Summer 2016: intensive programs in mainland, towards full fluency

[dementior]

Hello everyone!

Yet another intensive program thread sorry

I have checked some previous threads but the ones I found were 5, 6 years old. Therefore, I start this one hoping to obtain some feedback from past summer or last couple of years.

 

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/29823-intensive-summer-programs-in-harbin/?hl=%2Bintensive+%2Bharbin

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/24135-debating-between-cet-harbin-or-bincai/?hl=%2Bintensive+%2Bharbin#comment-207675

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/22857-2010-iup-vs-cet-harbin-1year-detailed-questions/?hl=%2Bintensive+%2Bharbin

 

If money is not a problem (let's say) which summer programs in mainland would you recommend the most and why?

 

• IUP： http://ieas.berkeley.edu/iup/admissions_language.html

application deadline end of January, fee 5000 US dollars, host university 清华

• BIP: http://www.princeton.edu/pib/about-pib/PIB-2016-Brochure_Online.pdf

  application deadline end of January, fee 5800 US dollars， host university 北师大

• CET Harbin, CET Beijing http://cetacademicprograms.com/programs/summer/chinese-harbin/

 application deadline march 1st, fee 7200 US dollars

 

Since I am currently in Beijing, I will try to pay all of them a visit to understand better the characteristics of each of these programs. The one thing I do not like so far is that, as far I as I know, these programs are only offered as a package, that is, I cannot remove from the final fee the excursions or the acoomodation if I want to arrange those by myself.

 

The second thing which surprised me a bit is that CET programs have the exact same price in all 3 centers (Harbin, Beijing and Kunming)... I was expecting Harbin to be much cheaper than Beijing

 

Am I missing any other programs you consider deliver excellent academic value? 

Thanks a lot!!

 

 

 

[Guest realmayo]

Hope you get some answers, I'm interested in this too.

[ChTTay]

I have friends who studied at IUP and it seems like a seriously worthwhile programme if you've got that kind of money available.

It is expensive but probably does offer pretty good value as its quite intense. Also, you get what you pay for in terms of class size and teachers. I'm fairly sure they had a class of 3 students every morning then in the afternoon it was 1 on1. In the 1on1 classes they'd go over everything you'd just done and make sure you could do it. I was studying with one of them once and they told me during listening (I think) you couldn't have your textbook in front of you. You had to learn the vocab list before class and preview the audio. In class you had to be prepared to talk about the the audio already. A contrast to my program whee listening class was a lady with a CD player.

[Guest realmayo]

ChTTay, IUP sounds exactly the same as ICLP in Taiwan (naturally, given IUP's history) where I was last summer. It was okay, I'm glad I did it once, although thinking about it now I'm not sure I'd do it a second time: so perhaps one-on-one classes would be more useful, and just as intensive, while also being cheaper. However I don't want to derail this topic other than to suggest to the OP that two months of one-on-ones could be another option -- if you get good teachers then perhaps one-on-one should logically be better.

 

Paying up for the pricey established courses ought basically guarantee that you'll get good teachers well-trained in working students through a tried-and-tested curriculum, with materials the teachers know inside-out, pushing the students hard every day. Under certain circumstances that assurance may well be worth paying extra for, rather than taking more of a chance with a smaller one-on-one school, where you might be unlucky with the teachers, or you simply drop off in motivation (certainly at ICLP there was nowhere to hide).

[ChTTay]

IUP also has a useful alumni network ... if you're looking at working in or with China in the future.