<p>Does anyone have any experience with summer programs sending their kids abroad for language study. My HS junior D wants to do Mandarin in China, but she might be OK with a European language. She is in AP Latin this year - and the HS doesn't have enough class periods to allow for another language, so she is probably going to take group or private lessons at a language institute or with a private tutor this year. Intended college major is IR.</p>
<p>Please recommend specific programs, or let me know of any that were less than satisfactory.
thanks.</p>
<p>Harvard Summer School has a program in Beijing. You should check starting dates as it is geared to college students who typically end classes earlier than high schoolers. The cost of the program is $4,5k, not counting airfare.
Middlebury has a very well respected summer language program. Concordia also offers foreign languages and seems more geared toward high schoolers. Several CC posters report good experiences.</p>
<p>There is an organization that allows kids to do language study abroad during regular terms while also taking their academic classes. It's run by Andover, Exeter and a group of prep schools, but kids from any school can go. It really is a phenomenal program, I'll try and find the name, but someone here might know. They do have a China program. A call to Andover will get you the info. For a summer program, try Le Rosey in Switzerland for romance languages, but the term abroad is better.</p>
<p>It's not abroad, but the University of Rhode Island hosts the German Summer School of the Atlantic. The students (high school and college aged) live in a house together, and it's total immersion. Only German tv (via satellite) is allowed, and only German is spoken in the house. Students take classes at their individual level of study on campus. I think it lasts 6 weeks, my oldest son attended the summer after his freshman year of college and really enjoyed it. Many of the professors and students were from Europe.</p>
<p>If you are from Indiana, you should definitely check out the IU honors programs in France, Germany, Spain and Mexico. My D just returned from living with a family for 7 weeks in France. No English may be spoken in any of the programs, and she improved an amazing amount. The program has been around for more than 40 years and seems amazing.</p>
<p>Friends of ours sent their rising Junior to a German language immersion program in Salzburg, Austria. He is enrolled in German 4 for coming school year. There were kids from Europe, Asia, US, and Canada in the program. The program is run in one week blocks. He stayed for 2 weeks. There was a choice of a cultural program or adventure program for leisure activities as a group. He paraglided, boated, swam, etc.---had a blast. His parents felt the program was well worth his time and their money. PM me if you would like the details, as I will need to contact them and dig the info. up.</p>
<p>I participated in the IU program in San Luis Potosi, Mexico and learned so much. Not only that I gained some amazing friends that I still keep in touch with today even though I'm going out of state to school. My Spanish was amazing(I'm fluent now) by the time I came back and I look for every opportunity to use it. It also helped a lot as I get ready to leave for school. Having been away from my parents for a summer and only being allowed to communicate with them online for an hour each week really helped prepare me to go to school out of state and will make the separation much easier for both my parents and me next week.</p>
<p>These types of programs can be extrememly competitive and difficult to get into, but if you have the opportunity to apply for one I would definitely recommend you jump on it.</p>
<p>P.S. It can also make a great admissions essays topic when you are asked to describe a challenging situation. I mean not that being thrown into a completely different culture without a complete mastery of the language and not being allowed to speak English is a challenging situation or anything.</p>
<p>Mandarin would actually be a great language to learn...I read something about it the other day, with China's massive growth and how few Americans speak or read Mandarin. Before picking a language to learn, your daughter should learn as much as she can about the cultures of different countries/regions to see what might appeal to her most. Of course if she wants to major in IR she would do well to learn several languages, and for some reason French and Mandarin seem to be a good blend.</p>
<p>Another way to do it without sending her for an entire summer is to research programs on <a href="http://www.studyabroad.com%5B/url%5D">www.studyabroad.com</a>. I speak French and wanted to brush up, and liked a company called Language Studies Abroad (they do Mandarin too). It's surprisingly inexpensive, and you live with a host family while you're there, so you absorb the culture as well. Family obligations have prevented me from going just yet, but it will be a summer vacation one of these days.</p>
<p>Also, depending on where you live, check out major universities near you...some have summer immersion programs where the student lives on campus for a month in a language house and essentially completes four language courses in that time (UVa does this). </p>
<p>I applaud you for doing this for her! It's something she will ALWAYS be glad she did!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. At the moment she is planning on doing Mandarin. We are trying to get her into a beginning program here for a year before doing a summer program - problem is not that many are available, all the classes at the local community colleges are during her regular school hours. Her second choice is French, which would probably be much easier due to her background in Latin. But telling her something is difficult is like waving a red flag at a bull . . . . </p>
<p>we'l definitely check into all of these suggestions. thanks again.</p>
<p>My son did immersive mandarin in Beijing, the summer before he started university. He did it with a program based in Wash DC, CET, <a href="http://www.cetacademicprograms.com%5B/url%5D">www.cetacademicprograms.com</a>. I chose this program because they serve a number of different univeristies and he was able to get a full year of credit (!$$!) for an eight week immersive program.</p>
<p>He went again this year--is still travelling around China, in fact. If he would send his itinerary I would know where, LOL. Last year there were 77 American students from schools such as Gtown, Yale, UNC, SMU, UT, BU etc. This year there were 80 American students and he made friends with kids from Vandy and UNC and BU.</p>
<p>CET does accept high school seniors who demonstrate the appropriate seriousness; ie ability to adjust to foreign living.</p>
<p>My son decided to study Mandarin after the Dean at the Gtown SFS said there were only two languages for this current generation: Arabic or Mandarin. Both are difficult, I suggested immersive study as the only hope. </p>