ACC: When You Seriously Want To Learn Chinese Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

ACC certainly lives up to its reputation of being an intensive program in learning Mandarin Chinese. It's an interesting program in that you get the first-hand experience of the Chinese teaching method, which means mostly drilling, repeating and memorizing information. This has many benefits especially for those who are new to the language and don't have a firm grip in fluently forming complex phrases or who aren't used to hearing the language. As a beginner and as the student with the least preparation when I started ACC, I personally felt my mastery of language improved immensely covering everything necessary to go out and do day to day things - mainly thanks to the strict language pledge. In many ways, ACC was very guiding in providing outings for students and helping out students on an individual and grade level. They certainly do "mommy" their students which can be a downside if you feel more comfortable with the language and want more flexibility in traveling and seeing more of Beijing and the rest of China. ACC is very time consuming with a heavy workload that most of the time is tedious and not as insightful as it could be - a reflection of its teaching method. ACC class structure begins with a Large Class consisting of five students and the teacher lecturing about the text read the night before. Questions asked in this class are related to the text's vocabulary and storyline. The class that follows is the Small Class which ranges from 3 to four students drilling the grammar patterns provided by the test and reviewing former vocabulary and grammar. Students are basically bombarded with questions which they are expected to answer using just learned grammar structures. Next, a Discussion Class takes place with 2 to 3 students where they are expected to prepare to converse about the assignment from the night before - its a chance to apply your newly learned grammar on a topic that is not about the text although it may be related. Finally the day ends with a One-on-One Class which, in my opinion, is the most fruitful in that students have the opportunity to ask questions without feeling dumb in class and also get to socialize with the teachers who are warm, friendly and very willing to help. As you can see, this structure doesn't allow for much other than being consumed by ACC life, which can certainly be a disadvantage to students who want to experience more of China and practice their language skills in more social settings rather than in class. This program does not offer to much flexibility or freedom in learning via analysis of culture or customs. Rather, ACC is proud to boast about the Independent Report students have to write in Chinese throughout the program, a thesis of sorts one could say. The task however is not as "independent" in that you don't have too much independence in choosing a topic since the level of difficult of the topic depends on how well you master the program. Unfortunately, no, you often don't get the opportunity to work around that or learn via your Independent Report. Rather, the Independent Report should reflect your grip of the language in all senses since first your instructed to interview locals (a minimum of 3 interviewees) which can be very stressful when your a newbie to the language. You are then expected to use this information along with literature research to write this paper. Most of the time these Independent Reports don't really give insightful analysis or show much discovery. Instead, I feel that the program itself is more fruitful in reflecting local mentality and the Chinese perspective of education. The perks of the program this semester was that ACC changed locations to Minzu Daxue, a university known for its ethnic minorities coming from all around China and Asia. I felt because of this particular location I had a better sense of China's ethnic situation and the different types of Chinese populations within a single nation. One thing that particularly stood out was the amount of Muslims in China which is rather unexpected for someone who has a typical foreign image of what China should be like. There are many Muslim Chinese in Beijing as well as Xi'an and of course in Xinjiang. Minzu Daxue was a wonderful place to study allowing me a peek into understand Chinese minorities better - something I had little to no knowledge about. Just walking on campus you could see the different faces and backgrounds from person to person. It's also a great location because of the gastronomic diversity. Make sure to check out all the different ethnic restaurants!

On-site administration of your program

Teachers were often helpful in giving advice to students on where to go and what to do whether it be recreational or an urgent errand. However, in my particular case, I was not able to receive medical attention when I had a fever and I didn't know where to buy medication and it wasn't until a teacher bought me some Tylenol Cold and tea that I was able to do something about being sick. I was very disappointed at the time and quite frustrated.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I'd say this place was too nice for students to live in. It was constructed in the form of a four star hotel. However, although it was very comfortable (too comfortable) this took away from students wanting to go out or interact with locals. The other downside was that the piping of the new building gave an awful smell to many of the rooms. Futhermore, we did not have hot water to shower with for a week or two - a problem during the cold winter.

We were always asked about any dietary restrictions so no complaints there. ACC also provided a Friday Chinese Table after the weekly exam and language practicum. This was a group of students with a few teachers going out to a restaurant to eat and chat - free of charge! Since we did not have meal plans we simply went out and ate, something that may sound expensive but in China is certainly not. It was an excellent opportunity to eat a large variety of food and try new things. Food in China is cheap, ridiculously so - make sure to take advantage of it. Restaurants around the area that I would recommend are The Golden Peacock (Dai Ethnic Food), Hong Mao Jiao Zi (a dumpling restaurant), DongPo Meizhou Xiao Chi (Sichuan snacks - good when your getting adjusted to Chinese food), the Peking Duck restaurant across the street from Dongmen, and when you want something fancy - HaiDiLao HotPot, delicious hotpot with a great selection of sauces. But for the best of the best of hotpots I'd recommend Little Sheep - no sauce needed the broth and the quality of the ingredients are amazing.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

ACC had many outings during the weekends such as going to the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square and HouHai but unfortunately the rigor of ACC also left most students tired on the weekends and since there it was such a small group if you didn't make friends in the beginning it was harder to make friends later with the language pledge in order. ACC wasn't a very social program but when it did have social events or activites, it was mainly anxiety provoking and frustrating. Interviewing and talking to Chinese people often provokes awkwardness from both parties when you don't have a good grip of the language.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Beijing is extremely safe. Don't have a single complaint about that. I wouldn't eat the street food too often if I were you though.

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

Teachers and students were expected to speak only in Chinese. A language pledge was strictly upheld at ALL times.

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• Dorm

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• International Students