Immersion

SCHEDULE FOR 9-WEEK IMMERSION PROGRAMS:
ARABIC (ALL LEVELS), CHINESE 1, RUSSIAN 1-2

• June 1 - Move in
• June 2 - Testing and orientations
• June 3 - Session A Classes begin
• June 9 - Language Contract begins
• June 19 - Juneteenth, no classes
• July 3 - Session A Final exams
• July 4 - U.S. Independence Day, no classes
• July 7 - Session B Classes begin
• July 31 - Session B Final exams
• August 1 - Classes end, Language Contract ends
• August 2 - Move out

SCHEDULE FOR 8-WEEK IMMERSION PROGRAMS:
CHINESE 2-4, RUSSIAN 3-6

• June 7 - Move in
• June 8 - Testing and orientations, Language Contract begins
• June 9 - Session A Classes begin
• June 19 - Juneteenth, no classes
• July 3 - Session A Final exams, Session A ends
• July 4 - U.S. Independence Day, no classes 
• July 7 - Session B classis begin
• July 31 - Session B Final exams
• August 1 - Classes end
• August 2 - Move out

Located on the 1st floor of the Global and International Studies Building at 355 North Eagleson Avenue in room GA 1030.

If your question is not addressed there, please email us at languageworkshop@iu.edu.

All participants in Level 2 or above, including Indiana University students, complete a placement test before being admitted. 

You will receive your placement estimate before you make any financial commitment to the Workshop. You will have time to withdraw without penalty if you choose not to enroll at the estimated placement level.  

Placement testing begins in March and is calibrated to take into account that you are likely to be in the middle of a semester at the time of placement. 

All participants' laguage levels are reassessed once they arrive in Bloomington to ensure that they are enrolled at the correct level. Placement decisions after on-site placement are final. 

Students will participate in orientations before the program begins.

All students will participate in a general orientation before their first class that covers issues important to students studying in the Immersion program. For example answering student questions about IU and Workshop policy, billing, student services, etc.

Students will also participate in orientations specific to their language, for example Skills Training and Tutoring schedules, language-specific grading issues, language-specific event and activity schedules, etc.

Orientations may be online or in person. You will receive details after your admission to the program.

Students studying Arabic, Chinese, or Russian live in the Language Dorms (Beech & Pine Halls in the Union Street Complex) [https://housing.indiana.edu/housing/locations/USC/index.html], a short walk to classes, offices, and cultural events.

Each language has its own section of the dorm and students sharing an apartment all study the same language (but are not necessarily all at the same level). Apartments and rooms are assigned randomly to enrolled students in early May.

Language Dorm students receive a private bedroom in a 4-bedroom furnished apartment at an estimated cost of of $40/night (tentative, subject to change).

Each apartment has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, plus a shared kitchen area, living room and laundry nook. Entry to the apartment is by key card. Entry to each bedroom is by access code.

The floor plans are available at  https://www.vividmediavirtualtours.com/3d-model/indiana-union-street-4-bedroom-apartment/fullscreen/. 

The Language Workshop does not include a meal plan by default, but you may purchase one if you wish.

When you purchase a summer meal plan, you buy a certain number of "scans." Each scan allows you to scan in for one all-you-can-eat meal at any IU dining hall and at selected eateries in the IU Memorial Student Union Food Court.

You may also pay as you go at all IU dining halls. This option is more expensive but provides greater flexibility.

Here are the summer 2024 meal plans rates and for pay-on-you-go rates at IU dining halls ("Daily Rate Price"). 2025 rates are expected to be similar.

The more scans you purchase, the greater the discount you receive on each meal. But there is no refund for unused scans, so plan accordingly.

Finally, you may opt to prepare some or all of your meals in the kitchen of your apartment.

Language Dorm residents receive a temporary parking pass for Lot 515, across the street from the dorm, during move-in.

Participants may purchase a summer permit through Parking Services at https://parking.indiana.edu.

The Workshop offers frequent extra-curricular activities, events, lectures, clubs, etc. A certain number of activities will be mandatory, while others will be optional. The exact requirements differ from language to language. 

Students may attend events hosted by other languages if they speak the language in question or have been informed in advance that the event is in English.

The Workshop events calendar is available at: https://events.iu.edu/languageworkshop/.

A key element of Language Workshop Immersion programs is Skills Training. Every student meets with a skills trainer daily, at least 3 times a week.

Skills Trainers are not tutors. Their job is not to explain grammar or help with homework but to provide an opportunity for students to hone their communicative skills in structured one-on-one conversations and activities designed to help students solidify their grasp of new material.

The exact details of the Skills Training program differ from language to language and from summer to summer. Your instructors and Language Section administrators can provide the details.

Please contact languageworkshop@iu.edu if you have questions about the Skills Training program for your course.

Each language have drop-in tutors available every weekday to answer questions about your language and to assist with grammar, vocabulary, and other structural questions.

Tutoring programs differ from language to language. Some programs are online, in person or both. Some offer Friday tutoring, while some do not. Students will receive full details on the tutoring program for their language from their Language Section administration during orientation.

Please write to languageworkshop@iu.edu if you have questions about the tutoring program for your language.

All Immersion Workshop students, whether they be regular IU students or summer students, have access to all IU student resources that are open during the summer, including recreation centers, swimming pools, libraries, career counseling centers, study-abroad offices, student health services, student academic accommodations, etc.

Some programs may require you to have an IU Crimson Card (student ID card) for access.

Some programs may charge access or usage fees.

If you have questions about a particular on-campus service, please write to languageworkshop@iu.edu.

The CrimsonCard is the official photo ID of all Indiana University students, faculty, and staff. Each Workshop in-person participant receives one free CrimsonCard. Replacement cards cost $25. 

If you are an in-person student in the dorm, your CrimsonCard serves as your building key. You will also need it to access Indiana University facilities like the recreational center and library.  

Participants living off-campus may use a CrimsonCard to access university facilities, take advantage of Indiana University student discounts at local merchants, and print on campus. 

Online and study-abroad students do not need to worry about a CrimsonCard. 

The Workshop organizes a group visit to the CrimsonCard office on the first day of the program for in-person students. After that, you may obtain your CrimsonCard at any CrimsonCard office (https://crimsoncard.iu.edu/about/office-locations.html). 

To learn more about CrimsonCard, visit https://crimsoncard.iu.edu/index.html.  

Visit https://map.iu.edu/iub/index.html for a map of the Bloomington campus.

Important buildings for the Language Workshop are:

• Beech Hall and Cedar Hall where Immersion students live
• Ballantine Hall, where Immersion classes are held
• The Global and International Studies Building, where many Immersion events are held
• The IU Student Health Center
• Wells Library, where ID cards are issued and where the Accessible Educational Services office is located
• SRSC, the Student Recreation and Sports Center
• IMU, the Indiana Memorial Union, Indiana's student union

For information on how to get to Bloomington visit https://admissions.indiana.edu/visit/maps-directions-parking.html.

Be aware that this page is aimed at students planning a campus visit with the Admissions Office. The website will direct you to park at the Poplars Parking Garage. Please disregard this information and plan to park at the Union Street Residence Halls (See Parking and Housing for details).The page is a great rersource up-to-date list of shuttle services and road closures.