Studying abroad in China

More and more Americans are studying Chinese at the university and even primary school level. And of course, that means more are studying abroad. What are the best options out there?

High School

Yes, you can study abroad in high school- and as a former high school exchange student, I highly recommend it! There are two major organizations to look out for in China and Taiwan:

Rotary International: Rotary's Youth Exchange Program (YEP) extends all over the world. Unfortunately, exchanges are not yet available in mainland China, but the organization has been strong in Taiwan for decades. Over half of the students are placed in Taipei. Rotary is a non-profit organization, and the exchange is almost free: there is a $3,500 fee, which includes airfare and a monthly stipend of $100 for students while abroad. Since housing and meals are included, that is quite a deal. Exchanges are available for either a summer or an academic year, but not a semester. Students live with homestays, and unlike other programs, must switch families every three to four months. In some ways, this is great- students get to know their city and country much better, and only have to deal with a bad family for a short amount of time. In other ways, it makes life abroad even more difficult, and many students hate leaving families they've grown close to.
Rotary in Taiwan (or Fulun She in Mandarin) is an extremely prestigious organization, and only the elite of Taiwan are members (including former President Cheng Shui-bian). This means that students usually live with wealthy families. It also means that if there is a conflict between student and family, the family is given the benefit of the doubt.

AFS: AFS is the largest high school exchange organization in the world. Unlike Rotary, all students are placed in mainland China or Hong Kong, and none in Taiwan. Since AFS is a for-profit organization, fees are much higher (about $10,000 for the year). However, students get much more say in what kind of exchange they want: urban or rural homestays, specific types of high schools, families that will accept vegetarians, etc. AFS, in China at least, is more hands-off than Rotary Taiwan is, but the organization also provides language and culture classes, as well as a trip for students.

University

Critical Language Scholarships: these scholarships are offered by the State Department for American citizens studying critical languages. The scholarships cover every aspect of the 10-week language program (June to August) plus a small stipend. Recently, the Mandarin programs have been in Harbin and Suzhou. State does not organize the programs, only grants scholarships for students to attend. Both programs are very new and therefore disorganized. But they're free! Applications deadlines are in September, so make sure to plan very early.

Columbia-in-Beijing at Tsinghua University: Columbia has partnered with Tsinghua University, one of the most prestigious universities in China, to offer summer, semester, and year programs. The summer program is ten weeks, and for $5,000 (airfare not included), covers a year's worth of Chinese language (from levels 1 to 5). Extremely intense but alums say it's worth it. The semester and year programs have few participants due to the requirement that students have three years of college Chinese. Students take courses in Chinese with Tsinghua students, plus a language course. They also provide tutors for each course you take.

CIEE: a large and well-respected study abroad organization, with programs in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, and Taipei. There is something for everyone- intensive language study, business, and "advanced Chinese studies," where students take their courses in Chinese.

SIT: currently offers two programs in China- Chinese Cultural and Ethnic Minority Studies (located mostly in Yunnan province), and Community Health and Traditional Chinese Medicine (summer only). SIT is the best way to go for brand new students of China- the programs offer beginning and intermediate Mandarin classes. Most of the program is travel- a great introduction to the country. Students who have been to China before might find it too basic.

Middlebury: without a doubt the best way to learn a language. Middlebury is famous for its language pledge- students pledge not to speak any other language but Mandarin for the entire duration of the program. And students take it very seriously. The summer programs are at Middlebury's campus in Vermont; semester and year programs are at the China campuses, including Hangzhou and new campuses in Beijing and Kunming. Middlebury is hard, and the program is only for those absolutely committed to learning the language (at the expense of learning about the culture, some would argue). Semester and year programs require two years of college-level Mandarin.

Where to study?

Taiwan: I always recommend Taiwan for anyone wanting to study Chinese (but I'm pretty biased since that was the first place I studied). Taiwanese schools have been teaching Chinese as a foreign language long before China opened up to American students in the 80's. The language programs, especially at National Taiwan University and Taiwan Normal University, are excellent. Taiwanese Mandarin is also richer, arguably because the Nationalists who came to Taiwan in 1949 were more educated than the average Chinese citizens. And of course, Taiwan has a lot less pollution and a lot more freedom. Word of advice: Taipei is absolutely the best city in Taiwan to learn Mandarin. Taiwanese is the more commonly used language in most other cities.

Mainland China: Mainland China is better for many other reasons, though. As far as language study, you'll learn the accent and vocabulary used by many more people (if you are in the north). Also, mainland China uses simplified characters, which are easier to learn that the traditional ones in Taiwan (and more useful). Beijing is the city to be if you are interested in politics or modern history; Xi'an, if ancient history is your thing; Kunming, to learn about China's ethnic minorities; and Shanghai for business- or if you want to experience a true 21st century city. Tip: Harbin dialect is considered to be the purest- sort of the Midwestern accent of China. The farther south you go, the more important dialects become. In Shanghai, for example, you will hear a lot more Shanghainese in the streets than Mandarin. And stay far away from Hong Kong- Mandarin is barely spoken there.