<p>For history at least, language preparation should be able to be completed at any college or university. You really only need to be able to read in the language, unless you plan to do oral history. Most colleges should offer adequate instruction for this purpose. International relations might be another story.</p>
<p>The upper level (beyond basic 4th semester classes) at Wisconsin are typically 10-20 students with some under 10.. The semester 1-4 classes are under 25 with many sections under 20. For example there are 10 sections of French 1 for 194 students plus an honors section of 13 students. Not bad for a big school with nearly 30,000 ugs.</p>
<p>Ritchieboy is right. Learning a language depends primarily on the individual. It's probably unwise to overemphasize departmental rankings as a measure of how well one will learn a language. The classroom is the foundation, that is, one must learn basic grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. After that, it really depends on the individual going out and finding the opportunities to practice, practice, practice. The chance to go abroad for a significant amount of time is vital -- ideally a year or more. </p>
<p>I spent a year studying abroad in Spain through the University of California's Education Abroad Program. The program mixes students from all schools: San Diego, Berkeley, Santa Cruz, LA. The one's who came out speaking Spanish the best were the ones who put the most effort into practicing, regardless of the campus they attended.</p>
<p>"The chance to go abroad for a significant amount of time is vital -- ideally a year or more."</p>
<p>There are lots of fine schools, including the top Ivies, that strongly discourage it. They may add on extra fees for going abroad, and very small percentages of the student populations avail themselves of the opportunity.</p>
<p>Going abroad may indeed entail additional fees (though in the case of UC, one pays the same tuition as they would normally). My comment is geared toward those who are serious about learning an additional language which is essential is one is serious about working in the field of international affairs. If one's desire is simply to complete the language requirement in order to graduate, and one plans to work in the domestic arena, then spending a lot of time abroad may be of limited value. </p>
<p>I would still recommend that everyone study abroad, even if only for a summer, as a personal growth experience.</p>
<p>According to mini, does that mean if one wants to study in poly sci/international affairs, LACs is a better choice when compared with large universities?</p>