<p>To whoever was asking about Chinese, it depends on how much Chinese you know. If you have sufficient background in Chinese (usually this means you grew up in a Chinese-speaking family and have some rough knowledge of how to write some basic characters) you can place into Chinese 4, which rushes you through all the material from Chinese 1 to 3 in the span of one term. Chinese 4 is taught by Professor Alan Li, who I hear is a pretty chill dude.</p>
<p>Otherwise, you will wind up taking at least one of the courses in the Chinese 1 to 3 sequence. Two professors teach them - Susan Blader and Justin Rudelson. They're both ok, and it's a question of personal preference who is more likable. Most people prefer Rudelson because he makes his lectures hilarious.</p>
<p>I don't know how the Chinese program compares to other languages directly, but we don't have an LSA, but rather an FSP (the differences are a bit subtle; you'll figure them out once you're on campus, but basically there's not a whole lot to worry about). Most other languages don't have drill for their 3rd term course, but there is drill for Chinese 3. There is massive grade inflation in the Chinese department (not that I'm complaining) - the median grade for our classes is usually an A or A-.</p>