Structured immersive study is one of the fastest ways to learn a language. Immersion students travel to Indiana to devote themselves fully to developing language and culture skills. They commit to speaking only the language of study for 8 weeks and they live, work, and eat with fellow students and faculty of their language. Immerse yourself in language this summer and see just how much you can do!
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The Language Workshop’s Immersion program is truly a special opportunity. In just two short months, you will complete an entire academic year of language and culture study.
You might be wondering what is involved in an “immersion” program. Let me tell you. The essential components of the program are an immersion contract, language dorm living, cultural events, one-on-one tutoring, and guest speakers. But the heart of the program are the lifelong relationships you will build with some of the best students you’ll ever meet.
Now, you might be asking what an immersion contract is. Well, it means you agree to speak the language whenever and wherever that is physically possible for the whole summer (with a few exceptions, like talking to your family).
“What is Immersion dorm living?” you might ask. It means you will live in a dorm surrounded by students and instructors of your chosen language. This provides you with a ridiculous amount of opportunities to apply what you learned in class to real-world situations.
The frequent activities and events in your language will enhance your cultural knowledge too. The activities can be anything; from game nights, sports, a podcasting club, meeting a soap opera star, to participating in a mock U.N. debate, dancing or doing Tai Chi, even analyzing films, or playing video games in the language... Basically any activity you can think of. There are even cooking nights and clubs to enhance your immersive experience. Doing these things and having fun together in Arabic, or Chinese, or Russian is a great way to improve your culture and language skills.
Speaking of doing things together, the key to your success in the Workshop is not going to be the award-winning teachers, not the carefully planned curriculum, not the amazing resources and support that the Workshop will provide for you... No, the key to your success will be your classmates. Being open to students age 16 to 96, the Workshop is a great way to meet other highly motivated and dedicated students from all walks of life with the drive to take on a challenging opportunity. Workshop instructors agree that the Workshop students are the best they have ever taught. Workshop students move faster and support each other more. Instructors agree that Workshop students achieve results far beyond those of students in their regular college courses. If you are serious about your culture and language learning, joining a group of like-minded students is an exhilarating experience.
What’s the catch? It costs a million dollars, right? Nope, not all. All students, in and out of state, pay in-state tuition, which can be a savings of thousands of dollars for some. Plus, there are scholarships. There are lots of scholarships . There are Title VIII fellowships for graduate students. There’s FLAS scholarships for undergraduates and graduates. There are scholarships for students of specific languages. There are scholarships for women, scholarships for business school students, and scholarships for ROTC students. There are even scholarships open to high-school students and life-long learners. Check out all of the scholarship opportunities at this link.
You probably have questions. Our FAQ page will answer some of them, but we would be happy to chat with you at Virtual Office Hours or answer your questions directly by phone or email.
So that’s the Workshop. It’s a challenge, but it’s worth the effort. If you’re ready, go for it!
Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies