AMERICAN STUDENTS IN CHINA – TIPS FROM A FORMER US STUDENT
Contents
Many Americans visit the Keats School website searching for information about American students studying in China.
It’s a big decision moving to China from the US to study Mandarin at a Mandarin language school. There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered before applying to your preferred course, that’s why we’ve reached out to a previous American student named Fred.
Fred is from New Jersey and studied at Keats in 2016 for three weeks. Then in 2017, he studied at Keats for another 3 weeks.
Here’s what an American student learned while studying Mandarin at Keats School in China.
EXPERIENCE AT KEATS
Before applying to Keats in 2016, Fred had traveled to China many times and was interested in the culture and country. He knew enough Chinese to be able to get around but wanted to dive deeper into the language. He knew it was time to study the language.
Like many American students wanting to study in China, Fred took to the internet to learn more about formal classes offered in China. While browsing, he saw an advertisement for “Mandarin Day” and found himself on the Keats School website. Fred was impressed with the information provided by Keats and liked the one-on-one Mandarin instruction and the room and board features offered at Keats.
He signed up for three weeks of intensive-one-on-one Mandarin, where he was in the classroom for four hours a day.
In 2017, he decided to return to Keats School like 40% of our students do. This year Fred took two weeks of intensive one-on-one Mandarin lessons for four hours a day and then one week of Study + Tour China lessons.
“My experience at Keats was extremely positive. I was picked up at the airport and shown to my dorm room. The teacher assigned to me was very competent and dedicated. She was able to tailor the lessons to my level and needs. I think Keats is more than just a “school.” To me it’s an international community where you can meet and make friends with people of all ages and from all countries and cultures bound by a common interest in Chinese culture and language,” shares Fred about his experience abroad.
WHY PICK KUNMING & KEATS?
There are many different ways to learn Mandarin. In our last blog post, we talked about how the best way to learn Mandarin is by moving to China from the US (or your home country), living in a Chinese city, and attending a Mandarin language school.
Fred picked Kunming as his city to learn Mandarin in because of the research he found on Keats School.
“Keats and Kunming are very comfortable places to live and study. I chose Keats because of the flexibility of classes and the convenience and price of the accommodations.” – Fred
WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE CLASSES?
As a potential student of Keats, you probably want the down-low on how good the classes are. You know that in the intensive one-on-one, our most popular course, you can study for four hours a day or six hours a day.
But, what do American students in China really think of our classes?
We asked Fred what he would change about the Keats learning experience if he would ever return for the third time. “I think that since the classes are tailored to the student’s individual needs, there is little reason for a systematic change.”
TIPS FOR FUTURE AMERICAN STUDENTS IN CHINA
One of the best things about interviewing Fred about his experience at Keats is giving future American students hoping to study in China tips.
So, here are Fred’s tips:
- Read the student handbook
- Make sure your visa is in order
- Have enough funds to cover additional travel and shopping
- Know that many of the Chinese banks (Bank of China) will accept foreign ATM cards with a small additional fee
- Explore the local area restaurants and shops in Kunming on the weekends
APPLY TO KEATS SCHOOL
If you’re an American student who wants to study in China, Keats School is for you. We have a start time schedule, and our teachers will help you reach your Mandarin language goals.
In addition to everything Fred has said in this article, he also mentioned that the cost of living in China is less than in America.
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OVER 7000+ STUDENTS
HAVE STUDIED AT KEATS
I found Keats School and I am so glad that I did. When you learn Chinese in China at Keats, you are fully being taken care of. My teacher is really great and we become lovely friends.
I have studied at Keats for 2 semesters. I highly recommend Keats School. If you are very interested in taking a Mandarin course in China, I would suggest you come to Kunming. Kunming people are very friendly. The weather in Kunming is great. So I recommend that you study Chinese at Keats in Kunming.
All my classmates stay together for one year and we improved so much! The teachers at Keats are all very great. They like to organize a lot of activities to help us learn Chinese. I like Keats! I like Kunming!
One thing I really liked was that I was able to work with my teacher to make an individual plan of study. Another really nice thing is that you live at the school, you feel completely safe. You always have a group of people who are willing to do things with you on the weekends or in the evenings. They are serving you all the 3 meals a day, the food was excellent.
I think Kunming is a great city, the weather is really good. I really like Keats school and found it is very organized. The teachers here are very good. They have a coffee shop and new classrooms, a new lounge area here now, so you can chill out with your friends and practice your spoken Chinese with natives. If you’re considering coming to Keats to study, I would really recommend it. It’s the best place to learn Mandarin and I think it will be a great experience for you.
Listening and speaking in the classroom every day has improved my communication skills. After three weeks, my new words and sentences became more and more natural and fluent. Now I am used to thinking in Chinese, and I understand better what other people say, to be able to have real conversations with other people.
We use a lot of games to learn grammar and new words. We have really good teachers, really patient. She helps us a lot. Our class is really nice and we have people from all over the world, different countries. We often discuss topics in Chinese in our class. I live in the dorm of Keats. It is very convenient. I don’t have to spend time traveling. You can just focus on learning Chinese.
I really enjoy studying Chinese in Kunming at Keats. The teachers are great and my classmates are awesome. It is an unforgettable experience for me. I also got the chance to travel to other places in Yunnan. Those places are amazing and you definitely need to visit these places when you study Chinese in China at Keats.