<p>My DD is graduating this spring and wants to gain fluency in German in some sort of study abroad situation. She is investigating language programs in Germany, being an au pair in Germany, etc.</p>
<p>Has any one done any organised language situation and had good or bad luck? Any other ways one of you has become fluent in a foreign language?</p>
<p>I would advice her to steer clear of language programs in general. Chances are she wont learn anything and waste a lot of money in the process. The trouble with au pairing is that you’re unlikely to learn much if your host family speaks English. Really, the only way she could come close to achieving fluency in a year is to live and work in Germany independently.</p>
<p>oh yes!</p>
<p>I spent six months at a German language school in Freiburg, Germany. 20 hours of class per week (4 hours a day) and my fluency in German exploooded! I couldn’t have been more happy.</p>
<p>Just so you know what kind of progress you can make, I took the PndS exam (exam for German language proficiency to get into a German university) and I passed after only 4 months of German classes…</p>
<p>There were 4 hours of class daily. Of the 4 hours, we did a few hours of grammar, then an hour or so of conversation, reading comprehension, writing, and listening comprehension. The two hours or so of grammar were consistent each day (and I think were the most helpful for me), and then the second two hours per day were varied among the other subjects. Some days we did more reading, some days we did more writiing.</p>
<p>Before I did the course, I had about 3 semesters of German under my belt. But I have to give all the credit for my fluency to the German language school I went to. Well, I also studied a lot… But I do remember that when I got to German, I Could Not Speak! Just a little, and really badly! And when I left (and still to this day) I can churn German out like a native! Well, almost like a native. I have forgotten a few words but all the Germans I meet are uber impressed with my German.</p>
<p>The program cost me about 800 euros per three months for tuition, and I stayed in a German student dorm, which I think also helped a lot.</p>
<p>When I got back to my home university, my level of German kicked my classmates’ butts. I “advanced several levels” according to my German professor! :)</p>
<p>Here’s the school I went to:</p>
<p>[Sprachenkolleg:</a> Home](<a href=“http://www.sprachenkolleg.de%5DSprachenkolleg:”>http://www.sprachenkolleg.de)</p>
<p>And the student dorm I stayed at:
[Katholisches</a> Studentenwohnheim - Alban Stolz Haus - Freiburg](<a href=“http://site.albanstolzhaus.de/]Katholisches”>http://site.albanstolzhaus.de/)</p>
<p>I found the school here:
[Language</a> School Links Homepage. Links and Contact Info for Over 1,000 In-Country Language Schools Worldwide.](<a href=“http://www.languageschoollinks.com%5DLanguage”>http://www.languageschoollinks.com)</p>
<p>Three months at an in-country language school taking an immersion/intensive class in German is in my opinion worth 1.5 years of classes at home. In fact, were it not for my stay at the language school, I wouldn’t be fluent at all. Conversational, perhaps, but not fluent.</p>
<p>Some things I’ve thought about: