Has anyone gone abroad to study a foreign language for a semester or two?

[Fridays Child]

My daughter wants to go to Barcelona for 14 weeks of beginning Spanish instruction. She just graduated from high school and she plans to enroll at the local community college, sometime in late 2013 or early 2014, to study either nursing or photography. In the meanwhile, she wants to study language abroad for 4-5 months. The idea is to develop some independent living skills, travel to Europe, and get a semester or two of foreign language credit under her belt.

In 2009, she and I went on a 3-week art tour of several European cities, along with about 40 adults and students. It was a lot of fun but I wasn't entirely happy with the company, EF Tours. The program she's currently considering is also through EF Tours. Staying with a local host family is part of the package but she would prefer to reside in an EF residential facility. This would be a significant added expense but living in the home of strangers is not in her comfort zone, and I understand why she feels that way. At the company's residential facility, she would have her own room and kitchen, and it's supposed to be within walking distance of the educational facility.

All of the above notwithstanding, I'm not completely at ease with this company. I have a lot of questions to ask and research to do. I've looked for some independent reviews but I can't really find anything regarding the company's study programs. I did find some reviews of tours like the one she and I took in 2009, and most of those reviews weren't too great.

I wonder if any fellow DUers have experience with foreign travel study programs. Or maybe someone can point me in the right direction so that I can evaluate this program and/or compare it to similar programs.

DUers possess a wealth of experience and insight, and I'd be grateful for any information and observations that you all can offer in this situation. I'll kick the thread, as needed, to get as much feedback as possible. I'm very excited that she wants to do this because the experience could enrich her life immeasurably. But I also want to do everything I can to ensure her happiness and security. Obviously, I won't be able to simply step in and help her while she's so far away. I also want to make sure that the study program is effective and that it provides college credit. The company's brochure is unclear--to me, at least--about a lot of things. I'm not quite ready to see red flags, quite yet, but I have a lot of questions.

Thanks, in advance,
Fridays Child

[Downwinder]

1. My niece was an exchange student in Norway. She was very

happy with the program.

[The empressof all]

2. Why doesn't she just enroll in a college abroad

My daughter did a semester in Austria. Most colleges offer these programs and many even have campuses abroad. I wouldn't spend money for a program that wasn't affiliated with a college and guarenteed transferable credit to the school she attends

[smirkymonkey]

16. I did the same through my college - A semester in Austria studying German

along with Economics and Art History to add to my credits toward my major. (majored in Econ, minor Art History). However, it was a great way to learn German. I was immersed in the culture and lived with an Austirian family who spoke to me in German (they were also fluent in English and 3 other languages) and I had to speak the language to get around.

I got credit for it and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I can't tell you how much it changed my life. I am a lifelong fan of travel, learning launguages, cultures and just generally learining about new experiences and ways of life. If your daughter has the opportunity to study through a college program, I would HIGHLY recommend it. There is nothing like it.

[Quantess]

3. You can do it without a middleman.

She has more legwork to do, researching on her own how to "pull it off". But that in itself is a great survival skill. If she can figure out a plan for herself she can do it on a shoestring budget. (These days I assume that is crucial for middle class americans).

My story is a little different. I am kind of doing that right now, although I intend to live here permanently and have citizenship. But even so, it has been an enjoyable challenge.

Maybe she can find out what the country's equivalent of craigslist is, and find out who has a room to rent. Other countries have their own craigslist, but you have to find out what it is, first. And other countries' version of a craigslist may not be as sketchy as our craigslist, either. The swedish one, blocket.se is not nearly as sketchy as craigslist, for example.

She should do the most research and the best planning she can, but ultimately she needs to just go and make it happen. The experience would be immeasurable even if there were no college credit.

[Kali]

6. this^^^

agree very much

[zanana1]

4. I went to England to study English...

Does that count? (I was an education major).

[Kali]

5. do the family stay!

no, it is not comfortable, do it anyway. I promise she will NEVER regret it.

I haven't done a formal study program but the best advancement of my Spanish came with a 2 week stay in Mexico in a small village where virtually nobody spoke any English and my friend and I were really forced to USE our Spanish. Now there are so many freaking gringos down there we hardly speak Spanish when we visit anymore - maybe a few hours worth over several days - barely enough for a "refresher" - makes me sad.

edit to add - check the Thorn Tree travel forum at Lonely Planet - usually some good advice there.

www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/

[Quantess]

12. I went to school (here) with a young woman, maybe 18 or so

from Lithuania or Latvia who lived with a swedish family. I was amazed and stunned at how quickly she had learned swedish so well in such a short period of time. She was forced to speak swedish, out of necessity. Obviously, because nobody understood her latvian or lithuanian.

But it's smart to learn as much of the language as you can before you arrive, of course. That way, you can speak their language comfortably, so that there is less temptation to use english. It takes discipline to resist using english too much, if people around you can speak english.

[riderinthestorm]

19. Wow! Another similarity. I spent 4 weeks in Guatemala, same circumstances, at an intensive language

spanish language school (I HIGHLY recommend them, ICA, their website... http://www.guatemalaspanish.com/ica/index.php?lang=en)

Total immersion, you can't speak English since NOBODY speaks english. You can't even ask for a bottle of water in english since nobody will understand you.

The most excellent field trips designed to really get you into the country side and meet the real people. Guatemala is so damn beautiful, their culture and heritage is Mayan so you get thrown into the most amazing society.

My spanish came along 10 fold by being there.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. I would not put a recent high school graduate into a dorm in a foreign country

A lot of craziness goes on in freshman dorms, and it's not so bad if Mom and Dad are just a couple hundred miles away and a cellphone call away, but if they're across the ocean, mmm, not so easy.

There's a reason that reputable organizations like AFS and Rotary Exchange place young students with families. Aside from the fact that it increases their exposure to the host country's language (as opposed to hanging out with other Americans, which is what tends to happen in dorm settings), it also gives them a safe haven if the host culture or interpersonal relationships become too hard to handle. The host families typically have same-aged children of their own, which gives the student another entree into the culture.

Now a lot of colleges (most perhaps) offer semesters or years abroad in Spanish-speaking countries, and U.S. colleges are pretty good about accepting transfer credits from other U.S. institutions. For example, the last college I taught at was in Oregon but sent its German majors on a program run by Wayne State University in Detroit and headquartered in Tübingen, the site of a major university. It was a requirement for the major, in fact, and I believe the French department sent its majors to Aix-en-Provence, but I don't remember which U.S. university sponsored that program.

I would suggest talking to the study abroad adviser at your nearest state university to see what options are available. They know which programs are reputable and offer academic credit. I know that both the Minnesota and Oregon state university systems offer multiple options for each language. I just looked at the University of Minnesota's website, and they offer Spanish programs in Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico. Venezuela, and Spain (Toledo).

[LeftinOH]

8. I spent junior year of college in Spain (Granada)..back in the 1980s.

-There was no internet, no email , no cell phones.. it was much more "isolating" than it would be for young people now. Those technological advances alone should make the experience somewhat less intimidating.

As for staying with local host famlies, I spent part of that year with a family.. and it's a very common arrangement for university students....however, it seriously limits one's contact with other young people (host families are usually pleasant enough, but they only take in student boarders to earn extra household money...not necessarily to engage in cross-cultural contact). The other part of the year, I spent in a privately owned dormitory for university students. Living among other young people was (for me) a much more rewarding experience, but everyone's experience is different.

As for the company that's offering this particular experience.. they best way to find out about them is to communicate with people who have gone through it previously. Some people are more than happy to relate their experiences-- good or bad.

Finally, as a young woman, she is going to get some male attention...but very unlikely anything threatening. I honestly cannot say what the experience is like for young women (I'm a dude), but young women are a few degrees more 'vulnerable' than they might be on an American campus (by 'vulnerable' I am referring to the fact that a lot of men in Spain feel it is their right to be "extra-friendly" to women). For a young person in a study-abroad experience, making a few good friends (female or male) who look will out for each other is extremely helpful; a person with the "independent spirit" personality type (like I was then) has to make an extra effort to socialize -it's essential for getting through the experience.

That said.. My personal opinion is that an official study abroad program via a university program which has a proven track record in this area is going to be better structured. It may also be better for her to get one or two years of college study (in the US) under her belt first.

Hope it all works out for her!!!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. I agree that it would be better to do this language study after a year or so of college

Being away from home without parents for the first time is stressful enough without adding in the inevitable culture shock.

[geardaddy]

10. I spent my sophomore year in Beijing.

Didn't do the host family thing, but got lots of exposure to language everyday. Ours was a consortium of Northeastern colleges who when through an exchange company out of Boston. I was very happy with the experience.

[LNM]

11. My daughter wasn't studying a language, she went to Scotland,

but I'd recommend as others have that she go through a college program. However, I'd add that she went when she was 21 and just ignored the frat-party underage drinking since she'd already experienced that here in the States.

[RebelOne]

13. No, but when I went to France, the French laughed at my attempts to speak French. n/t

[Chan790]

14. I don't have an opinion on the ??? persay...but Barcelona is not a good choice.

People in Barcelona don't speak Spanish as a first language, nearly 20% of the population doesn't speak it at-all. The language of society and business in Barcelona (and the rest of the region of Catalonia) is Catalan.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

15. Good point about Barcelona!

Catalan is related to Spanish, but it isn't Spanish. I can imagine that even when Barcelona people speak Spanish, they have an unusual accent or unconsciously drift back into Catalan at times. It could be confusing for a student.

Madrid or Toledo would probably be a better choice.

But again, ask the study abroad adviser at the nearest state university.

[MiddleFingerMom]

17. Three things:

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Do the family thing -- safer, more structured/nurtured, and a vastly deeper cultural experience.
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I advise waiting for sophomore/junior year -- the stress of leaving the nest can't be understated... and being
in a foreign country/culture might be too much emotional stress for someone just starting to stretch their wings.
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[grasswire]

18. the college junior in our fam will leave soon for a year in St. Petersburg

He will stay with a family, in a total language immersion program. He will attend university there. He has two years of college Russian under his belt, three years of HS German, and has traveled in Eastern Europe several times.

Two of his friends have already done this kind of study. Both of them were seriously underfed by the host families. One of them looked similar to a death camp survivor when he came home -- seriously underweight.

[Fridays Child]

20. Thanks to everyone for responding. I'll read through all of these, after work, and respond.

[Corgigal]

21. I took in a foreign exchange student for a year

She is from Serbia and actually graduated High School with us. She has come to visit since then but now she is married with three small children , who I call my foreign exchange grand babies. She is a teacher and her husband works in an engineering.
I mail them Christmas gifts every year, we talk all the time on Skype.

She could make friends who will last a lifetime, not to mention someone who will notice and make sure she is Ok. See I wouldn't have a problem with my child living at someone's house, but I might at that young age in a dorm . Things happen in this world and I want a fall back number in case I couldn't contact my child for a few days.