Middlebury - C.V. Starr Schools Abroad

My time at Middlebury CMRS was really rewarding. Adjusting to a new academic environment and system was definitely intimidating at first, but I grew to really appreciate the change, especially because of how much it pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Until coming to this program, I didn't realize how quickly I could read and write, and that helped me overcome intellectual/academic perfectionism. The tutorial system was definitely difficult and lots of work, but it felt really good to be taken so intellectually seriously by Oxford tutors, and the system also allowed me to create strong relationships with each of my tutors. By the end, I felt very proud of myself for taking on such a difficult course/workload and realizing that I could still keep up and do well. It built my intellectual confidence and also allowed me to meet some really wonderful people and create some really cool experiences and memories.

Overall my experience at CET Janterm and Middlebury in Beijing was very rewarding, albeit academically stressful. The CET program offered the biggest improvements to my Chinese I have ever had in such a short time. However, I was not nearly as physically and mentally healthy as I am normally. The Middlebury in Beijing program was similar but less extreme as it was spaced out over several months. The cultural activities organized by the program were wonderful and allowed me a very full experience in China, from going to various museums, the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Great Wall etc. Also, the study trip to Hangzhou was a major highlight. Also, it was not the experience of everyone, but in my experience I had a great roommate pairing and great interactions with the local students, they helped us to adjust and integrate into their communities.

I was very pleased to see that Middlebury in Beijing was incredibly helpful in making sure that I had the opportunity to study the things I was interested in. My topics were not particularly beginner friendly, most of them had a lot to do with Classical Chinese, however the professors at MiB went above and beyond to create a learning environment that supported my interests at my pace and language level. I will always be grateful for the knowledge and experiences I had during this program!