Middlebury School in China

Coming form a public university, I had already reached a point where I needed something else, something extra to enhance my Chinese language ability. I decided to take the plunge and study for a year in Beijing with Middlebury, and it was the best decision I could have ever made. It was obvious off the bat that the teachers really cared about you succeeding and growing as a Chinese speaker.

Zhang Laoshi is the academic director, as well as the father figure of Middlebury Beijing. He is an amazing teacher and is able to cater to students of any language level. The rest of the teachers are also amazing, and are very willing to talk and interact outside of class.

The local roommates are likely the best part of the program. I learned so much while sharing some Korean takeout or talking late into the night with my roommate. It opens up a whole new level of language as well as cultural understanding, and also creates a lifelong friendship.

I left feeling that I had not only greatly enhanced my skills in Chinese, but that I also had gained the tools to improve on my own. Entering the program, Chinese was the language I studied. Afterwards, I could confidently say that Chinese was my second language.

First, above and beyond, you will reap what you sow in any study abroad experience. If you work hard, make an effort to find local friends and make some of your own opportunities, this program is incredible. If you choose to stay with American friends, don't take the language study seriously, etc., you will have an interesting experience abroad.

I stayed for one year and the program was extremely challenging for me (I was probably not prepared sufficiently, in all honesty). The first semester was nothing but homework. Then all the other students except two left. The three of us looked at each other: we still had nine months there.

The second semester is where everything came together. I stopped hating China and fell in love with aspects of it. I made wonderful local friends. I felt at home. I still remember the moment, riding my bike back towards school from Wulin square.

In the end I spent about 6.5 years working in China. I was one of the first Chinese/English interpreters hired by Goldman Sachs (the other is also a Hangzhou grad) and I've translated for the State Department as well. My whole life pivoted in this city and, nearly ten years later, I still go back when possible and remember some things. Work hard, don't worry about the other American students too much and you will benefit greatly from the team in Hangzhou.

I loved this program. In my year there were very few students, and we became as close as a family. Participation in the program was a lot of work, but completely worth it -- my language skills increased astronomically. We got to go on trips together, one longer one organized by the program, and others on our own. We explored the city on our own, and even when we were too lazy to think of something to do the program staff often had suggestions, or organized group outings within the city. This isn't a program that will leave you in a safe foreigner bubble, the emphasis on language learning encouraged us to go beyond our comfort zone, and we generally stayed away from the expat community.

I attended the program in Spring 2010 after already living in Kunming for six months. I had been stuck in an English-Chinese world that wasn't allowing my Chinese to progress any further. For me, the Middlebury language pledge was essential for improving my Chinese. I surrounded myself with locals and spent my free (non-study) time dancing and teaching dance in Green Lake Park. The immersion experience helped me to build a community of Han and minority friends in Kunming and I still go back to visit them occasionally.

This six-week immersive experience was incredibly hard and rewarding. I was able to skip an entire year of college level Chinese through the six weeks. Because it's such a short time, don't expect to have too much time off. However, the teachers were wonderful guides for Hangzhou, and you're able to tour around Hangzhou or go visit Suzhou/Shanghai on the weekends. I especially loved Guo Laoshi's day excursion to the tea plantations and bamboo forests outside of Hangzhou. The city really does live up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in China, and there was a CET-organized weekend trip to 1000 island lake, which was great. You'll spend a lot of time with your classmates and will often go out together to explore the city. The Chinese roommate experience was quite good as well, and depending on the roommate, you might be able to bond very well with him/her. Overall, I highly recommend it if you're looking to accelerate your language studies.