Student Ambassadors

Leila Barghouty

Hometown: Brooklyn, New York

Program: 8-week Immersion

Current: Freelance journalist and researcher at Stanford University

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I was most surprised at how the instruction was beneficial to work, study, and language skills even outside of the specific program I was in. I didn’t expect the skills and strategies we learned to be so universally applicable, but I left Middlebury not only a better Arabic speaker, but a better language learner.

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I chose Middlebury because of its reputation for intensity and immersion, and because of the programs specific dedication to making rigorous language learning accessible to more people. 

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.  How are you currently using or planning to use the language you studied in your daily life (job, personal, etc.)?

Having come from an Arabic-speaking family, my knowledge of the language was limited to a specific dialect and an impractical vocabulary that limited my ability to communicate with those outside my own community. Middlebury’s rigorous instruction in Modern Standard Arabic brought me to a place where I am comfortable conversing with Arabic-speakers from across the Middle East, and where I can understand more media and news coverage. It’s allowed me to be a better and more effective journalist, and to interject when my parents think I can’t understand their conversations. 

Is there something that you would like to let a student know about your experience? 

I think it’s important to remember that Middlebury’s program is, first and foremost, academic. It requires a great deal of scholarship, discipline and conventional study. It won’t feel the same as being dropped into a foreign country with nothing but Google translate. That’s a good thing — embrace the teaching style knowing that it’s during the co-curricular programs and your personal relationships that you’ll get the chance to play around with slang, dialect, and the art of speaking. This is a balance you won’t find in other programs, and is essential to learning and retaining a language. 

Describe a typical day at Middlebury.

My days at Middlebury started with idyllic morning walks through campus and the surrounding landscape, a stark contrast from my usual chaotic NYC commute. My teachers recommended listening to the news in Arabic, which became an essential morning ritual. It was extremely rewarding to see how quickly I went from understanding a small portion of the fast-spoken morning news, to being able to decipher almost all of it. Class ran from around 9 a.m. to early afternoon, and was a daily source of both exhaustion and joy. My favorite part of every day was our conversation sessions — a reprieve from hours of intense study and a chance to put what we had learned to action. Some of my best memories from the program are evening meals with faculty, whose willingness to endure the drudgery of our painfully simple conversations with joy and enthusiasm was nothing short of saintly. 

What other language learning opportunities have you had?  How would you compare this experience to Middlebury?

Though I had family lessons and informal instruction in Levantine Arabic prior to the program, none were as rigorous, fast-paced, or effective as Middlebury’s. The combination of pace and instruction style is what truly sets the program apart. Middlebury gives students the opportunity to make language learning a full-time job, a truly once-in-a-lifetime privilege.  

Nandini Jani

Hometown: Fair Lawn, New Jersey

Program: 8-week Immersion

Current: Seton Hall University, Diplomacy and International Relations

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

Middlebury Language Schools’ most impressive feature is the value the administration places on every individual. Middlebury did a fantastic job of meeting the needs, concerns, and requests of all students when it came to supporting their individual learning styles.

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I chose to study at Middlebury Language Schools because their intensive immersion program is known to increase language retention and brings together a community of scholars looking to understand the world through language.

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.

My language skills improved due to my studies at Middlebury because I was exposed to films, extra-curricular activities, and other language students who supplemented classroom learning. The immersive opportunities provided by the college exposed me to different forms of Arabic language and culture that I was previously unfamiliar with.

Rebecca Singer

Hometown: Yerington, NV, USA

Program: 8-week Immersion

Current: Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Joint Master of Arts in International Policy and Development/Master of Arts in International Trade and Economic Diplomacy, 2023

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

How intense it was! I knew it was going to be very rigorous, but it’s hard to anticipate what it’s like to learn a language in a classroom setting 5 days a week for 8 weeks straight. Also, how much I am now able to communicate in Arabic now is amazing given such a short period of time.

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.

I had no knowledge of Arabic before the program so it was nothing to a lot in a short time! I can have basic conversations and read which is amazing. Unfortunately, at the moment I am not studying Arabic but am continuing to practice it through tandem with a native speaker friend.

Describe a typical day at Middlebury.

A typical day for me started with breakfast and coffee at around 8 am. Class ran from 9-1:30pm for the Arabic school and then we would have lunch and one more hour of discussion class after lunch. I then usually studied/did my homework in the library until dinner and then went to bed early! I did pilates every evening as well, which was really good for mental and physical health. My favorite days were Wednesdays (even though we had weekly quizzes) because we also had clubs afterwards. I was in the dance club which was my favorite activity throughout the summer! Wednesdays we also had lectures which were fascinating and brought in more cultural knowledge.

What other language learning opportunities have you had?  How would you compare this experience to Middlebury?

I’ve learned most other languages in immersive settings in the country where the language is spoken. I definitely think that is my preferred way of learning, but when it comes to classroom instruction, Middlebury does an amazing job of ensuring that you come away with all the basic knowledge to then go on to improve the language outside of the classroom. For a language like Arabic which also requires the knowledge of a new alphabet, I thought the combination of classroom instruction and immersive activities on campus was the perfect way to begin the language.

Yujing Zhang

Hometown: Guangzhou, China

Program: 8-week Immersion

Current: New York University, Undergraduate, Global Liberal Studies & French, 2022

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

Joining the Middlebury Arabic program was like entering into a fascinating universe, where every living and nonliving being around me — friends, professors, food, and even the smell of air — took on Arabic characteristics. I met people from all walks of life, and we bonded because of our shared passion for learning and perfecting our Arabic. I will forever cherish the relationships I have cultivated at Middlebury.

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I am pursuing a minor in Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies at NYU, and I had always heard that Middlebury offers the best language programs in the world. One of my previous Arabic professors taught at the Middlebury Immersion program, and she strongly recommended it to me. Thus I decided to give it a try!

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.  How are you currently using or planning to use the language you studied in your daily life (job, personal, etc.)?

I joined the Middlebury program after finishing Intermediate Arabic at my university. At the beginning of the summer, I had a hard time understanding the weekly lecture series where prominent academicians presented. Then I gradually picked up more words and began to understand more as time progressed, and eventually I understood almost the entire lecture during the last event. 

Although currently still an undergraduate student, I am taking a graduate-level course with Masters and PhD students. I would not have been able to reach this level so quickly without the intensive training at Middlebury.

Describe a typical day at Middlebury.

I would wake up in the morning, study for a bit, grab a quick breakfast then go to class. During lunch I would sit with my classmates and professors, and discuss class topics and life outside of Middlebury. In the afternoon I have my Jordanian/Palestinian dialect class, where we learn how to carry out small talks, visit the doctor, purchase a meal, and sing songs in colloquial Arabic. After class, I would work on homework with my classmates in the library. In the evening I would go to office hours to ask questions, or participate in the Arabic lecture, or enjoy one of the movie screenings. Then I would go to sleep, and dream in Arabic!