| Topic Name: |
Starting salary and your school |
| Message Name: |
That's ideal |
| Date Posted: |
03/15/2006 |
| In Reply To: |
i would recommend killing two birds with one stone by using the summer period to study the language abroad. i know the programs like middlebury are good, but they can only do so much in teaching you about the culture or in immersing you in the language. studying a language in a classroom is fine when learning the basics, but nothing beats being in the actual environment and picking up on the local accent, slang, and manerisms. also, you can be fluent in a foreign language but still come across as ignorant to cultural norms if you have not spent time in the country. go abroad, pay less on tuition, and get more out of it. i've studied four languages like this and can't stand being in a classroom. |
| Message: |
Totally agree with you cm492 in regard to being in the culture. In my experience, learning a language is as much soaking in the culture, learning the nuances and body language of locals, etc. and that can only be replicated in a small way in a classroom. However, classroom learning does give you a structural foundation to build on. The PLUS in going abroad, is that each time you step OUTSIDE the classroom you can build on the foundation. Having said all that, current work and other circumstances may not permit going abroad so Middlebury is a good alternative/starting point.
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