Transcript Harvard Beijing Academy Information Session

Harvard Beijing Academy 2015
Information Session
5 November 2014
3:30-4:30 p.m.
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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: 2nd through 5th-year
• Teacher/Student Ratio: approx. 1:2
• Language Pledge: no English throughout
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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
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Weekly Schedule
Sun
10:00-10:50
11:00-11:50
12:00-1:30
1:30-2:20
Wednesday
Test
Lecture Section 2
Test
Drill Section 1
Media
Chinese
Drill Section 2
Lunch
Friday
Lecture Section 1
Language
table
Lunch
Language
table
One-on-one
3:30-5:00
Co-curricular activities
Sat
Interest
Groups
One-on-one
2:25-3:15
7:00-9:30
Thursday
Weekend Activities
9:00-9:50
Free time, Review, Preview
8:00-8:50
Monday Tuesday
Review
Pronunciation Clinic
Office Hours
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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
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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’an
Huizhou
Shaolin
Temple
Inner
Shanghai
Mongolia
Beijing
Independent
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
$?
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Student Progress
OPIc result comparisons (beginning & end of program)
2014 HBA OPIc Performance
2014 HBA OPIc Progress
7%
10%
保持不变
34%
49%
进步1
进步2
进步3
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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
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Application
• Application: Harvard Summer School online application
• Deadline to apply is January 15, 2015.
• Application materials:
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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)
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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
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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
http://www.summer.harvard.edu/programs/stud
y-abroad/payment-funding. Note the weekly OCS
office hours and new Gchat Q&A option.
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