Written by Jason Wang, Resident Director, CET High School/Pre-College and JSA Diplomat Program in Beijing, Summer 2018*
“What does a CET Resident Director do, exactly?” is a question that I get from time to time. At its core, the RD’s job is to help set up the students’ living and learning communities while abroad so that students can focus on the most important parts of the program: experiencing Chinese culture and history on group excursions, having vigorous intellectual discourse in class, making friends with Chinese peers, and more. Studying abroad is an incredibly exciting and stimulating experience, but the flip side of that coin is just how tiring a full day can be! It’s important for students to have a home base where they can study, rest, relax, have fun, and recharge for another packed day. We have made sure students have that time and space in our home-away-from-home, Beijing Union University, a vibrant institution of higher learning on the North 4th Ring Road.
So while you may have seen the exciting photos from excursions we have taken all over Beijing, and while you may have heard about the eye-opening course readings and discussions in class, let me instead give you an insider’s look at something you may not have heard as much about – dorm life at BUU.
*The JSA Diplomat Program runs alongside Pre-College at CET Beijing programs: International Career Pathways and Chinese Technology and Entrepreneurship.