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Middlebury C.V. Starr Schools Abroad

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What makes Middlebury different?

With our support, you’ll experience total immersion in the language and culture of your country. You’ll have an authentic learning experience at a local academic institution. You’ll have the guided independence to engage with your community, take on an internship, and make personal discoveries that you’ll always remember.

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Thumbnail — Middlebury C.V. Starr Schools Abroad: An Overview

Transcript

In the Schools Abroad we have established these incredible partnerships with universities throughout the world and our students go to these universities and immerse themselves in the local culture and the local ways of doing things.

Students enrolled in the School in China take all their courses in Chinese.

By living with host families, by taking classes with local students, the students embrace a new culture and improve their French language skills through daily practice.

And on all our language programs, they take the Middlebury Language Pledge, a formal commitment to speak exclusively the language they’re studying.

We’re very serious about the Language Pledge because we believe the Language Pledge can support the creation of a solid foundation in linguistic proficiency.

Students know that our team is ready for support at any instance, which makes them confident to develop and search for opportunities for immersion in multiple instances inside and outside of the classroom.

We challenge our students to reflect upon their own cultural norms and expectations and we invite them to study abroad within the linguistic and educational context of the communities in which they study.

People gathered together playing music outside — Marykate Melanson

Niterói, Brazil

Transcript

My name is Marykate Melanson and I studied abroad in Niterói in Rio de Janeiro.

Rio is huge. It’s enormous. There’s just so many different neighborhoods in the way that it’s set up geographically is really interesting In part of the city there are these areas that are, you know, really old facades. There are ones that have been restored and ones that are haven’t and so there’s sort of this like really interesting juxtaposition between old and new.

I was studying at the Universidade Federal Fluminense, which is a federal university, and found an apartment with a couple of Brazilian grad students and that added so much to my experience. I was with these girls all day. It was the first time I lived in an apartment and so like we had to sort of navigate that relationship in Portuguese. That’s the part that I think I needed to develop more because I had already done Portuguese in an academic sense. I had written papers and things like that whereas I really needed to understand how to speak like people there and I think that I did because of where I chose to live.

Rio has a particular ethos because they have the beaches, it’s warm, it’s beautiful. Life is just a lot slower and so I think that there is like a very particular culture that I became accustomed to and it was a very like warm and welcoming one.

I really wanted to be challenged and I really wanted to be in a place that I would learn a lot from and so immersing myself in the Middlebury program helped connect us to things I’m very interested in. There was no way I would have felt comfortable leaving there if I felt that I had been a tourist the whole time. It’s just whether or not you take that step one extra step to immerse yourself.

Wherever you go abroad I think that you learn so much about yourself and it’s so important I think for everybody to gain a little bit of perspective.

A plaza with students walking around — Emma Boyd

Florence, Italy

Transcript

My name is Emma Boyd and I studied abroad in Florence, Italy, this past fall.

Florence is a perfect Medieval/Renaissance hub. You really are transported to another time and your studies are immersive in the language but also in the fact that you are essentially living in a perfectly preserved period piece almost.

There’s so many hidden treasures. You’ll be walking in one of the busiest piazzas in Italy and see like a tiny little drawing that Michelangelo has done like into the side of a building.

The style of life is a little more slowed down. You sit down for lunch, and it could be two to three hours. You might see your waiter once within a two-hour period, even, but it’s about kind of letting things happen and be and try to live the authentic Italian life rather than the rapid, high-stress, moving quickly from place to place American life.

I think the Language Pledge characterizes your experience abroad. You go abroad in another language because you want that immersive experience and the other people who are doing it want that same experience as well. And I think it’s really easy to find a connection with someone who has made this their priority.

I think everyone should study abroad in Italy but I’m definitely biased, but I would say do it through the language. Have an authentic Italian experience. Meet the locals, learn how to do things in the language because you can’t fully immerse yourself, you can’t fully have that experience, if you don’t challenge yourself.

I cannot wait to go back to Florence. It will have a place in my heart for the rest of my life.

Two students playing music while leaning against a wall in Argentina

Image of building in Brazil

Brazil is the largest country in Latin America, and its diverse and vibrant culture offers an ideal setting for students to improve their Portuguese language skills.

Highlights

All course work in Portuguese
Enrollment at local universities
Program-organized writing course with a focus on Afro-Brazilian cultures
Housing with local families
Cocurricular activities
Internship opportunities

Eligibility

Completion of second-year Portuguese
B average in Portuguese, B average in major

Students dancing in Cameroon

Boats moored in Chile

Students in Chile have the option of directly enrolling in eleven different universities in seven distinct study abroad locations, each with its own local character.

Highlights

All course work in Spanish
Enrollment at local universities
Housing with local families
Cocurricular activities
Internship opportunities

Eligibility

Completion of second-year Spanish and one content course in Spanish
B average in Spanish, B average in major

Pagoda at twilight in China

The program structure, including housing with Chinese roommates, is designed to expose students to an environment that will build upon their foundation of Chinese while rapidly increasing their knowledge of the language and culture.

Highlights

In conjunction with CET Academic Programs
All course work in Mandarin
Housing with Chinese roommates in dorms
Cocurricular activities
Internship opportunities

Eligibility

Completion of second-year Chinese, five semesters preferred
B average in Chinese, B average in major

Building in Paris France

Designed for students at an advanced level, the School in France provides opportunities for cultural immersion in three distinct cities—including a STEM track at Université de Poitiers.

Highlights

All course work in French
Direct enrollment at local universities
In-house courses at le Centre Madeleine
Housing with families and in dorms
Internships or community engagement opportunities

Eligibility

Completion of second-year French and one content course in French
Two years of French required for STEM track
B average in French, B average in major

Buildings in Germany

Founded in 1959 in Mainz, the School in Germany provides students with the opportunity to live, study, and socialize with Germans and immerse themselves completely in the local culture.

Highlights

All course work in German
Enrollment at local universities
Housing in dormitories or apartments
Core course on academic writing
Individualized support from Babel Guides

Eligibility

Completion of sixth-semester German including two content courses in German (non-Middlebury students with four or five semesters may be considered on oral assessment)
B average in German, B average in major

Landscape in India

Rome baptistery interior

Building in Japan

With a population of 12 million, Tokyo’s fast-paced approach to urban life juxtaposed against its architecture, traditions, and landscape make it an ideal location for study abroad.

Highlights

All course work in Japanese
Curriculum designed for high intermediate and advanced language students
Housing in on-campus dorms
Cocurricular activities
Community engagement practicum. Internships for year-long students.

Eligibility

Completion of second-year Japanese
B average in Japanese, B average in major

Ruins in Jordan

Amman, founded in 7000 B.C., is the capital and largest city in Jordan and is situated in a rolling area of northwest Jordan and just twenty-five miles from the Dead Sea.

Highlights

All course work in Arabic and related to local culture
Curriculum designed for high intermediate and advanced language students
Housing with local families
Mentors and language partners
Community engagement opportunities

Eligibility

Completion of second-year Arabic
B average in Arabic, B average in major

Powdered dyes in Morocco

For thousands of years, Morocco has benefited from the cross-cultural exchange of Berber, Arab, African, and European peoples, and their customs, learning, and gastronomy.

Highlights

All course work in Arabic and related to local culture
Curriculum designed for high intermediate and advanced language students
Housing with local families
Mentors and language partners
Community engagement opportunities

Eligibility

Completion of second-year Arabic
B average in Arabic, B average in major

Russian Stacking Dolls

Unlike many programs that segregate students from regular university and community life, our School in Russia encourages linguistic and cultural integration in three distinct locations.

Highlights

All course work in Russian
Local professors teach core courses in Russian civilization and culture
Housing with local families
Cocurricular activities
Internship opportunities

Eligibility

Completion of second-year Russian
B average in Russian, B average in major

Building in Spain

With program options in four very different and distinct host sites, students experience a range of options for true immersion in Spanish language and culture.

Highlights

All course work in Spanish
Enrollment at local universities
Housing with local families or in shared student apartments
Cocurricular activities
Internship opportunities

Eligibility

Completion of second-year Spanish and one content course in Spanish
B average in Spanish, B average in major

Books in the Oxford Library

The Middlebury College-CMRS Oxford Humanities Program offers a culturally immersive and academically rigorous experience that includes seminars, one-on-one tutorials, and field study in the vibrant and historic city of Oxford, England.

Highlights

Tutorials tailored to students’ interests
Housing in St. Michael’s Hall
Independent research
Field trips to historic locations
Associate Membership with Oxford University’s Keble College

Eligibility

GPA of 3.5 (other may be considered with strong faculty recommendations)

Sunrise over a town in Uruguay

At work in the museum

Students have access to renowned museum collections at Compton Verney, the Ashmolean Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Museum of the History of Science and other Oxford-based museums and galleries.

Highlights

Intensive experiential learning
Special tours and lectures from museum professionals
Weekly field trips to historic properties and collections
Courses taught by British experts in art history, architectural history, and museum studies
Weekly seminars, lectures, field trips and experiential learning

Eligibility

GPA of 3.0 or above

Field in China

Work closely with nationally recognized faculty and leaders in the field as part of a specially designed immersive curriculum that includes core course work, electives, leadership training, and field experiences—all in Yunnan Province, China.

Highlights

Core courses emphasize hands-on practice
Electives offer training in specific skills
Leadership development trainings build key applied skills
Dual sites in Kunming and Dali
Cocurricular activities, including a Mandarin workshop

Lillypads in a pond in Oxford England

Summer Programs

Middlebury offers several opportunities for students to take field-based and experiential learning course that might otherwise be difficult to accommodate during the regular academic year. These programs do not have a language element and are taught entirely in English.

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Museum Studies in Oxford

Spend five weeks in the heart of Oxford, England with access to renowned museum collections. Gain unparalleled insight into the structure, management, and activities of museums, as well as the British approach to historical preservation.

Learn More

School of the Environment

This six-week environmental studies program is based in Yunnan Province, China, with dual sites in Kunming and Dali. Take courses in a specially designed immersive curriculum that integrates core work, electives, leadership training, and field experiences.

Learn More

Performing Arts & Community Engagement

This four-week course in Uganda (currently for Middlebury College students only) will allow students to immerse themselves in a community of musical instrument makers, exploring the use of the performing arts as a means to effect positive change.

Learn More

Health and Safety

It is our experience that our host cities are no more dangerous than large cities in the U.S. We provide support and access to health and safety resources prior to departure, while abroad, and upon return.

Our dedicated on-site staff are locally connected, abreast of the latest news, and prepared with contingency plans in the event of an emergency. Middlebury also partners with Global Rescue for medical and security advisories as well as evacuation services for all students.

Students looking at a mural

Identity and Inclusion Abroad

Students who study abroad are as diverse as the destinations and languages they choose. No matter who you are or how you identify, we have the resources and support to make your experience the best it can be.

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