Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

China for the semester Past Review

By (Politics, International & Global Studies, Brandeis University) - abroad from 02/17/2016 to 06/05/2017 with

CET Beijing

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Friends abroad and Chinese language skills

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The program was very rigorous- Chinese every morning, and Internship most afternoons in addition to another class. Me and several of the other people in my program also thought it was a little too rigorous... The constant work we had extremely lessened our ability to see and experience as much of the country as we wouldve liked to. The chinese teacher was great though

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

It was alright

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Really good, we lived basically in a hotel, staff cleaned the room pretty often.

* Food:

Chinese food is great, a little tough if you have any restrictions but i dont so it was good.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We were'nt really part of the real university which was kind of disappointing but we did do a lot of chinese cultural things.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Health insurance was great and helpful.

* Safety:

Beijing is really safe.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

CET wasn't that great, i honestly loved china but hated CET

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)

China is really cheap but be careful not to spend extra because you think everything is cheap.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 50$
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? no

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? Chin30
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? no

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

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

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • Food
  • People
  • Travel
* What could be improved?
  • CET
  • CET
  • CET
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Cet also doesnt tel you that in addition to the 2.5 hrs of chinese every day, you also need to do 2 tutoring sessions a week

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 Linguist
You 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:

Internship Class
Course Department:
Instructor: Nadia Sbaihi
Instruction Language: English
Comments: It was honestly a waste of time, The class had no relation to internship and ended up often being us "talking about our feelings" which is a waste of time. The teacher is rude, picks favorites and if you're not one of those favorites, tough luck.
Credit Transfer Issues: