My daughter will go into her 5th year of French as a senior next year and although pretty fluent, she wants to improve her conversational ability better than you do in 5 years of French in a classroom. We are considering Middlebury 4 week French immersion program in Quebec City. Our concern is if you are spending most of your time with people that are also learning french, (and possibly at levels below hers) if she will really see improvement or a difference from being in a classroom like she is now, or if they will have enough time with native french speakers and a gain would be expected?
I can’t find any reviews anywhere, just that they are in class from 9-12 then I assume out with the locals a great part of the day? Anyone know? It is pricey and she actually is looking to improve french, on top of a fun experience of course. But she can have fun a lot of places for less money, I want to know the French aspect will be beneficial. Just for background, she is a really good french student. Not that, “oh she is so smart,” but just to say that she is just into it, so it is a serious pursuit versus just getting another language over with. Studies 4 other languages, it is sorta her thing. So not worried about what she will put into it, but more any info on the quality of the program assuming good effort. Appreciate any feedback.
I know a number of kids that have been very happy with the Middlebury program, but I also have a niece who attended last year and really DIDN’T like it (to the extent that she even left early). She felt like they were treated like children and given an overly restrictive set of rules that she found suffocating. I know they have a pretty wide age range, so maybe they were sort of managing to the most-immature-common-denominator, but, as an older kid, she thought it was absurd. Anyway, that’s just one data point, and I’m sure there are others who will give you a very different take.
It sounds like people like the program, but it may depend on where you are in the language, maybe it is better for people in their second or third year to give it a boost?
@rayrick Good info, she would definitely be one of the oldest (rising senior) going. Do you know if your niece attended an “abroad” program like Quebec City or was she at the Middlebury campus in Vermont?
She was on the St. Michael’s campus, I believe. Looks like only French and Chinese are there? Maybe the folks who are actually on Middlebury’s campus have a better experience – I really can’t say. And Quebec City sounds pretty neat; it’s a very European feeling place, so that could be an entirely different ballgame.
my daughter, at 13, did the 3-week german course in poultney, vt (summer '15). brand new to the language, she came back speaking sentences comfortably and has retained a wealth of vocabulary. the school takes their immersion mission very seriously. students should sign a pact that they will not speak english for the duration, even in the dorm alone with your roommate. i’m not sure about older kids, but my daughter respected this to the point that she was unable to chat with her roommate and never really got to know her (a 14-yr old beginner). students must also relinquish their phones to staff, allowed them only about once a week to use for calling home on pre-designated days/times (the school will notify you in advance). her older sister (between sophomore and junior years, spanish 3) went to zaragoza, spain, in the summer program of School Year Abroad (SYA), stayed with a host family, but socialized and talked so much with the american kids, she came back not having increased her skills significantly. the price of both programs are comparable. mmla was the better program for serious learning, hands down.
i’d ask mmla about the immersion policies i’ve mentioned. that is really the key, not necessarily that they are IN quebec. our family skied near montreal over christmas. stopping in at mcdonald’s and tim horton’s (their big doughnut chain) near the airport, wow, french really is everyone’s first language. but, i agree, what’s the point if outside of the classroom they are chatting in english!
btw, my younger daughter will travel to karlsruhe this summer to study at goethe institut. likewise, you may want to look into government-supported institutions in france. including airfare (and yours, if you wish to accompany her) are still cheaper than american programs. and her classmates will be a mixed bag of europeans, so socializing in english is not as much of an issue.