Great Course, Great Teachers

My Experience:
I did That's Mandarin 1-1 private tutoring three days a week, two lessons per day (2hours). I completed their Level 2 in about a month and a half. I came into the program with about 8 months of self studying having flash-carded about 1000 characters and having listened to some beginner material on FluentU and LingQ. That's Mandarin has a self assessment quiz that lets you determine what level you are at. To my surprise I had only mastered HSK 1 level, so I decided to start classes at HSK 2.

The course is centered on a series of videos that introduce new vocabulary and grammar at a comfortable pace. The teacher will explain the new vocabulary, give examples of how it is used and then make the student use the vocabulary in conversation. Then the student will watch the video with the teacher and summarize what happened using the new vocabulary. Overall it is a very effective method that cements the new language into memory quickly. There is also homework based on the videos, so you have to rewatch at home and practice the new content. Everything is done via an online platform which is super convenient.

My Opinion:
Overall I really enjoyed the course. I thought the videos were well made and the dialogue was well designed to teach new words and grammar. I found myself using a lot of the new language immediately in real life to order food and ride taxis and go shopping. My listening skills improved dramatically over the course, which is something that was very hard for me to do on my own. The teachers are very good at what they do and very supportive. They are quick to explain mistakes in my grammar and reinforce things I keep getting wrong. I do think the classes were little on the pricey side. You certainly get what you pay for though, this is probably the among best Chinese schools in the city. The school also has group classes that are cheaper and run twice a week, something I might try in the future. I don't think I could have improved this quickly on my own.