program DETAILS
- Arrival date: Late June 2022
- Departure Date: Late July 2022
- Program length: 4 Weeks
- Dickinson Credits: 1 (equivalent to 4 semester credits)
- Program Fee: TBA
- Pre-requisites: None
- Application Deadline: 04/01/2022
Get a Global Perspective
Study abroad should be more than tourism, more than a language barrier, more than culture shock… it should challenge you as a person. Take on a summer program that makes you think critically about the world around you, teaches you to navigate situations with empathy and respect, and helps you develop the skills and knowledge base to not just learn, but to do.
Summer in China
program highlights
- Take college-level coursework
- Expand your understanding of global issues and interdependence, and their impact on local communities
- Live with a host family and experience life in Shanghai as locals do
- Travel to Hangzhou and Beijing to visit temples, see cultural monuments, and explore local parks
SUmmer TAKEAWAYS
- College credit on an official transcript from Dickinson College
- Develop a solutions-focused mindset in the face of complex issues
- Build independence, confidence, and experience as you live away from home and experience a new culture
- Exposure and advancement with learning the Chinese language
Global Learning from China
Take on Global Issues
Explore broader global themes and issues at every level—how they influence you on a personal level, how they play out in a US-based context, and finally what they look like nationally in China and regionally in Shanghai. Compare American public health systems with local norms and processes. Examine Chinese national identity and culture against that of the US. Then connect with peers all over the world for even more perspectives.
Introduction to Global Perspectives
Your core course explores global interdependence through identity/power/culture, public health, environmental sustainability, and civic engagement. To foster a global understanding inclusive of many perspectives, you and your Global Perspectives peers (based in Italy, France, Spain, Japan, and Washington, DC) maintain a summer-long discussion online. Compare respective responses to environmental emergencies, juxtapose national identities and cultures, and identify the most critical barriers to public health across all countries. See the class syllabus.
Learning the Language
Chinese language learning is weaved into every module throughout the summer. Not only do you learn vocabulary and grammar sets that help you navigate your daily life abroad, but you also learn terminology specific to the program’s academic themes. And because you can’t learn a language without real-world practice, your assignments use Shanghai as an extended classroom.
Exploring China
Enjoy worry-free travel with program-sponsored excursions to Hangzhou and Beijing. Ride the train then relax near Hangzhou’s Xihu (West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Explore the serene bamboo forests and visit a tea shop. Visit Lingyin Temple, a Buddhist temple with origins that go as far back as 328 AD. Then end the program with four days in Beijing—climb the Great Wall, visit the Temple of Heaven, and explore the city’s many hutong (residential alleys).
YOUR CHINA Itinerary
Summers with CET are packed with classes, activities around the city, and even regional travel. These are a few highlights to give you a better idea of what your summer might look like outside the classroom.
Week
1
- Attend orientation and get to know your group during the welcome dinner
- Roam the historical city center with your class and a local guide
- Go out for dinner and a movie with your host parents
Week
2
- Practice your Chinese vocabulary by ordering at a restaurant
- Explore Shanghai's park culture—see taichi practice, watch locals fly kites
- Develop your palette for tea during a tasting at a Buddhist temple
Week
3
- Explore Shanghainese cuisine on a food tour in downtown
- Visit the Bund and examine the contrasting architecture across the river
- Learn the careful art of bao jiaozi (wrapping dumplings) with your peers
Week
4
- Travel to Beijjing via overnight train for a 4-day trip with the group
- Hike along Badaling, an famous portion of The Great Wall
- Attend the closing banquet before heading back home
Life in Shanghai, China
- 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, unique international culture, economic and financial center of China
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. There’s something for everyone in Shanghai.
HOUSING & MEALS
Where you live and what you eat is another layer of developing your global perspective. You go beyond a tourist’s experience and live with a local family in a residential neighborhood in Shanghai.
- Local homestay
- 1-2 CET students per homestay
- All meals included
- Internet access, bed linens, basic furnishing, kitchenware
You either have your own furnished room or share one with another CET student or a host sibling of the same gender. Because you’re staying with a local host (selected and trained by CET staff), all residences will look different but provide the same general amenities. And as the locals do, you commute to class via public transportation (typically subway or bus).
Connecting Locally Starts in Your New Home
Living in a homestay with a local host is the best way to get to know and experience life in another country. Not only do they house and feed you, they provide you with instant community—help your host parents prepare Saturday morning breakfast, participate in a language exchange with your host sibling, explore the city together. At the end of your summer abroad, you’ll find that China isn’t simply somewhere you visited, it’s a place you called home.
Eating in Shanghai
Your program fee includes three meals a day, giving you ample opportunity to explore the wide variety of Chinese cuisine. Your breakfasts and dinners (and sometimes lunch) are shared with your hosts, providing a daily platform for cultural exchange over food. And in your free time, explore all the Shanghainese specialties. Line up for shengjianbao (pan-fried pork buns), try every type of soup dumpling, and take your pick of dim sum snacks at neighborhood food stalls.
Program Costs
2022 Summer Fees: TBA
CET’s high school programs are designed to be as inclusive as possible. You pay for your flights and your own personal spending, and we take care of the rest.
All of your classes and course materials are included with your tuition.
All of your meals are included with your program fees.
We arrange for you to live with a local family in a CET-vetted homestay in Shanghai. Families are hand selected and trained by local CET staff and matched with students based off the housing questionnaire.
We are your support network. From pre-departure questions to academic support to emergency management, we’ve got your back.
You’re provided with a comprehensive insurance plan through GeoBlue. It even includes evacuation coverage for individual medical emergencies.
The activities and excursions that we arrange are included in your program fee. All you need to do is remember to bring your camera!
You receive a CET Certificate of Completion and an official transcript from Dickinson College at the end of the program… the icing on the cake for your college applications.
Estimated
Out-of-Pocket
Costs
- Round-trip Airfare: $1,300 - $1,700
- Personal Expenses: $300
For CET high school and pre-college programs, you must:
- Be between ages 14-18 at the program start date
- Be a rising sophomore, junior, or senior in high school, or a recent graduate not yet enrolled in a college or university degree program
Competitive applicants are motivated high school students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. However, admission 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.
Your online CET account has specific instructions for submitting an official transcript.
Use the link in your online account to send a recommendation request to one of your current or previous instructors.
Priority Application Deadline:
February 1st 2022
Final Application deadline:
April 1st 2022
Questions? Get in touch!
Melanie Mackenzie
Student Services Coordinator,
High School & Pre-College Programs
202.846.7662
[email protected]
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.