ACC: Hard work and incredibly worthwhile Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

On-site administration of your program

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Tl;dr: For students aiming to achieve Chinese proficiency, I would highly recommend choosing ACC. While the workload is intense, the teachers and opportunities to explore are fantastic, and make the experience more than worthwhile. Don't go to China expecting the U.S. Roll with the punches, enjoy the adventure and you'll have a great time. More detailed thoughts below. Classes: at first, the structure caught me off guard. As an intensive language program, ACC classes move quickly. Teachers generally call on students at random to practice new words or grammar structures, and that can be intimidating. However, everyone is sharing the same experience. Everyone messes up, and between the students and teachers, there's an atmosphere of positivity and encouragement. I soon grew used to the class structure, and even came to appreciate what it did for me. There's no room for slacking and it keeps you on your toes. You can't learn Chinese without some struggle, and ACC does that well. Homework: My biggest critique of the program is its occasionally excessive amount of homework. Sometimes the number of assignments seemed unnecessarily high and added little to my learning. However, that wasn't the case all the time, and planning ahead/using time efficiently went along way. (I was in the 3rd level; higher grades had generally more homework). Soon enough, you'll be very used to learning 80+ vocal words a night. On the weekends, there's plenty of time to explore Beijing, hit up night clubs, etc. Teachers: By far the best part of ACC. They work incredibly hard to keep class interesting and energetic. Since classes are usually small, you get to know them quite well, and vice versa, by the end of the semester. They're very understanding, good at meeting students' needs and genuinely cared about improving my Chinese. Language Pledge: everyone started off strong; however no one in our program maintained it 24/7. ACC takes the pledge very seriously, but the overriding point is to ensure that students speak Chinese as much as possible, which I would recommend for anyone in the program. Dorm: not bad, and far better than the Chinese students' living arrangements. The Minda Guest House is designed like a hotel (which for some reason just quite funny on a college campus) with 2 students per room, and each room with its own bathroom/shower. The building feels a little old and unattended to, but serves its purpose. Some of the other foreign students that ACC shares a dorm with had trouble following the no smoking rule in the building, which is annoying, but the actual rooms are fine. Food: Great and inexpensive cafeterias on campus offering a wide variety of Chinese food. Plenty of restaurants surrounding campus. Get a Chinese phone and debit card (ACC will help you out with that) and you can order anything straight to your room for very little money. It's incredible. Excursions: ACC keeps you busy, but also helps you to not leave with any regrets. From all the Beijing essentials (Great Wall, opera, etc.) to a mid-semester trip (our section went to Xi'an), ACC spends activity funds to coordinate a ton of cool, while still optional, excursions. It's a great way to see a lot without having to trudge thought the planning. Host families: a small but nice part of the program. You meet your family at the beginning of the semester, and then have free reign to plan outings with them. Whether you end up spending much time with them or not, it's a great option to have available.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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• Dorm

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Teachers
• Excursions
• Food

• Excessive workload