CET is currently operating programs in Beijing, Shanghai, and Ho Chi Minh City for international students unable to travel to the U.S. for the fall semester. Representing 14 U.S. colleges and universities, these students are living together, taking classes taught by CET in-person, and participating in a host of activities designed to create community and an on-campus experience. Let’s check in on them to see what the students have been up to since they arrived this fall!
Beijing
Students in Beijing live on-campus at Capital Normal University. The semester started with orientation sessions held online before students moved into campus housing and then live, socially distanced sessions thereafter.
Students settled into life in Beijing over the next few weeks–they finalized their course selections, settled into college life, and worked with CET staff to understand and comply with safety guidelines outlined by our host university. They formed student clubs including a Model UN Club and a Cooking Club, and found ways to get to know their classmates as the semester progressed. CET provides subsidies for student-organized clubs and activities.
Life at CET is great. You can hear birds chirping in the morning and crickets singing at night. You meet friends here and there who you can play games, do homework, or hang out with. You also have people that you have yet to know that you can chat with and talk about your future.”
Student at CET Beijing: International Student Program, Fall 2020
Our host university has operated under a partially closed-campus policy as a precaution against new COVID-19 outbreaks. Since Beijing has not seen cases of community spread of COVID-19 recently (currently, there are 18 active cases in Beijing, all imported from travel), the campus has begun to open up, allowing students to leave campus and explore the city, with CNU’s permission. One class took advantage of the new regulations and added a field-based course component to the National Museum. Another class visited the U.S. Embassy to watch the final presidential debate and participate in a Q&A.
Shanghai
Students in Shanghai live on-campus Donghua University. Shanghai has been largely spared from cases of local transmission (presently, there are seven active cases, all imported), so the program was able to begin the semester with in-person arrivals and orientation. Students finalized course selections during a two-week add-drop period, and as the program is made up primarily of upperclassmen, CET has encouraged students to form their own special interest clubs and sports teams to stay active and get to know one another. CET provides subsidies for student-organized clubs and activities.
Students in Shanghai are also taking advantage of the city’s museums and cultural resources. CET has offered a series of co-curricular activities to expose students to elements of U.S. history and culture, including a panel on the 2020 U.S. election and debate watch parties.
Thirty students in Shanghai are participating in internships facilitated by CET throughout the city. The placements range from multi-national companies like Grant Thornton and Ernst & Young to startup incubator Xnode to consulting groups Litao and even to museums like the Power Station of Art.
Ho Chi Minh City
Students in Ho Chi Minh City are living at the CET Vietnam center. The cohort in Vietnam is comprised mostly of first-year students, so extra attention has been given to helping them build the skills necessary for a successful college experience. Since there have been no new cases of COVID-19 in Vietnam in two months, students have also taken full advantage of the city. One field-based course component took them to Bitexco Tower for 360 views of the city and discussions about the city’s development and subsequent impact on local communities.
Students in Vietnam are also finding plenty of time to have fun with each other and try out some new skills. They recently went to a café to try their hand at painting!
Most Vietnam students are also completing an internship as part of their academic work. Students are interning at G.A.P Institute which provides career mentoring, foreign language and professional skills training for Vietnamese college students, SCIS which is a research agency on international affairs and foreign policy, and at VLS (Vietnamese Language Studies) on their marketing strategy.
Looking for options for your international students this spring? Get in touch! These and other CET sites are accepting students for Spring 2021 programs.