Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei is the capital of Taiwan, an island nation of 23 million people located off the southeast coast of mainland China. In addition to being the country's financial and political center, Taipei boasts a vibrant cultural life with superb museums, including one of the world’s foremost collections of Chinese art, the National Palace Museum. The city is home to one of the world's tallest buildings, Taipei 101, and while its history and culture are overwhelmingly Chinese, Japanese and Western influences are clearly visible.
About the Program
The Taiwan program, offered through Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ affiliation with CET Academic Programs (CET),
is based at National Taiwan University in Taipei. With a language curriculum that that boasts plenty of individual attention, a customized internship component, and local Taiwanese roommates who bring language and culture into your home life, the program blends the advantages of a Chinese language immersion experience with professional and personal development opportunities.
Language instruction is provided at the National Taiwan University (NTU). Chinese language is taught at a variety of levels with students completing more than 180 class hours worth 3.0 HWS credits. Detailed course lists are available here. Each student will undertake a credit-bearing internship with a local organization, tailored to individual interests.
ACADEMIC FOCUS
This program will be of particular interest to students majoring in Asian Studies or those in other majors who wish to develop greater Mandarin language proficiency.
This program is open to juniors and seniors in good academic and social standing who have a minimum GPA of 3.0. In addition, students must have completed a minimum of two years of college-level Mandarin Chinese or the equivalent and one Chinese area studies course prior to participating in the program. Due to the challenging nature of study abroad, student academic and disciplinary records will be carefully screened.
Students share fully-furnished apartments with both CET peers and local Taiwanese students. Most apartments house a total of 6-10 students who share double–bedrooms along with kitchen, bathroom, and laundry facilities. Kitchens are fully furnished so students may prepare meals at home or dine out at neighborhood eateries. Apartments are located in the center city, near NTU and within a reasonable commute to internship sites.
A variety of extra-curricular activities are organized each semester that allow students to explore Taipei and experience local culture. Outings may include a bike trip to Tamsui with local roommates, hiking to Elephant Mountain to enjoy the panoramic views, a visit to Taroko National Park to see Taroko Gorge, “Taiwan’s Grand Canyon", and a weekend excursion
down the coast to Hualien and a Buddhist monastery.
Students will be charged standard HWS tuition and fees, room fees, and a $600 administrative fee. This will cover tuition for a four-course semester, health insurance, housing, and program-related activities and excursions. Note that no board charge is included. Students should plan to bring their board fee to cover meal expenses throughout the program. While meal expenses will vary according to individual tastes, we estimate $1700-$2000 should be sufficient for students who prepare their own meals.
Additional expenses not covered include airfare, visa, local transport, and personal expenses (laundry, entertainment, and independent travel). We estimate airfare for this program at $1100-$1400 from the East Coast, visa at $300, and local transport at $200. It is difficult to give an accurate estimate of personal expenses because student spending habits differ considerably. We would suggest a minimum of $1500 above and beyond meal expenses. However, students on a tight budget should be able to manage with less. If you are concerned about finances, we strongly encourage you to talk to the CGE staff who can offer information and advice based on your specific situation.
NOTE: CET has supplemental scholarships available to students who have been accepted to the Taiwan program. Please see Amy Teel at the CGE for information on how to apply for these scholarships.
HWS students must complete all components of the Global Education application in order to be considered for admission to this program.
- This program is offered every semester.
- All components of the application must be submitted online by the published deadline. Specific deadline dates are set each semester and typically will be in late September/early October (for Fall programs) and late February/early March (for Spring programs).
Program Handbook
IMPORTANT: The handbook(s) below is/are the most recent handbook(s) published for this program. A new version, with updated information, will be made available each semester. Program participants will receive their updated handbook approximately 2-3 months prior to their program’s start date.
FALL HANDBOOK / SPRING HANDBOOK
Please DO NOT MAKE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS until you have received final confirmation of the program start/finish dates for the specific semester you are attending. Dates included in versions of the program handbook intended for previous semesters do not necessarily apply to future programs.
NOTE: The information above is subject to change. Please see the CGE for more information.
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