For my first international experience, not bad. June 27, 2023
By Lindsey M (International & Global Studies: East Asia, Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/24/2023 to 05/20/2023 with
CET Taiwan
I think it was definitely worthwhile. I learned a lot about a different place and about myself. I made may great friends which I hope I will continue talking to for many years.
Review Photos
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 classes aren't necessarily difficult, but there is a lot of work, particularly in the Mandarin classes, and a lot of time spent on meaningless busy work. There is also an issue with the structuring of the class levels being based upon book levels, leaving little room for people that are in between levels. That being said, overall the experience was pretty good, though there are things that I would definitely change, such as, allowing for more time outside of the classroom to talk to locals, travel, etc. as I think that is one of the main advantages of study abroad. You can be in a classroom learning Mandarin in the US. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Given that CET Taiwan received an influx of students due to China being closed, I think they handled it as well as they could to accommodate the students, such as arranging various activities and generally being open to discussions with students. As they get used to having so many students, I'm sure they will continue to improve. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Loved my roommates and loved my apartment, overall great experience. |
| * Food: |
Food is a lot cheaper than in the US, and while I definitely expected spicier cuisine, there is still a wide variety in food options. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Given that students were expected to be in the classroom the majority of the time, there wasn't as much time as I would have liked to explore the city and meet new people. I'm glad that CET at least arranged local roommate and language partners. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Did not have any health issues, but they did healthcare is considerably cheaper in Taiwan. |
| * Safety: |
I never personally experienced any dangerous situations, but car accidents are frequent, so you have to be wary of that. And, of course, it is a city with lots of people so you need to exercise caution wherever you are. Still tons safer than any place in the US in terms of violent crime. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I would much rather attend a study abroad program through Middlebury as opposed to CET. I did enjoy Taiwan and the people that I met there, but in terms of actual progression in my Mandarin abilities, I could have learned a lot more at a Middlebury program. |
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) |
Taiwan is pretty cheep, so no complaints. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50-100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Have a budget within the first couple weeks of being there, otherwise you will bleed money. |
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 |
I would have preferred if the elective course was taught in Chinese, but there wasn't really an expectation for speaking Chinese unless you were in Chinese class, and obviously when talking to local people. |
| 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? | Pre-Advanced |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Talk to people as much as you can. |
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? | The internship is challenging but definitely a more rewarding experience than the electives. I wish I had taken the internship class. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Pre-Advanced Chinese |
| Course Department: | Chinese |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | Mandarin Chinese |
| Comments: | It was relatively challenging. For all except a single day, class was held in the classroom on campus. The teacher was great, though I think that she would have been even better if she was given more wiggle-room in terms of what she could and could not teach. I participated about the same. And to be honest, I never really for sure understood how assignments were graded, but never too harshly. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. Though transcripts do take a while to arrive to your home institution. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Taiwanese Culture, Language, and Idenitity |
| Course Department: | Elective |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class can be interesting at some points, but also incredibly boring at other times. Overall, not too challenging, other than the grading on assignments being pretty strict. There were 3 field trips for this class, with the last one being the most interesting, though the others were fine. Because participation was graded every day, I did participate more so than I would have at Middlebury (at least once every class). There was a group project that you were building up to with mini assignments throughout the semester, and then two other assignments which could be either an article analysis or a site-visit essay. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not yet. |
