Does anyone have experience with intensive summer language study such as Middlebury’s for high school students? My daughter is interested in Spanish. There is a foreign option in Grenada. On another College Confidential thread from students there are a variety of negative comments. The programs are very expensive and due to the intense nature, a disaster if not run right. Thoughts?
I don’t know anything about the program, but offhand I would probably rather send my kid to Spain as compared to Grenada in the summer. US News travel says this about Grenada “summer and fall usher in regular rainfall and the constant threat of hurricanes.”
And I’d rather send my kid to Spain than Vermont or Minnesota, because as well-meaning as immersive language camps are, I don’t think they substitute of actually being immersed in the genuine version of the culture 24/7. (I spent a gap year living with a French family, and lived and worked in Germany for five years after grad school.)
D spent several weeks in Grenada at age 15 and had a great time at a well-run program called Spanish Through Leadership. Her Spanish improved by leaps as a result of morning classes in Spanish, her homestay and the math tutoring she provided at the student center for local elementary school kids. As in any city - in Spain or elsewhere - you need to know what areas to avoid at night alone. Since she wasn’t out at night alone, this was never an issue. (We took it as a good sign when the program sent 2 kids home early for underage drinking. They did not tolerate violation of the conduct rules.)
As to this particular program in Granada that you are considering, ask for references from families of students who attended in the year prior. They should be able to provide that information.