A few people have been asking me this question. Obviously, it all
depends on you and your circumstances, but here is my experience of
the two type of classes.
Last year (2007) I did the intensive (6 hours per day) 12 week class
at BLCU. It was challenging, but I had the best time! Having more
contact hours per day means more to revise at the end of the day.
Ideally, it would be good to preview the next day's lesson but I
found that I hardly have time to do this…but it could be because I
also had a private tutor once a week and meetings with language
partners 2-3 times a week, plus going to the gym, etc. By the end of
it all we were all really tired! Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the
course and was very happy with it. The teachers and the classmates
were wonderful.
This year I came back and decided to do the 20 weeks regular course
(4 hours/day), so did a few people I know who did the intensive
course last time. Some also came back to do the Intensive class
again. Initially I didn't know what to do with myself, but I'm
finding I'm quite enjoying the afternoon off! I go to the shops (good
chance to practice mandarin), study, go to the gym, etc. There are
also extra course that can be taken eg. Pronunciation, writing
Chinese Characters, Calligraphy, learning Chinese songs, etc, that
can be taken. I'm also having a private tutor twice a week. Some of
the other students have 2 hours of private tuition everyday.
I think having private tutors are helpful in re-enforcing what was
learnt in the lessons. With my tutor, I would prepare a topic and
write it down, then during the lesson, the tutor would check and
correct what I have written. I would then talk to her about the
topic, thereby practicing my oral/speaking skills. What you do with
the tutor would depend on your circumstances and the problem you have
with learning mandarin. Some students want to study more or have
different needs (eg studying Business Chinese) so they also go
through other text books with their tutors.
If you have been to BLCU, please tell us your thoughts/experience via
the "comment" section below.
14 comments:
Alice,
I don't know if there is any reason to take the 30-hour / week course, unless all you want to do is study Chinese.
It sounds great on paper to people who want to learn Chinese, but the workload is seriously too much. There is no way anyone can memorized that many new characters a day, unless that's all they did.
I would recommend taking the 20-hour/week course, and if it's too little, taking a course at Dashan school in XiJiao hotel. That way, you get the social component of being at BLCU, more class, and you'd even pay less money as Dashan's fees are cheaper than those of BLCU.
Hi n!
Thanks for your comment. Even with 20 hours/week course, it's probably also hard to memorise all the characters, especially ones which are not used much.
I found though, that I with the 30hours/week class, I knew the text/patterns quite well and it helped with speaking (eg not having to think about how to put words in the right order, etc). I find I need to do a lot of self-study in the 20 hour/week course to get to the same level as the 30 hours/week course (obviously??) ..but then it might be due the different teaching styles of the teachers.
I haven't heard of Dashan school - are you/have you been a student there, or are you related to the school in some way?
Hi Alice!
I agree with n!. I have a friend at BLCU right now in the 30 hr/week class and from what she's been saying, it seems like too much time. She seems to prefer her hanzi class to the intensive language classes. The setup is just so intense, and I have some other friends who had to spend more time studying words and grammar than engaging in experiential learning that you can really only have in China.
I took the 20 hour/week course at BLCU last summer, and I found that it was really good to be able to have time in the afternoon to practice the language I was studying! We did one chapter of the textbook per day, and even if we had done 2 more hours with more material, it still wouldn't have been as helpful as actually conversing with people in the "real world" (or with tutors/language partners). There really is only so much solid material you can absorb in one day.
It's great to be dedicated and study a lot, but the purpose of learning a language is to be able to communicate with people. If your class is so intensive that you don't have time for out-of-classroom communication, then what's the point? :)
Hi Kate!
Nice to "see" you again! : ) Hope things are well there!
Just about the afternoons off - I decided to take up 2 afternoons a week of Business Chinese - I'm finding it quite challenging, particularly since it's supposed to be for students in C class and above (I'm only in B class). I think I have more words to learn now than the intensive course! Oh, well, I guess I still have another three afternoons off, and the weekend!
Hey alice,
I met you at the gym, when we all signed up as a group together.
I am in no way affiliated with Dashan, but I did spend 3 weeks there in January. I only mention them because they're the closest school to BLCU, but Wudaokou has plenty of other nearby and cheap schools.
My first semester, I had 6 hours of class a day, and when I finished at 4pm, I either had my language partner or a tutor, taking me to 6pm. After dinner, I still hadn't reviewed, previewed, or done my homework. So it was a pretty jin3zhang1 lifestyle.
I only had one language partner, but felt I didn't have the time to spend with her. I think the key to improving is by speaking with native speakers, but six-hours a day affords little time to spend practicing kou3yu3.
This semester, I only have 4 hours a class a day, so now, after 12pm, I can take an afternoon nap, do some reviewing, meet with a language partner, and do some homework. Then, after dinner, I more or less have the evening to myself.
I now have three language partners and a tutor, and I really feel the additional kou3yu3 practice will pay-off.
My desk-mate, whose Chinese level is much better than mine, has an afternoon class at Dashan, and goes there from 1:30-3:30. Other classmates go to HSK prep courses.
Dashan's classes are smaller (3-5/class) so they can really tailor the teaching to the students' needs. Also, it's cheaper, at 500 RMB for a one-month, two-hour a day course. The problem with Dashan is the lack of social interaction with others. As a result, I really think one should sign up at BLCU for the social experience, but then, for additional hours of teaching, find another school, or personal tutor.
Hi N!
I know who you are now! : ) Thanks for clarifying!
Yes, I do agree with you. I do also have a tutor twice a week, and I do enjoy my couple of afternoons off!
Smaller classes are definitely beneficial.
Good luck with your study! We might run into each other again sometime! : )
Hi Alice,
I'm going to be studying at BLCU in September and am supposed to enroll in the intensive 30 hour/week course. What is a daily class schedule like when you take the 30 hour/week course? I feel a bit concerned about taking that class now after reading these other comments from others. By the way, thanks for doing this blog, its a great help.
Hi Michael,
Thanks for your message! The 30hour/week intensive course involves 6 hours a day of contact hours (8am-12am) and 2pm-4pm. You do get a break every hour.
I think the 30hour/week would probably be suitable for a more studious type of person, and probably quite serious about studying and want to challenge yourself. There are also lots of homework! You do learn a lot and I really enjoyed the challenge when I did it. (Now I am a bit lazy and I am quite happy with the regular classes!). Many people I know are doing the intensive class and they are happy with it, others are feeling they should have enrolled in the regular classes.
The alternative as n! said, is to do the 20 hour/week course and then go to a private school or get a tutor.
Having said that, the most important thing is to get out there and practice what you've learnt, which ever course you choose. Good luck! : )
Hi Alice,
I am currently attending BLCU for 1 semester, regular semester. Where can I find info about language partner or tutors?
Thanks,
Devi
You can usually find ads around the campus. Try the coffee shop on the 2nd floor of the Conference Centre. For tutors, you can also ask for recommendations from your teacher.
Hi Alice,
I'm thinking of taking the BLCU intensive course this coming march. my biggest concern is the size of their classes. I feel that I would like to study in a small class where each person gets quite a good amount of speaking time and even be corrected for tone mistakes.
I'm really not worried about the workload, I'm willing to work hard. another thing is that I'm not really looking for socializing at the moment, i wanna focus on studying. (and Ive heard that socializing is a big thing at BLCU).
I'd appreciate any advice u can give me.
thanks.
Hi Books.: )
I think intensive classes are generally smaller than regular classes, but there is really no guarantees - depends on the number of people at your particular level.
If you want more speaking time, I suggest you get a tutor or language partner after class. That really helped me a lot.
As regards to socialising, it really depends on you - but may be you can "socialise" with non- English speaking people - lots of Koreans, Japanese, and other students who can't speak English - that way you're also forced to speak Chinese! I found that my Chinese really improved a lot when I spent time with an Italian friend (who was a level above mine, and couldn't speak English).
Anyway, hope this helps!
Alice
Hi Alice,
I'm still in the process of choosing the best school to study Mandarin in Beijing, China for fall 2011. I can't speak or read Mandarin at all so ill be taking a beginner course. I plan to take a regular class (20hrs a week for a full school year). I have a question with your experience at BLCU was the school effective at teaching Mandarin even with the larger class size or is having a tutor a must? Also how do I get a tutor and how much does it cost. I also thought we would be assigned a learning partner by the school? If not how do I find one. Thank you in advance. I really want the best experience out of my time in china, to be able to learn/speak as much Mandarin as I possibly can within the 10 month school year and to have a fun social experience.
@ Akua. I think the school was pretty effective in the sense that it teaches you the building blocks, but on top of that, you'll need to speak as much as possible out of class - eg. getting a language partner / tutor. I can't remember how much were the tutors now, but it's pretty easy to find a language partner or tutor. There are lots of notices around the uni, especially at coffee shops.
I didn't have any learning partners - I suppose you can arrange this yourself.
When I went to Beijing, I knew the basics, but I couldn't speak. By the end - 12 weeks intensive course & 20 weeks Regular course, I could communicate and get around China OK. Still couldn't get into a deep and meaningful information though.
Good luck! Let me know if you have more questions! : )
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