<p>Does anyone have any comments on the Middlebury high school Chinese immersion program? Sophomore thinking about going. Any campus recommendations? Is it all work and no play? How much fun is it? How much Chinese will I learn?</p>
<p>Hey there!</p>
<p>My name is Connor and I actually work for an organization called Rustic Pathways that runs trips for high school students. </p>
<p>If you’re still looking around for a great Chinese language immersion program, we’ve got an awesome trip that is based out of Dali, China (<a href=“http://www.rusticpathways.com/china/chineselanguageimmersion.php[/url]”>http://www.rusticpathways.com/china/chineselanguageimmersion.php</a>). The program is based out of Dali University and focuses on a mixture between learning in the classroom and then going out into the surrounding area to supplement what they’re learning in the class and build their language experience through direct usage of the language. There is also an option for students to have a Home Stay experience tacked on at the end of their program if they stay for at least two weeks on the program. </p>
<p>Lastly, the other really cool thing about Rustic Pathways is that we have other programs running in-country and all of our trips are designed to interconnect. So you could do a few weeks on the language immersion program, and then spend a week volunteering at a Panda Conservation Center, a week in a rural Chinese village working at a school and on agricultural projects, or spend two weeks on a Service/Arts based program in Shangri La. </p>
<p>I am a bit biased because I run trips for us in China (I’m off again in a week from today to take a private group up to the Panda Conservation Center!), but it is really one of the best immersion programs you can take if you’re interested in learning Mandarin. Feel free to email me if you have any questions! <a href="mailto:Connor@rusticpathways.com">Connor@rusticpathways.com</a></p>