Learn Mandarin year-round with Minds Abroad

Minds Abroad offers Mandarin classes to students all year round. The classes cater to all levels of students- Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Students are given a placement test to gauge their language level and are allotted classes accordingly. One of the most striking aspects of our year round Mandarin classes is their flexibility. We allow students to opt for classes on their own schedule. Students can begin their Mandarin classes on any Monday and have the flexibility to stay as long as they like, from two weeks to 49 weeks. We do not hold classes for 3 weeks of the year during Chinese national holidays.

In this program, Mandarin classes are held for 3 hrs 45 minutes every morning, from Monday-Thursday, totalling to 15 hours per week. In most US universities, 15 hours of classes equal to one credit. If the students' home institutions are on this system, they may be able to earn one credit for every 15 hours of classes through our local university partners in Kunming. Students whose home institutions use another system will have to check with their institutions as to how the credits may transfer. We also offer one-on-one tutoring sessions after class.Upon successful completion of the course, students will receive a certificate signed by Minds Abroad and by our partner institutions. Our partner universities are fully accredited, public institutes of higher education.

Stimulating Learning Atmosphere and Interesting Curricula

Our engaging learning atmosphere and out-of-the-box teaching curricula help students attain their Chinese language goals faster. Our programs not only enable students to gain a basic understanding of conversational and written Mandarin, but also, help advanced learners considerably improve their Mandarin, equipping them with all the linguistic skills that are necessary to succeed in a thoroughly Chinese environment. At the end of a course, students, who are new to the language, can easily converse with their Chinese counterparts via short, comprehensible dialogues in Mandarin. They can also recognize and study commonly used Chinese characters.

Our year round Mandarin classes are not only about teaching syntactic structures or new expressions in Mandarin. Besides enhancing a student’s communicative competence in Mandarin, our curricula emphasize a lot on the cultural elements of China which are inextricably linked with the language itself. We enable students to speak intelligible Mandarin and communicate with native Chinese speakers with ease and efficiency.

Our classes are limited to a maximum of three students to enhance interaction between teachers and students. A smaller class size also guarantees one-on-one attention that students need in order to achieve a strong grasp of basic Mandarin. Knowing basic Chinese will not only enable them to do simple tasks like order food and ask for directions to a particular place but will also give them the confidence and skills they need to interact with Chinese people on a daily basis. Our teachers take painstaking care to assure that students pronounce Mandarin with ease and precision. All our teachers are highly qualified and seasoned with years of experience in teaching Chinese to international students.

One-on-One Tutorial Sessions

Students interested in a more intensive language program can choose one-on-one tutorial sessions, in addition to their classes. These one-on-one lessons are offered by seasoned Mandarin teachers of our partner universities. This program affords students the opportunity to individually practise conversational Mandarin. Every 15 hours of tutorial will tantamount to one credit, which is awarded by our partner universities.

Afternoon Activities

Outside classes, students may volunteer with our partner non-profit organizations, imparting English lessons to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Alternatively, in the afternoon, students can participate in language exchange sessions with local Chinese students, brushing up their conversational Mandarin.

During the evenings, students are free to participate in various cultural activities in order to get an in-depth understanding of the ways of life of the local people. These activities may include participating in workshops on Tai-Chi and Chinese calligraphy, attending performances from local ethnic musicians and dancers, visiting local museums, and going to sites of local interest. In addition to these extra-curricular activities, our students will have plenty of opportunities to befriend Chinese students, participating in some of our set programs in summer. As a result, they can practise Mandarin with these students in real-life settings, gaining essential, first-hand cultural understanding, something that is not possible in a class-room environment. Alternatively, over the weekends, students can also explore Yunnan and beyond, on their own or just relax. There are lots of interesting places to explore in Kunming. Students can visit the swanky malls, coffee-shops and restaurants in downtown Kunming or just take leisurely strolls in the city’s many lush green parks. They can take a trip to the city’s open-air markets and marvel at the exotic handicraft items, made by the ethnic minorities. Students can also explore various traditional tea-houses in Kunming or participate in tea-ceremonies and sip perfectly brewed tea.

Over the weekends, from Thursday afternoon to Sunday, students are free to independently travel around Yunnan, China as well as nearby Southeast Asian countries. Alternatively, students can join a Minds Abroad excursion, offered on various weekends between May and August. Our excursions cover fast growing metropolises in the east of China, Chinese time-warp villages and ancient towns which have become UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Before students embark on their classes, they undergo an orientation session, which includes a tour of the Minds Abroad office, the neighborhood around the office and their home where they will be living in for the next few days.Our student accommodations are very close to the universities. Students are also chaperoned to a nearby Walmart, where they can buy their personal items, medical facilities, parks, where they can exercise and practice Tai-Chi and ATM machines. They are usually given a city map each and an emergency contact list for all kinds of emergencies. Our program managers are mainly responsible for teaching them to charge their bus-cards and show nearby restaurants, coffee-shops as well as other important landmarks so that they get around the city easily.