Xi'an Study Abroad

The best thing about the Xi'an study abroad was the fact that they pair you up with a Chinese roommate, forcing you to practice your Chinese. The hardest part was that many of these Chinese students were very bright and therefore already spoke English fairly well. Because of this it takes self-control to make sure you don't "cheat" and speak English with these students. It's difficult, but The Alliance program promotes it strongly and encourages students to interact together so that you learn as much as possible. The Alliance program also has incrediable Chinese teachers. I've never been worked so hard in my life! Every day there was a quiz, then a review of the chapter with questions in Chinese and a in depth discussion.