CET Beijing Vs CET CV-Starr Middlebury Hangzhou

[Andrew987]

I've been reading many posts about the CET-run chinese language programs in china. There's great information here, especially about CET Harbin, but I'm trying to find out more about the CV-Starr Middlebury program in Hangzhou and the Beijing program.

Based the threads I read on this forum, it seems the Hangzhou program offers an intense Summer program and a semester program just like in Beijing, but some posters said the Beijing semester program is for slackers. Can anyone speak about this? Is there any difference between the semester programs in Hangzhou or Beijing? Do you receive more one-on-one instruction in Hangzhou? Is the language pledge taken more seriously in Hangzhou?

I guess it's difficult to get feedback because once you are there and doing the program, you're probably not worried about these boards anymore. Anyway, I did learn a lot about the CET Harbin program from these boards, and I don't think anything else needs to be said about that program, there is plenty of info out there. Just looking for more specifics about CET CV-Starr Middlebury and CET Beijing.

Thanks

[cui ruide]

I did CET Beijing Janterm then went to CV-Starr Middlebury Hangzhou for the spring semester in '07. I think they have a pretty similar setup as Hangzhou is a Middlebury and CET joint venture based on the CET style.

In Hangzhou, there are 4 courses: 2 (student) on 1 (teacher) pronunciation class, 1 on 1 class on a topic of your choice, and two electives of your choice from classes like "Classical Chinese," "Chinese Cinema," "Modern Lit.," "Newspaper," etc. I believe among these electives, some are supposed to vary on level of Chinese needed...but I don't know if that's still the case..

Personally, I can say that there were more people doing the CET Beijing Jantern (at Beijing Institute of Education--not hosted by Capital Normal University; I don't know about that)--about 50ish maybe, divided among 4 levels. The lowest being people who had a hard time expressing themselves in Chinese at all, the highest level including folks that were more comfotable and even a Hopkins-Nanjing Center-level student. While the Janterm setup isn't like the regular semester setup, the point I want to make is--a lot of those people continued into the spring, so I assume there was varying levels of Chinese throughout all those classes...

Whereas in Hangzhou, it's mostly Middlebury College students and former Middlebury Language School students, along with some folks from other colleges/univerisities like Kenyon, etc. (numbering 30ish?)--all of which tested into the upper-two levels in the Janterm. Generally speaking, this group of students commands a higher level of Chinese, and I know in the past some students in Hangzhou from other schools who hadn't been to the Middlebury summer language school struggled to keep up. I think Middlebury is also in charge of the teachers, while CET is in charge of the residential aspect of the program. Middlebury likes to keep its name elite in the language-learning sector (especially in Chinese), so that may be reflected in the choice of teachers. Students in the past have complained of there being too much work.

Hangzhou is pretty, but not very interesting. Also the Zhejiang University of Technology campus is located in a relatively inconvenient area--away from West Lake and places of more interest, and most of the Chinese roommates will be majoring in like Chemistry and science stuff, which might be a hindrance on your relationship. It's really hot and muggy in the summer, really chilly (cause of the humidity in the winter). Beijing is really big and exciting, has more going on culturally and with nightlife--music, art, bars, etc. There are more students around the city, but the CET locations are not a part of the huge foreign student areas like Wudaokou, nonetheless you'll probably encounter lots of foreingers if you go out and party (in places like Wudaokou and Sanlitun). Beijing is really cold and dry in the winter, has sandstorms in the spring, and really hot in the summer--along with a fair amount of pollution year-round.

Starting next fall though, there should be two more CV Starr Middlebury Schools (partnered with CET): in Kunming hosted by Yunnan Daxue and Beijing hosted by Capital Normal (don't know how this corresponds with the already existing CET Capital Normal program, maybe it will replace it?)... So maybe you want to consider these if you want the Middlebury name and the higher-intensity program associated.

[Andrew987]

Thanks, that was really informative. I didn't realize there were two new CV-Middlebury schools opening. I am planning on going in summer 09, and will probably do the CV-Starr Middlebury Hangzhou Summer Program and then go on to do the academic year in CET Beijing, but if the CV-Starr Middlebury is opening in Beijing, that might be more what I'm looking for.

I talked with two students from my university who each spent a semester with CET Beijing and both had tons of praise for the program, but the way they described it, it sounded like they went on a lot of trips and did sight-seeing and the language study was were more in the background of the experience. I realize these types of programs are what each student makes of it, but I've been working pretty diligently for over two years now at learning chinese, and so I want to be pushed when I go abroad, I don't want to go on a one-year vacation and just re-learn the basics. For that reason, I was considering doing the entire academic year in Hangzhou, but every Chinese person I talk to suggests not going there because they claim the local dialect will be unintelligible.

Anyway, this new program in Beijing sounds very exciting. I'm going to try and find out more about that. May I ask, how did you hear about it?

[cui ruide]

CET website news (scroll down a bit): http://www.cetacademicprograms.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Abroad.ViewLink&Link_ID=449C1A46-DEF1-7CCF-40F73E583074A29B&Parent_ID=3ADB6A98-D651-37A8-DF3B7031DE47F2BD But it seems neither the CET nor Middlebury website have been updated to reflect this. I do know there are pamphlets advertising the new programs in the Middlebury study abroad office, though. ;p

As for the Hangzhou dialect issue... My roomate in Beijing was originally from Xi'an, but he had picked up a Beijing accent (i.e. talking with a closed mouth, slurring some, and some of the "R") in his 4 years of university there, and it took me 3 weeks before I could understand most of what he was saying. Then I turned around and went to Hangzhou and had to readjust for another few weeks to my Hangzhou roommate's southern accent. Other than the roommates, though, my experience has shown most people don't spend too much time with local Chinese besides teachers and maybe the local naicha stand operator.

Everywhere in China has their own regional dialect which will for the most part be very different from Mandarin, even in Hebei and Shanxi probably (right outside of Beijing). Your teachers at these programs will all have crisp and well-sculpted Mandarin, some with a Beijing flare. All the university students you will meet will speak Mandarin (sometimes with a heavy southern accent, some less so). But they all use Mandarin because two roommates from towns on opposite sides of Hangzhou could not understand each others' home dialect. People who study in Harbin like to proclaim the purity of the local Mandarin, but perfect Mandarin is hard to come by in the rest of China, and in my opinion, the more versions of it you get used to understanding, the better your Chinese ability will be. After a semester in Hangzhou, I did not pick up a southern accent. After a summer in Kunming, I still suffered no great influence other than what term I used to call over a waitress or the changing modifier/expressive ending...(e.g. Beijing: "ting hao ", Hangzhou: "man hao ", Kunming: "xie xie ge (vs. xie xie a)").

At the end of the day, I think it comes down to livability/interest of location. While academic intensity is important, getting out and enjoying where you are, seeing Chinese culture/life, and trying to soak up the confused moment is what I think is most valuable about studying abroad in China. Living in China is a very difficult experience for outsiders psychologically, so being in a place with something fun and interesting going on to distract you is also important. Whether that means you rather have the art and music and excitement of a place of Beijing; the cleanliness, sheen, and wealth of Hangzhou; or the backwater, chill vibe, and green surroundings of Kunming--that's up to you.