Why Gap at CET Shanghai?
If you’re looking for somewhere to explore your interests, try new things, and contemplate what’s next for you, look no further than Shanghai. This global city boasts a calendar of events to suit all interests, a rich local history and culture, and a diverse job market that makes for intriguing internship opportunities. And with a local roommate, supportive faculty and staff, and a gap-focused seminar that creates space for personal and professional exploration, you’ll leave ready for whatever challenge lies ahead.
program highlights
- Custom internship placements in a robust, longstanding network
- Study Mandarin Chinese in small, attentive classroom environments
- See the Bund, the French Concession, and Old Town Shanghai
- Special focus on supporting the gap student experience
- Spend a weekend exploring rural China in the Yangtze Delta region
TAKEAWAYS
- International and intercultural experience to benefit college essays
- College credits and an optional official transcript from the University of Minnesota
- Experiences to inform and shape college and career-related decision making
- Improved language skills and overall confidence
- Established intercultural workplace skills and relevant experience for your résumé
Why go with Gap at CET?
In our 35+ years within international education, we’ve developed a keen understanding of the student experience abroad and a strong reputation for thoughtful, immersive, and supportive programming.
Academics
Program
Snapshot
- Recommended credits: 6
- Not-for-credit internship at a local organization
- Chinese language courses for every level
- Seminar that tackles gap student-related topics
- Out-of-class learning and assignments
- Host University: Donghua University
Study Chinese Language
A Seminar for the Gap Experience
Taking on a gap term is more than just learning a new language or traveling to another country—it’s an intentional pause in your academic path for personal reflection and exploration. Your language curriculum and internship keep you busy, but this gap-focused seminar creates a space for facilitated reflection and discussion, as well as activities that help you explore and build skills for the future.
Interning Abroad
Coursework & Syllabi
You combine one 6-credit Chinese language course, a not-for-credit internship, and a not-for-credit gap student seminar to meet the total of 6 recommended credits.
You are placed into one of these 6-credit comprehensive language courses:
You conduct a not-for-credit internship at a local organization and meet for regular one-on-ones with faculty to maximize your in-office experience.
You and other Gap at CET students from all over the world meet to reflect and explore topics and issues unique to gap students. This not-for-credit course is taught in English and conducted virtually once a week.
"Every day I am given opportunities to push my limits, try new things, and step outside my comfort zone. I experience the most self growth when challenged, therefore being in Shanghai, especially at my internship, is helping me to become a more mature, self sufficient, and confident person."
Gettysburg College | Fall student
Housing & Meals
COVID Modifications
Because of precautions CET is taking related to COVID-19, your housing experience will look different from standard programming. Please see the COVID playbook page for more information.
- Dormitory
- On-campus housing
- Live with a local roommate
- 2-3 people/room or suite
- En suite bathroom, communal kitchen, paid washer access
- Wired internet access, mini fridge, A/C, linens, basic furnishing, TV
You share a double room with a local roommate or a triple suite with one local roommate and one other CET student. Either way, your housing is furnished and each room or suite has its own bathroom. The same building houses a shared kitchen space and a study room. Your classrooms and the cafeteria are just a 2-minute walk away. And when you want to explore a different neighborhood or head to your internship site, the subway station is just across the street from the university gate.
Local Roommates
Your roommate is a CET-selected student from our host institution, Donghua University. Want to learn where to get the best shengjianbao (fried breakfast buns)? What mobile apps make life in Shanghai easier? Where to study off campus? Which buses to avoid during rush hour? Sharing a room with a local student gives you instant insider’s access to the city. But more importantly, it gives you someone to share the city with.
Eating in Shanghai
For meals, do as the local students do and eat at the budget-friendly campus cafeterias, try nearby food stalls, or find your favorite neighborhood restaurant. And don’t forget to eat all the xiaolongbao you can (steamed soup dumplings)—you’re living in Shanghai after all. Feeling a home-cooked meal? Have a night in with your roommate and trade cooking tips as you prepare dinner together in the dorm’s shared kitchen.
On-site Staff
Jeremy Friedlein
Program Development Specialist
Qu Zheng
Academic Director
Allison Rottmann
Academic Director
Zhang Xinjun
Office Manager
Jenny He
Internship Program Manager
Life in Shanghai
- Known locally as: 上海 Shànghăi
- Population: 26.32 million
- Local Currency: Chinese Yuan, aka renminbi
- Famous for: The Bund, soup dumplings, major transport hub, plentiful job opportunities, economic and financial center of China
CET Shanghai students enjoy the perks of living in a city that is both cosmopolitan and culturally rich—plenty of modern amenities, diverse communities, and a history worth exploring. Take a stroll in the French Concession to see where East meets West. Chat with shop owners. Line up at Shanghai’s famous hole-in-the-wall noodle spots. Start your international network in the city’s buzzing business scene. There’s something for everyone in Shanghai.
Activities & Excursions
Around the City
Each term, the program offers different extra-curricular activities that allow you to explore the city and Chinese culture. Follow a local expert on a food tour of the historical city center. Compete in a dumpling-making competition with the campus chef. Get to know Chinese Buddhist culture with a visit to a local temple. And there’s even more to see on your own—spend Saturday people watching at the marriage market, visit Disneyland, or see a show at Yuyintang, one of the oldest underground music houses in China.
A Countryside Weekend
Take a breather from the hustle and bustle of Shanghai with a program-led weekend trip to the rural Yangtze Delta region. Visit smaller towns and learn about the lives of the people who live there. Soak up the fresh air and hospitality of the Chinese countryside. All you have to do is pack your bags—we take care of everything else.
"I became much more confident in myself and my ability to survive in the adult world. I also became much more comfortable being uncomfortable, and found myself even wanting to move to Shanghai after graduation!"
Union College | Fall student
Program Costs
Fall/Spring
|
$14,990
Fall/Spring: $14,990
CET aims to make program fees as inclusive as possible to minimize out-of-pocket costs.
All of your classes and program-related learning are included with your tuition.
We arrange for you to live in a dormitory with a local roommate. Your program fees go toward rent, furnishing, and other management costs.
From pre-departure to orientation, from on site to re-entry, CET provides you with the support you need every step of the way.
You’re provided with a comprehensive insurance plan with GeoBlue that even includes medical evacuation coverage.
The activities and excursions that we arrange are included in your program fee. All you need to do is remember to bring your camera!
We guide you step-by-step through the visa process. You’ll need to do the legwork, but we pay the consular fees if you obtain your visa through the service we recommend.
We help you land the internship and make sure you’re prepared. And after you get started, we stay in close touch with your host organization to provide support all semester long.
Your textbooks and course supplies are covered and waiting for you on site.
Estimated
Out-of-Pocket
Costs
- Round-trip Airfare: $1,050 - $1,250
- Meals: $1,450
- Personal Expenses: $1,300
- Local Cell Phone Plan/SIM Card: $200
- Local Transportation: $100
- University of Minnesota Transcript (optional): $425
To be eligible for a Gap at CET program, you:
- Must be 18 or order at the time of program participation
- Should have a high school diploma but are not yet enrolled at a college or university degree program
- Are recommended to have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Admissions decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, so students with lower GPAs are still encouraged to apply.
Complete the application through your online CET account. This is a brief form that asks for basic information and has a few short answer questions about why you want to study abroad.
Use the link in your online account to send a recommendation request to one of your previous teachers.
Your online CET account has specific instructions for submitting an official transcript.
A phone interview with a CET staff member is a required step of the application process. You will be contacted soon after the completion of your other application materials.
Fall deadline:
May 1
Spring deadline:
November 1
Price Subject to Change:
CET reserves the right to increase quoted charges at any time without prior notification, based on increased instruction costs, exchange rate fluctuation or other cost increases beyond CET’s control.
