A True Introduction to China Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

the Daily Chinese language classes were the most rigorous with quizzes everyday I had to stay up studying for each night. There were many readings for the other English language classes I took and small informal presentations to prepare, but few other assignments throughout the semester.

On-site administration of your program

Awesome! It was a small program, so the on-site coordinator and all the professors were always there to help. the on-site coordinator helped me many times to get my internet at a cheaper price and with things like that.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I really liked it. We had rooms shared with one Chinese roommate, which was great for Chinese practice and learning about Chinese culture. Each room had its own bathroom with a shower. The room also had a TV which was fun. However, it is my understanding that the CET has now moved the dorms to another campus of the same school, so the rooms will be different. But it sounded as though they are going to be even nicer.

I really liked the cafeteria food. There are hundreds of choices and you can eat a big meal for about 6 Yuan (about one US dollar). But I know some people got tired of eating there, which is fine because there are tons of great restaurants nearby which also only cost about 18-24 Yuan (roughly 3-4 US dollars) to eat at. We were told to never eat street food due to sanitation issues. Also, all the drinking water in China is boiled beforehand, which was a surprise.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Besides the classes offered, the program also had planned several trips to places such as the Great Wall, Nanjing, Buddhist temples, and a small village outside Beijing which were all amazing. They also reimbursed up to 70 Yuan each week for you and your roommate to explore Beijing and do something related to experiencing Chinese culture. I think other students were able to experience Chinese working culture during their internships, but I chose not to do an internship. Instead I invested much of my free time in activities with a local Christian Church, and learned a lot about Chinese society and family through my time spent with them.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never got anything more serious than a headache during my time in Beijing. However, some of the other students had to go to the hospital. They all seemed satisfied with the hospital services - The hospital is known to be one of the best in the city, and most foreigners choose to use this hospital. I can't say much about the processes, because I never had to go.

I felt mostly safe during my time in Beijing. However I heard stories of things being stolen on the street and I was told not to walk outside at night by myself. Other than that, I would say the biggest risk to our health was the pollution. We all wore masks on days it was measured to be high, but most of the semester it was merely moderate (but still wear a mask). The day after we left on Dec. 18 the pollution turned terrible for several weeks, so I would say fall is better than winter if you are planning to go to Beijing.

I had a great time and was able to learn Chinese while also gaining a good understanding of the local culture. Next time I would like to do an internship as well.

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

Things are pretty cheap in China and the exchange rate is not bad.

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

We could only speak Chinese while on the 16th floor (where the language classes were) and we were encouraged to only speak Chinese with our roommates.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students

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• Americans
• International Students

• My local roommate
• The teachers
• Cultural activities/trips - and Chinese table on Mondays!

• more spread out class times
• more assignments throughout the semester, as opposed to one final grade at the end

The Academic or Linguist