The Time of Your Life Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

This program allowed me to see into China, put me in touch with fantastic people, created experiences and friendships I will always treasure, improve my language and gain confidence. That being said, there are a few ways it could be improved.

On-site administration of your program

From the Academic Director to the Resident Director to the fantastic assistant, the staff was helpful, engaging, outgoing, friendly, and more than happy to meet with you for a cup of coffee and share stories of their amazing experiences.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

This is China. My expectations for a dorm weren't high, and I don't believe expectations for dorms should ever be high, regardless of the country. That being said, the rooms were spacious, comfortable, accommodating, and modern. The bathrooms were large and functional. The lobby has many couches and 5G wifi. They also sell wifi cards for your rooms but this is not a very good deal. The washers work but will tear up your clothes so bring mesh bags to keep them together, and there are no dryers that work but never fear, racks are available for rent and we shared them. Many students arranged to have water delivered to their door. It was a cozy place to call home in Beijing!

Beijing has tons of lovely food. The cafeteria on campus is cheap and delish, featuring all types of food from kimchi to curry to dumplings to hot pot. There are good restaurants around campus too, and the best way to get a good deal when eating out is to go with friends so you can all share dishes family style. We would have "family dinner" once a week with just the CET students so that everyone could have a time to share experiences and vent or catch up. It usually came out to 20-30 kuai a person and we had a lot of food! The lobby also has a convenience store which has many foreign products, that's where I usually got my breakfast, and 3 kuai cold coffee drink and a 6 kuai imported granola bar.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It is what you make it on this one. if you stick to campus and the international community this is not going to be very high. But between the internship program and a curious individual, I was able to feel like I could see a lot more of the culture. The internship class was also helpful in this aspect. I know some students had a very steep curve as far as culture shock, but all in all it's only a few months, so throw yourself in, go explore on your own or with new Chinese friends. Take a trip on the weekends - it doesn't have to be far. Ride the sleeper train, take the bus, commute, go to as many events as you can, explore Beijing! There is something for everyone here and pick something you would like to know more about and ask questions. Don't be afraid of getting lost.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

There were not health issues for me. I worked out about 3-5 times a week, even running in heavy pollution with my mask and didn't experience much more than mild reportorial effects. I had friends who used the international hospitals and they are top notch.

I walked and used public transportation every day, many days by myself. I usually felt very safe, and when I didn't I could sense it and be cautious. The most unsafe environment felt like huge crowds as far as pick-pocketing. However, I did not have anything stolen. I always kept my purse zipped, the men in our program would keep their wallet in their front pocket in crowded subways etc, and we would do a good job of staying aware of our surroundings.

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

Beijing is an international city, there are many fun things to do, restaurants to try out, places to see, and I traveled about once or twice a month, with a week long travel in the Fall break. Meals could be anywhere from 6kuai to 30kuai, but I averaged about 10-12 kuai a meal.

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

This is also what you make it, but they were encouraging on language use and because of this I ended up taking a voluntary language pledge two days of the week.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

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• Americans

• The Connections it provided
• Academic Classes
• Opportunity to Intern

• The internet situation

The Academic or Linguist