Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Taiwan - The Better Version of China May 23, 2023

By (International Politics & Economics, Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/24/2023 to 05/20/2023 with

CET Taiwan

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained friends, more world perspective, and an awesome 3 months abroad

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Chinese language learning is intense, but manageable

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

At the beginning, they were slow to provide details, making things uncertain and diminishing my confidence in the program. However, they eventually provided info before absolutely necessary, and always delivered.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Great housing accomodations with nice roommate pairing

* Food:

Food in Taiwan is great, but it's all unhealthy

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Didn't speak a ton of Chinese outside of language classes, but this was somewhat of a personal choice

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

GeoBlue has fantastic healthcare coverage

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? approx $200
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Go out to street food, don't go to craft markets (except they have awesome stuff for a semi-reasonable price so I highly suggest this)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Chinese 301
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • Program-hosted activities
  • Local roommates
  • Apartment
* What could be improved?
  • Chinese teaching quality
  • Language partners
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Try not to worry about them getting organized later than expected. It'll all work it

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer
Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Chinese
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: Great course, but the level of teaching was below what is found at Middlebury
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Global Health
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The class was pretty good, but CET was overbearing on the professor to hand out more stringent/lower grades. The instructor was great, but CET's guidelines for teachers took away from the class
Credit Transfer Issues: