The long and short of it....

[Springbokke]

HI

I would like to know the major difference between short-term and long term programs (other than period).

If you have 18 months and want to learn Mandarin as quick as possible, All things remaining the same, is it more practical to;

A) Enrol in a series of short term programs for the duration of your stay, or

B) Enrol in a 3 semester program (1 year plus one semester)?

PLease help

Thanks

[ian]

I think that apart from time there is the question of continuity if you are going to be switching from one program to another it will unsettle your learning process, each time you will have to get to know a new set of teachers and a new set of fellow students, however there can be advantages to this in that you will benefit from their different styles. I only have experience of studying at Beijing Normal University which has a long reputation for teaching Chinese as a foreign language but - certainly while I was there (2003) was suffering from too large an influx of Korean (mainly) and Japanese students - their own, excellent, teaching staff were being supplemented with much poorer quality staff from outside. The other thing to note is that generally while you do study half days (on the full time program) you will have an awful lot of homework to cope with, and it is generally essential work to give you an overall grasp of the language. If you are a complete beginner and a complete stranger to being in China and studying in the Chinese education system it can be a bit of a shock to the system - why not try an introduction in a western country at a school such as the Language Centre at SOAS in London?... which would give you a grasp of the basics explained in a friendly language before being thrown in at the deep end.

It is worth noting that there are some excellent smaller colleges and universities in China, and one can benefit from being in much smaller classes AND much lower tuition fees.

Hope this helps.

[Springbokke]

Thanks for your input, I found it very helpful.

Just a follow up question though, is there any difference in the intensity of the cirriculum between long and short term programs? Do I stand to learn quicker in one or the other?

Thanks again