Advice On Learning A Language While Studying Abroad

How To Get The U.S. Government To Pay For Your Study Abroad

Advice on earning government sponsored study abroad scholarships

White House Government Study Abroad Scholarships Just about every student is looking for a little financial aid when it comes to studying abroad, and what better help that a government funded study abroad scholarship? While there’s still some definite competition, the number and availability of scholarships like those I’ve listed below is steadily increasing with the U.S. Governments push to have more students studying critical languages and cultures that are critical to U.S. interests but underrepresented in study abroad. So if you’re looking to do some not-so-traditional study abroad, here are 5 ways you can earn a government study abroad scholarship. (more…)

And why Mel Gibson will inspire you to learn a foreign language

We live in a globalized world, a world where cultural understanding and interaction is becoming more and more a part of our everyday lives. This is especially true of the corporate world where multinational companies are becoming the norm, and the key to getting a job is some international exposure and knowledge of a second language. While essential for an international career, here are 8 reasons to learn a foreign language while studying abroad, including motivation from Mel himself. (more…)

Because the best way to learn a language like a native speaker is to speak with one

Taxi drivers - the ultimate language partners

For me, the hardest part about learning Chinese has been separating the vocab and structures used in different settings (i.e. which are Kǒuyǔ 口语 ‘spoken language’ and which are Shūmiànyǔ 书面语 ‘written language’), as well as how to use them. This is an important distinction too, because who wants to come off sounding like Confucius while you’re talking with a group of Chinese friends about things like girls, sports, or going out. Although some people may disagree, I’ve found that the easiest way to solve this problem is to actually go out and use the language you’re learning. Here’s my advice on where and with who you should practice speaking.
(more…)

10 tips for improving your language skills while studying abroad

It reads "Please Speak Chinese, Thank You" - I'm telling you CET is serious about our language pledge

Having already been in Beijing for over a month, I can confidently say I’ve experienced almost every up and down that’s associated with studying a new language. That being said, the personal victories I’ve achieved (e.g. having a full conversation with a native Beijinger) far outweigh any of the difficulties I’ve encountered. While difficulties will always arise when you’re learning a foreign language in a new country, I’ve come up with a list of 10 reasons why your progress is slower than you had assumed it would be, but also how you can improve upon it. (more…)