Middlebury C.V. Starr Schools Abroad

Student walking across desert sand.

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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In Their Own Words

In addition to taking all of the photos on the site, students take personal videos of their everyday experiences. Through the Middlebury C. V. Starr Schools Abroad, you have the support and confidence to learn the language by living the culture.

Lily Fang in Bordeaux, France — Lily Fang

Bordeaux, France

Transcript

I really liked Bordeaux as a city because it was big enough that there were always things to do. It's very beautiful. You walk around and there are these grand archways. Sometimes you feel like you're sort of in a movie, almost. Even though I was there for four months, I felt like I knew the city and it was my home, but I still felt like there were a lot of things that I still could have done.

I liked how expansive being abroad feels, because when you're abroad there's no pre-established routine. You have a lot of freedom to do what you want, and sort of be who you want as well. You're not sort of stuck in the mold that you've created for yourself at your normal college campus.

In Bordeaux, I was living with a host family. In terms of language immersion, I think it really is the best way to pick up the mannerisms and the vocabulary of just a French person. You think that after so many years of learning French, that you would be able to express yourself very coherently as soon as you get there, but it's just a very different ballgame.

Just know that it's gonna take a lot of effort. It's not gonna be just, you're gonna plop down in France and all of a sudden you're gonna have impeccable accent after four months. It's gonna take a lot of practice, a lot of making a lot of mistakes and everything.

Study abroad is really important, because you have this little bubble of a world, and you think that's all there is to it. You go to the dining hall, everything's already prepared, and you go to class and your life is just very regimented. But as soon as you go abroad, I think you realize, no, no there's a lot of things about your culture that are very different from other cultures.

It gives you a wider perspective of everything. Because you meet people that you wouldn't have met otherwise, and who have completely different ways of life.

Two children stand on the street in Tokyo — Jenne Menenes Montiel

Tokyo, Japan

Transcript

My name is Jen Menisis Montiel, and I studied abroad in Tokyo, Japan. Week one, day one, in Japan, my friends and I were already out and about, and exploring. It's really interesting. Riding trains in Tokyo is a really fun experience. There was a way you could go from Shinjuku, to Harajuku, to Shibuya.

These are places that I had heard about but to like go there, live there, and become familiar with these places was super nice, and I mean I really appreciate having had that opportunity. Like being able to say that Japan was my home for a year, and these were like some of the places that I went to.

I was studying in ICU, International Christian University. Living in a dorm and having three Japanese roommates was really helpful. If I had a question on homework, or just general grammar. If I had heard something during the day that I didn't understand, I could just walk out and be like, hello, what does this mean?

I was the most fluent student, and still am not. But knowing that I was able to survive, and not just survive but thrive, was awesome.

There's so much that you learn only by experience and I think that would be the most important part. Is do you want to keep hearing about these things, or do you wanna be living them?

Do you want people to tell you this is good or this is bad, or do you wanna to be there to determine that for yourself? Think about that. Being abroad gave me the opportunity to reevaluate the things that matter in my life. And looking back I'm like well, l learned a lot especially from being in a culture that's so vastly different from the United States.

And so I think If you want new perceptive on like the way the different countries function, there is no better way to do that than by studying abroad.

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

Summer Programs

Lillypads in a pond in Oxford England

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

Health and Safety

It is our experience that our host cities are no more dangerous that 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 and 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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