<p>I see from the course catalog that Rice teaches Chinese through the advanced level, but "advanced" can mean different things at different schools.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how good Rice's Chinese program is? Specifically, do the majority of students who are not already native speakers become fluent? Is there a study-abroad component, and how well-managed or well-funded is it?</p>
<p>Even more specifically, does anyone know how Rice's program compares to the Chinese Language Flagship Program offered at Ohio State, Oregon, Mississippi, BYU, etc.?</p>
<p>Thanks for any info you can offer.</p>
<p>I can’t compare the program to any other schools, but I have been taking Chinese for three years at Rice. It’s a small program, but the teachers are pretty good and a motivated student can go pretty far. I started at the beginner level, and for my third year I moved into a course which is actually designed for students who had exposure to the language growing up but need to work on their writing, grammar, etc. I’m by no means fluent, but I now have a pretty strong foundation in the language, if I do say so myself.</p>
<p>Study abroad is not necessarily a part of the program, but I know many students who choose to spend a semester or year studying in China. The opportunities are definitely available and the university has a lot of resources to help students plan time abroad.</p>