Abroad Changed Me! January 06, 2023
By A student (Chinese, Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/24/2022 to 11/19/2022 with
CET Taiwan
I learned a lot of Chinese, met awesome people, and learned more about myself and the world. Very worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The Chinese class was awesome. The other class, not so much |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
CET had some bumps to work out, but I overall found the staff to be very supportive, fun and kept the student's best interests at heart. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had a difficult roommate situation, but it was resolved halfway through the program. CET should have done a better job regulating program housing since it was not compatible nor healthy at times. But my other roommate was wonderful, and the apartment itself was small yet nice. |
| * Food: |
Taiwanese food is great, all independent of the program. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Through my language partner, Taiwanese friends, and my own explorations, I feel very integrated with Taiwanese culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no health issues abroad |
| * Safety: |
Taipei is super safe! I had once incident with harassment at a phone shop when my phone was getting fixed. But I was able to leave the situation shortly and reported it to the program. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I'm going back to CET in the spring, so I sort of get to do it again! |
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) |
It's possible to live cheaply, but I enjoy fresh produce and spending more on food so that was more expensive. Otherwise, public transport is reasonable, and most western goods are the same price. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 150 |
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 |
No language pledge, but language partners and other opportunities allowed language use |
| 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? | 220 |
| 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? | Make Taiwanese friends! |
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? | How to use public transport |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Chinese 250 |
| Course Department: | Chinese |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | Chinese |
| Comments: | The Chinese class taken through NTU was excellent. Perfect level of challenge while still enjoyable, with reasonable exams, and a great learning community. My Chinese class was one of my favorite parts of being abroad. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not sure yet |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Taiwanese History, Culture, and National Identity |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The CET course, Taiwanese History and National Identity was interesting but poorly taught. I learned most through readings and through group projects, not from professor instruction. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not sure |
