<p>My high school sophomore is extremely interested in languages - she is taking two of them right now. She is thinking of becoming a language teacher.</p>
<p>We don't have a lot of money and she has never gone on one of those fancy programs of any sort, but I would love to send her on a Spanish immersion program next summer if affordable - although neither she nor I is completely sold on the idea of her being away from home for a long time, so that, coupled with the affordability issue, means that it may not be realistic. However, I'd like to look into them just to see, and wanted to know if there is one that the CC parents recommend. (Her other language right now is Latin so not really an immersion program for that - she may pick up a third language next year if she can fit it but she is decent at Spanish now so an immersion program in Spanish would probably be the most enjoyable.)</p>
<p>We would <em>not</em> be doing this for college admission purposes, and in fact I've heard that sometimes it's not such a good idea to talk about these on applications/to admissions officers because it gives them the impression that the kid is well off if they can afford these - but maybe I'm wrong here and if I am, please do let me know.</p>
<p>Thanks for any advice about the program itself or my possibly erroneous assumptions on the latter front.</p>
<p>BTW, not sure it makes any difference for the purposes of this discussion, but in case it does - right now her GPA is just about a hair below a 4.0 and she took the SATs at age 12 for CTY and qualified (but didn't go), so she is likely looking at a more selective college if her grades stay the same and scores are still high when SATs are retaken.</p>
<p>My son did an exchange program through Rotary. It is a real exchange program, though, where he went to Spain for a month and then that Spanish family sent their son to stay with us for a month. It was very resonable (I think we only paid $350 plus airfare) and my son’s Spanish really improved.</p>
<p>You also may want to consider the Concordia Language Villages. I haven’t comparison shopped in a while, but my recollection is that fees are quite reasonable compared to Middlebury (or, frankly, most East Coast sleep-away camps). However, depending on where you live, transportation logistics to and from Bemidji, MN may eat up some of the savings. Scholarships are available. </p>
<p>Just want to chime in and say that my son received an almost complete scholarship to Concordia last summer (based on financial need). They were great to work with - very nice and very generous with the aid! You need to apply early for the passport scholarships (Feb I think). Agree that depending on where you live, you still may have large transportation costs. </p>
<p>The travel expenses were worth it for us since my son wanted to study Swedish. It was an amazing experience for him. There are so many other options for Spanish, though. I would look into something in Costa Rica, but can’t recommend any specific programs.</p>
<p>If your goal is language improvement, I cannot recommend Concordia. My kids loved the camp, the fun activities, international day, etc. but did not improve in speaking ability. There is very little instruction in the camp. No written materials by which to learn the songs. They made friends and bracelets and canoed, but in retrospect it was another expensive summer camp experience, with a slight Spanish flavor.</p>
<p>I think it depends on the language and the camp. My D1 went to Finnish camp for 8 years (and nope, she has no Finnish heritage…), including two years as a ‘credit villager’ where high school credit is given. Although her HS does not accept outside credits, but she had a transcript and a grade she provided to colleges. In her case I think it DID help with admissions, but probably because (1) she had a long term commitment to it, (2) she spent a summer abroad on a scholarship program in Finland after jr year of HS, (3) it is an unusual language, and (4) being a credit villager does show a willingness to do academic work in the summer, which I think colleges like. She even wrote a college essay that was then used in a brochure Concordia Language Villages has that shows how the camp experience can be effectively used in college essays.</p>
<p>D2 went for two summers to French camp while in middle school (2 weeks both times). All I can say is that she got 'A’s in French the two years after camp, and never before or after… so for her the immersion did help her. I do think the more popular languages (French, Spanish) have more kids and are maybe a bit less serious academically. But your D does not have to take Spanish – it is a great opportunity to take a shot at another language (and sometimes the scholarship money is better in the “one off” languages, too).</p>
<p>Thanks for the input! We are on the East Coast so a bit far from MN - and her Spanish is quite good so we would have to find something that helps her take that step from “quite good” to fluent (if possible). I did call Middlebury, and they do have scholarships for one of their campuses (interestingly, none of their summer programs are actually on the Middlebury campus!) but during the discussion they were talking about how my daughter could be a role model to others who need to improve their Spanish (since they mix the kids together for much of the program) and that’s not really what she is looking for - she wants to be with folks who are better than she is so that she can really take a step upwards. Middlebury is starting a new program which will actually be in Spain next summer, but it’s expensive - and still no guarantee that she won’t be one of the more advanced speakers but of course being in Spain is probably a huge positive in general.</p>
<p>I also called AFS (which I remember from when I was in high school a thousand years ago!), but recently read multiple very bad reviews about that program; I guess it’s not what it used to be.</p>
<p>I understand that a summer program might be a good time to try a new language - but she would really like to use a program for the specific purpose of gaining fluency in Spanish. (She is taking another language at school but is at a beginning level, and it is not a spoken language. )</p>
<p>We took a different route for language exposure. We combined vacation with language classes. Basically rented an apartment, daughter went to language school for 4 hours each day then we spend the afternoons exploring the city. For our tight budget, it gave her an experience we could afford. I don’t think she gained what an immersion program would offer but she loved being with teens from all over the world and couldn’t believe how much the experience increased her fluency.</p>
<p>Since your daughter is nearly fluent, I think a in country program which includes a homestay would be the best bet to improve her language skills.</p>
<p>She wants one where she will spend a good chunk of her time with native speakers.</p>
<p>My daughter (HS junior) was just notified as a semi finalist for NSLI-Y program. (national security language initiative) If accepted, she will go to China and stay there for 6 weeks to learn the language, all expense paid for by the State department. I don’t know how good the teaching quality is, but I’ve heard good things about it. It’s very competitive, certainly not one of those camps where if you’re rich you will be in.</p>
<p>My 15-year-old daughter, a HS sophomore, is going to Spain next semester with CIEE, a group that has been operating since the late '40s. I have been VERY impressed with them. She will be staying in a home and attending a local school. CIEE has been organized, helpful, responsive, etc.! They will take a group of kids to Barcelona, sightsee for a couple of days, then get the kids to their towns. There will be only one American student at each school. There is a local CIEE coordinator in each community if my D needs any help. She is so excited!</p>
<p>CIEE told her that the first couple of weeks will be HARD. But after 3-4 weeks, she should understand most of what is said. After 3-4 months, she will be dreaming in Spanish and not even having to translate from English to Spanish in her head.</p>
<p>Both of my kids went to Concordia for Spanish at their Bemidji location. </p>
<p>Both of them skipped 2 years of high school Spanish because of that experience and they each did well in the college-level courses that they subsequently attended. D was most interested in the language and attended the 4 week high school credit camp after her freshman year of high school. She loved it, enjoyed learning from the many native speakers on staff and found a group of motivated friends that really took advantage of the experience. The credit camp has class time twice a day and although it is concurrent with the 2 week programs, it is a more intense experience.</p>
<p>She later spent a semester in Spain during her college years and was complemented on her Spanish language skills.</p>
<p>Although it’s good to hear the program is excellent for some campers, our D had a much different experience with the 4 week Spanish immersion than yours, Northern Woods. Two summers ago at Concordia, Bemidji after she took honors Spanish 3 in HS, we sent D to prepare for the AP level. They seemed to do a good job of vocab building and reinforcing basics. But, she did not progress as much as she had hoped and was definitely not in a position to skip subject matter in Spanish IV AP upon her return. This fall as a senior she did not even mention the Concordia experience in her college apps.</p>
<p>Add my vote for Concordia Language Villages! S attended the German program every summer since 4th grade (except for the times we spent those summers with family in Germany).</p>
<p>He has had incredible experiences which included dinner with the German Washington DC embassy staff and participation in a model UN hosted by the undersecretary general. He has established connections with fellow campers, counselors and the heads of language departments at several US universities. </p>
<p>The Bemidji MN location is beautiful!</p>
<p>S is a heritage speaker…he’s heard German at home since birth. So while proficient in speaking (although with a dialect) it was his Concordia experiences that allowed him to test out of the first 2 years of college German.</p>
<p>Hi! I might be too late, I’m not sure, but I thought I’d chime in anyway. I’m currently a college student, but during my time in high school I went to Middlebury’s language immersion program for teens (MMLA, as mentioned) and I could go on for years about how wonderful the experience was. I attended the French school both years, the second year at the Green Mountain College campus (my first year was actually the program’s first year as well and it was originally set at St. Michael’s College but decided to switch it because there were too many other programs going on at the same time there). The reason it’s not located at Middlebury College is because of the Middlebury Language Schools - the same program as MMLA but for college students but longer and stricter. MLS takes up a lot of room, so there wouldn’t have been enough breathing space for MMLA students. </p>
<p>Basically, MMLA is four weeks of total language immersion. I’m not sure why they told you your child would be a sort of standout for the less experienced - by my second summer I’d say I was fairly sufficient in French and instead of using me as a ‘model’, they helped me to focus on continuing to expand my French fluency. My friend attended the Spanish school and had a similar (wonderful) experience. It’s a LOT of fun and they allow plenty of time for activities and games - they realize, after all, the students are all teenagers with a lot of energy. The hardest part, for me, was remembering to speak in English when I returned home after the program! I’ll actually be attending the Middlebury Summer Language Schools this summer (a different language, this time), and I’d definitely say my great experience at MMLA boosted my motivation to apply! So, yes, I highly recommend this program - it’s great for the beginners to the advanced. </p>
<p>Want to add one more comment on Concordia. It must really depend upon which language and which location as to the quality of the language aspect of the program. D3 went to Concordia for a 2 week program located in MN but not at the main campus. (Sorry, can’t recall the name of the site but it wasn’t Bemidj–maybe St. Cloud?) She had a great time but said her Spanish didn’t really improve. While the kids were engaged with activities with the counselors, they were supposed to speak only Spanish but English was spoken often, particularly when they weren’t in organized activities.</p>
)</p>