Chinese Gap Year (CGY) in Taipei
Vitals
- GYA Accredited Since: Unaccredited by the GYA. Please see the Standards for more information.
- COVID-19 Plans: Hybrid (online & in-person)
- Enrolling:
Yes - App Deadline:
- Next Available Departure? Mar, 2021
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Mission Statement:
The mission of Chinese Gap Year (CGY) in Taipei is to provide students with opportunities to improve their Mandarin Chinese, be immersed in a foreign culture and society, and grow as young people.
CGY is located on the campus of National Taiwan University (NTU) and is part of the International Chinese Language Program (ICLP), which was founded in 1962 by Stanford University and has educated thousands of students and scholars. - Level of Independence/Supervision (mouse-over for definition):
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Attachments
Program Locations
Typical Itinerary
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | |
|
W e e k 1 |
Relax in the city with brunch at The Diner, strolling around Huashan Creative Park, and YouBiking around the city with friends. Don't forget to prep for Monday's classes - it's going to be a busy week! | AM Chinese classes, stay on campus for a quick lunch, then language exchange with NTU partner. Hang out in the dorm with classmates and grab dinner together. | AM Chinese classes, grab western vegan food and a smoothie for lunch at Ooh Cha Cha, come back over to CGY for office hours and a workshop, prep for tomorrow's classes, then head to the campus gym for Squash Club practice. | Chinese classes in the morning, then lunch in Gongguan. Spend the afternoon at Pica Pica Cafe, hanging out with classmates and getting ready for tomorrow's classes. Japanese for dinner near Zhongshan MRT, then stroll through the Eslite bookstore. | AM Chinese classes, prep for tomorrow's classes, then head to Jiantan MRT with CGY to hike in the mountains, enjoy the city views at dusk, and visit Shilin Night Market after the sun goes down. | AM Chinese classes, NTU gym in the afternoon, then go to the Dongmen neighborhood for milk tea, pineapple cakes, and a traditional outdoor market. At night, meet up with your language exchange partner and their friends and go out in Gongguan. | Sleep in! Get up late and go for a run along the riverside park, passing the Treasure Hill Artist Village. In the afternoon, meet up with friends at Picnic Cafe, aimlessly explore the city on a YouBike, and go out in the Dongqu neighborhood at night. |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | |
|
W e e k 2 |
Start your Sunday morning with a painting workshop organized by NTU friends, buy some groceries for the week, do some window shopping in the alleys between Zhongshan and Shuanglian MRT stations, and enjoy an early Korean BBQ dinner with friends. | Get back into Chinese mode with your AM classes! Have lunch on campus and meet with your language exchange partner. Study at NTU's library in the afternoon, then head back to the dorm to make dinner with classmates. | Stay in the CGY space after AM Chinese classes to have lunch with the teachers. Get some studying done, and finish up in time for a small dinner and Squash Club practice at the gym. | AM Chinese classes, lunch at the new Poke restaurant in Gongguan, then biweekly cross-cultural seminar in the CGY space. Reflect on the past two weeks and learn more about Taiwan's temple culture. Have dinner on campus and prep for classes with friends. | AM Chinese classes, go to the gym in the afternoon, then apply what you learned about temple culture in Wednesday's cross-cultural seminar by visiting the Ciyu Temple with CGY. Go to the popular Raohe Night Market right next to it for dinner. | Happy Friday! After classes and lunch, get over to the music rooms on campus to practice violin. Meet up with your language exchange partner for dinner, then head over with their friends to watch live music at Pipe. | Take the MRT with CGY up to Danshui and enjoy the sea breeze and street food. Depending on the weather, YouBike down the riverside and back into the city, or take the MRT. Get final prep done for next day's classes, and enjoy your Saturday night. |
The two weeks in the Typical Itinerary above represent how a student could spend their time here at CGY. They will have a combination of mandatory obligations (class time, prepping for class) and optional, but encouraged obligations (CGY activities, language exchange sessions, office hours), along with free time. Just like at university, they will have an opportunity to manage their time and create their own schedule, deciding how involved they want to be with student groups on campus, which opportunities they want to take advantage of around the city, and how best they will make use of their unstructured time.
Additionally, CGY students can expect to have:
- Three 50-minute small-group and 1-1 Chinese classes each day, usually scheduled in the morning.
- Additional culture workshops and seminars on a weekly or biweekly basis.
- 2-3 hours of daily prep for classes.
- Regular unstructured time to explore the city, hang out with friends, and manage daily-life needs.
- Open office hours throughout the week with all CGY teachers and staff, for specific Chinese questions or just to practice chatting in Chinese.
- Weekly activities around Taipei, monthly day trips outside the city, and a quarterly overnight trip in another part of Taiwan.
- Open-door access to the CGY staff, who are a resource for the students and always willing to help.
- Access to NTU's on-campus resources, including its gym, health center, libraries, and cafeterias.
- Opportunities to join NTU student groups, have a language exchange partner, and make friends on and off campus.
- Volunteer opportunities through NTU, for example online English teaching for children in other parts of Taiwan (which culminates in a trip to visit them at their school).
Peer Reviews
Program Details
- Program Starts: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer
- Program Duration: Less than 2 months, Semester, Yearlong
- Program Cost: ~US$6,300 - US$8,900/Quarter
- Program Financial Aid: No
- Other Financial Aid Details:
Eligible students may apply for the Taiwan Ministry of Education Huayu Enrichment Scholarship, which provides a monthly stipend of ~US$800/month: https://reurl.cc/R6n48g
Program Learning Outcomes
- Improve your Mandarin Chinese across the four skill areas of Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking
- Develop the confidence to communicate with native speakers across a range of situations, regardless of proficiency level
- Be an enthusiastic, active, and respectful classroom participant, asking and answering questions, supporting peers, and demonstrating a willingness to make and learn from mistakes
- Develop a deep understanding of culture in Taiwan through authentic engagement with community members
- Develop a sense of what life is like for individuals across different segments of Taiwan’s society, and seek to understand those around you
- Build relationships with program participants, students on campus (Taiwanese and international), and members of the local community
- Sharpen your ability to analyze situations and issues through the lens of those who may have different backgrounds, experiences, and identities than you
- Better understand the opportunities you may want to pursue in university
- Achieve a more nuanced understanding of yourself and a clearer view of your own interests, passions, and goals
- Strengthen your sense of self-efficacy, self-esteem, and self-confidence, while developing self-management and independent living skills
Staff Training and Certification
For nearly 60 years, the International Chinese Language Program (ICLP) has been hosting students and scholars from all around the world for intensive studies on the campus of National Taiwan University (NTU), in the city of Taipei. Building on ICLP’s experience and supported by the resources of the NTU community, CGY's instructors and staff are committed to ensuring the safety, health, and wellbeing of our CGY participants.
The CGY team is bilingual (Chinese, English) and has many decades of combined experience educating students in the classroom and providing academic, residential, and other support services to pre-college and college-aged student populations.
From pre-arrival preparations, to attending to the daily-life needs that inevitably arise when living abroad, and to ensuring a fulfilling and safe experience from the first day of the program to the last, the CGY team is focused on, and enthusiastic about, putting every student in a position to have a meaningful and memorable gap year program here in the Heart of Asia!