Taiwan an adventure and a dissapointment August 24, 2026
By Kelton G (Arizona State University) - abroad from 05/24/2026 to 08/08/2026 with
CET Taiwan
I learned a lot about trusting people and the language and culture were a huge plus.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Really bad |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I want to preface this by saying I had a wonderful, safe time in Taiwan. The only issue, or rather issues, I had were with the horrible staff. I am going to name names because it was quite traumatic. Firstly, ****** was amazing, very understanding and supportive of Mandarin learning. Most other staff were very kind too, but some were very fake. I was unfortunately going through a rough time, and I finally decided to reach out for help. What I received in return was the opposite. I reached out to the program director, for help with a fine I received in Taiwan for something that wasn't my fault. I told her I had been going through a rough time and needed some forgiveness. At first, she was short-tempered with me but was helpful. However, shortly after she sat me outside the office to do homework, I heard someone around the corner telling other staff, "I do not give a f**k about his issues." I was genuinely at a loss for words, but I hoped she wasn't talking about me. Later, she told me she would be reporting me to my school. When I wouldn't provide a receipt, she called the police department and probed for private information under the guise of being my teacher. She reported me again for bad behavior after I walked into the closing banquet, and all CET Taiwan staff mocked and laughed at me for wearing a suit, which rightfully triggered me. Finally, she told other CET staff that I had purposely left my apartment messy, charging me a ridiculous 250 dollars because I had left a very messy house, even though I had done all my responsibilities except for 10 dishes. Both Taiwanese roommates agreed the main issue was our roommate's room, which had been trashed; in fact, my Taiwanese roommate had cleaned the dishes for me, so why was I being charged money I don't have? After further digging the director asked that I, along with the very messy roommate, be charged. I am furious and would not recommend CET Taiwan to anyone. |
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) |
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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 |
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| 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? | 400 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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 difficult it would be. |
