing. The Chinese program is so helpful in improving speaking, listening and writing. The teaching staff is so experienced, supportive and understanding in teaching foreigners. There is a medium-high level of intensity to the program, but it is very manageable and if you embrace it helps you improve so much. I chose to do an internship as my elective and its was a great learning experience. I learned more about the scope of the career I want, what I do and don't like and how I want to further my studies to reach my career goals. It also challenged my thinking, creativity and discipline (because mine was virtual, so I had to really create a workspace myself but after that I loved it. It came with a lot of flexibility because of not having to go into an office. And I also got meet not just Taiwanese & Chinese people but also people from other countries because of being online). |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The on-site administration is very clear in its communication of everything important that you need to know before and after your arrival and also during the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing arrangements were amazing and much better than I expected. It was fun to live with other students in an apartment in the city. |
| * Food: |
The food is amazinggg and most of it is pretty cheap. As long as you are not a picky eater it is so hard to find food that is not good. It is most often cheaper to eat out than cook for yourself. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
You can be as integrated as you want, through how you put yourself out there to interact with local students and people. It is a great way to practice Chinese as well. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Taiwan pretty safe. I recommend not disregarding being cautious and aware of your surroundings, but you definitely do not have to be on high alert all of the time. To me it felt way safer than where I'm from. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I would just like to go toa different part o Taiwan and/or see what other programs offer as far as academics, just for a potentially different experience. |
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) |
Food is pretty cheap. I spent about 200-250 USD for two weeks of eating out everyday and maybe having a little extra to buy small things when shopping. I went grocery shopping once and only spent about 50 USD for the amount of groceries (meal prep for one week & snacks) that might have cost me at least 70-80 or more in the US. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | about 200-250 USD every two weeks for food |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate level |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | You do not need to bring a lot of clothes, because if you need any you can buy it there for cheap and/or a very good price. |
