Harvard Beijing Academy 2015 Information Session 5 November :30-4:30 p.m. 1

Program Outline Duration: 9 weeks (8 weeks classroom study + 1 week social study) Start & End Dates: June 5 (Fri)-August 8 (Sat) Hours: 5 hours class per day (M-F) Course Levels: 2 nd through 5 th -year Teacher/Student Ratio: approx. 1:2 Language Pledge: no English throughout 2

Program Outline (cont’d) Faculty: Harvard instructors (10) + local teachers (50+) Curriculum: one year’s worth of material Host institution: Beijing Language and Culture University Facilities: single-rooms with fridge, TV, AC, and full bathroom Assessment: entry and exit standardized test (OPIc) Chinese families: meet on weekends Chinese friends: interest groups 3

Weekly Schedule SunMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySat 8:00-8:50 Free time, Review, Preview Lecture Section 1Test Weekend Activities 9:00-9:50Lecture Section 2Test 10:00-10:50Drill Section 1Media Chinese 11:00-11:50Drill Section 2 12:00-1:30LunchLanguage table LunchLanguage table Interest Groups 1:30-2:20One-on-one 2:25-3:15One-on-one 3:30-5:00Co-curricular activitiesReview 7:00-9:30Pronunciation Clinic Office Hours 4

Beyond the Classroom… Co-curricular activities: calligraphy, Peking Opera face-painting, Chinese music, Tai-chi, “Voice of HBA” singing competition, Friday interest groups, etc. Weekend activities: W1: Great Wall W2: Forbidden City W3: Chengde (Imperial Summer Palace) W4/5: Social Study Week W6: Chinese acrobatics W7: Laoshe Teahouse W8: Beijing Night/Speech contest 5

The Social Study Week Extension of the classroom experience A hands-on look at specific aspects of Chinese society Write a report in Chinese—sometimes, these even get published! Xi’anHuizhouShaolin Temple Inner Mongolia ShanghaiBeijingIndependent Study Ancient & Modern Chinese History Rural Chinese Studies Traditional Religion & Martial Art Studies Chinese Minority Studies International Business and Urban Studies Architecture, History, and Modernization (Graduate Students Only) $ 450$ 400$ 370$ 400$ 450$ 70$ ? 6

Student Progress 7 OPIc result comparisons (beginning & end of program) 2014 HBA OPIc Performance

Program Policies and Reminders Students may not leave Beijing, except on approved Social Study trips, and must attend the full nine weeks Students with medical conditions should consult with their physicians about whether participation in HBA is advisable --Beijing air quality is bad; air in the dorms and classrooms is not filtered; sanitation standards (esp. food preparation) not comparable to U.S. Students with conditions such as asthma, who did not take these reminders seriously and attended HBA despite respiratory problems, experienced significant discomfort—in one case, this led to a student’s mid-program withdrawal 8

Application Application: Harvard Summer School online application Deadline to apply is January 15, Application materials: – Online Registration – Paper Application (including Chinese & English statement) – Letter of recommendation – Audio recording – Student Record/transcript (sophomore & above) Cost: $5,750 (tuition, room and two meals each week, course materials, scheduled local excursions and extracurricular activities in Beijing) 9

Review Criteria Performance in Chinese classes, with particular emphasis on tones and pronunciation Teacher recommendation Overall academic performance Motivation and a concrete plan for continuing study and use of Chinese in the future 10

Funding Apply for funding through the Office of Career Services (OCS), as well as a variety of centers on campus. Deadline: The OCS funding application deadline is January 29. This and all other funding deadlines are separate from HBA, and we have no control over them! For info on OCS and other funding options, go to y-abroad/payment-funding. Note the weekly OCS office hours and new Gchat Q&A option. y-abroad/payment-funding 11