<p>Does anyone have experience with these programs?</p>
<p>I’m going to bump this one more time. My daughter is looking at the summer intensive language programs to get a jump start on a new language. Has anyone attended the summer language programs at Middlebury? Thanks!</p>
<p>I know that I have met several people who went to Ivy league schools who said that their best educational experience was their summer in the Middlebury language program. The Middlebury program takes the language pledge very seriously and they have developed an extremely effective approach to language teaching. Since many people who attend are not Middlebury students, that may be why you haven’t gotten a lot of feedback yet on the Middlebury forum. It might be helpful if you had particular questions or other programs you are comparing to.</p>
<p>They cover a full year of college language study in 7 or 9 weeks. Language pledge is taken seriously (no English allowed); faculty eat all meals with students; co-curricular program strengthens language and cultural immersion, but it is incredibly intense. Did the program and it was indeed the most challenging educational experience I have had — wouldn’t say it was enjoyable (though others certainly have a different experience), but I will say it was the most worthwhile program I have done. And it was very effective. As Hitch123 suggests, I would post your query on a more general message board, but many, many people I know have attended the language schools and my experience is very common. Superb programs.</p>
<p>Thanks you for your feedback. I will definitely take your advice and post this questions elsewhere.</p>
<p>I attended Spanish Language School this past summer and it was one of the best experiences of my life. It didn’t hurt that the campus is beautiful in the summer and has a completely different feel than it normally has during the school year.</p>
<p>Spanish school was a 7 week program and was VERY intensive. The language pledge is very serious and failure to follow it will make it hard to keep up with the course work as well as causing ejection from the program. </p>
<p>We had class from 8-1:30 every day. Each block of class time was divided up between three different classes. We took grammar for two hours in the morning, followed by writing and then a culture class. Participants in the higher levels got to chose which culture class they wanted take while beginners through level 2 were in a more general class. There was an average of 4-5 hours of homework a day due to the fact that we learned at least 2 new vocabulary sections and grammar points a day, however it never seemed like too much. In the evenings there was always an activity like a movie, a concert etc and most people went to these. There were also extracurricular activities like cooking club, soccer teams, volleyball teams, and tango and salsa classes. These were very heavily attended as well. </p>
<p>During the weekends much time was devoted to homework, however there were always parties sponsored by the language in Middlebury’s various social spaces. All languages had these. There are also many outdoor activities people participated in on the weekends like swimming at the many close swimming holes, and barbecuing at the nearby lake. </p>
<p>Meals were nice because professors, students of every level, and graduate students all eat together, therefore, they were good times to practice speaking in more informal situations yet still be in the presence of those at a higher level than you. </p>
<p>Different languages vary slightly in their approach to the summer structure, yet they tend to stick to this basic type of schedule.</p>
<p>I currently attend Middlebury and have taken a total of 6 years of spanish, but that one summer at language school helped me more than anything else ever had. Only when you are required to speak the language at all times in all sorts of different situations does the transformation from classroom spanish to everyday spanish occur.</p>
<p>If you have anymore questions about anything feel free to ask away.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info! S has been accepted for summer Spanish. We didn’t know much about it except a professor at FSU said it was an excellent program. He did find someone on FB who said the same. We offered to send him on a study abroad, but he is certain that this is the program he wants to do. I feel better about spending the $$ after reading CC comments.</p>
<p>I teach languages in high school. Middlebury’s program is among the best, maybe THE best in the country. I know several people who did the program and it literally changed their lives. He is very lucky to be attending the program. Maybe better than living abroad for the summer because there will be such a diverse international experience. Living abroad has the potential for being lonely. He will have a great time. Money extremely well spent.</p>
<p>Again, thanks for the confirmation! My checkbook and I emit a sigh of relief.</p>
<p>Hi CJM, can I ask if you and your S are happy with the MMLA program? I am trying to pick a summer program, not sure about the MMLA’s effectiveness, and if it really helps in HS. Thank you.</p>
<p>Both my daughters have done MMLA. The program is pricy and only 4 weeks, and adherence to the language pledge varies by program and year – the Spanish kids seemed particularly unwilling to adhere to it. My older D did French, and the pledge was taken very seriously in her year. Both kids complained they weren’t learning much, and then came home and discovered they were wrong. My older D took AP French the year after her program with a completely incompetent teacher who had never taught it before – she was the only one in her class to score a 5, and most got 3 or less. (She didn’t study for it, either – no time!) Her French is beautiful. My younger D is doing an honors Spanish class where they are often asked to do oral presentations without notes on short notice. Other kids in her class take hours memorizing their speeches, while she spends an hour planning her talk but does not have to memorize it. It helps if the kids want to be there. D2 is going back for Mandarin this summer.</p>
I realize that this is an intensive, what is the social life aspect of the program? it seems a little daunting that the first night there, when getting to know people, you cannot speak english. I am considering this program this summer, but am worried that I will not be able to articulate myself in a social setting! any comments? Also what is it like with a roommate speaking a foreign language?
My son did the program and both enjoyed it, and got a lot out of it. The students are matched by ability and you’ll be with plenty of other students in the same boat. They have evening activities such as a soccer league so there is lots to do besides study.