Middlebury, Vermont 05753 - Middlebury College

Chinese School
明德大学中文学校
Spring 2011
Dear Chinese School Student:
欢迎! Welcome!
On behalf of the Director of the Chinese School, Prof. Jianhua Bai, and the Chinese School faculty
and staff, I am delighted to welcome you to this year's eight-week language session of
the Chinese School at Middlebury College.
To access the Language Schools Pre-Arrival website, please copy and paste this link in your web
browser: http://www.middlebury.edu/ls/students/prearrival. Please take the time to
read all the information, as most of the answers to your questions will be answered on this site.
If you still cannot find the answer to your question after having read ALL of the pre-arrival
information, then please feel free to call me at (802) 443-5520, or e-mail me at
sun@middlebury.edu. I will be happy to assist you.
Please note that dorms will NOT open before June 17 th
. If you need to arrive in Middlebury early,
you MUST make arrangements to stay off campus. Students will not be housed and room keys will
not be issued before the scheduled arrival time and date.
All of us at Middlebury have been working hard to make your arrival and first days go as smoothly as
possible. I hope this information proves to be useful in planning for your summer and I look forward to
welcoming you to the Chinese School in June.
Sincerely,
Anna Sun
Chinese School Coordinator
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT 005753
(802) 443-5520 phone
(802) 443-2075 fax
sun@Middlebury.edu
1
Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont 05753
Language Schools and Schools
Abroad
802.443.5510 Fax 802.443.2075
www.middlebury.edu/academics/ls/

Online Reading Proficiency Exam: https://segue.middlebury.edu/sites/chinese-placement
For Levels 2-4. The deadline has been extended to: Sunday, June 5th. If you can, please take
this exam in advance, it will be one less exam to take after you arrive! If you have problems with the
exam, please contact the test administrator, Alex Chapin, directly at: achapin@middlebury.edu. If you
can’t access this exam, you may take it on Saturday, June 18 th
.
Arrival: Friday, June 17 th
The Arrival Center at the Axinn Center will be open on Friday June 17 th , 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Please report there to check in and receive your key and arrival packets. If you arrive after 8:00 p.m., go
directly to the Department of Public Safety at 125 South Main St. They are open 24 hours a day every
day and will have your key. On Saturday you can go to the Chinese School office in Hepburn 113 to pick up your
arrival packet.
Placement Exams, Saturday, June 18 th , Levels 2-4
Written Placement Exam: 8:00-10:00 a.m, McCardell Bicentennial Hall 216. Please bring a soft
pencil and an eraser. Schedules for the Computer-Adaptive Reading exam, and for the Oral Proficiency
Interview will be posted in dormitories and dining halls. A continental breakfast will be served at 6:30 a.m.
in Ross Dining Hall to accommodate those students taking placement exams. Your final placement will
be determined by your scores on all three exams. Placement results will be posted in all dormitories on
Sunday morning, June 19 th .
Course Materials:
Please do not purchase books until after you have received the results of the placement exams. The
College Store will be open Sunday, June 19 th to purchase your course materials and supplies. Students
accepted to Level I, II & III should bring iPods, or mp3 players for downloading and uploading
sound files online.
Housing:
The Chinese School students, faculty and staff will be housed in Hepburn, Stewart and Painter Halls
this summer; each of have both doubles and singles. There is no guarantee that students' special housing
requests can be met, although we will make every effort to accommodate your needs as identified on the
rooming card. Please do not call or email the School to ask about housing assignments or to
request a single. It is not possible to give out this information prior to arrival. You will be informed
of your housing assignment upon your arrival.
Chinese School Summer Offices:
Jianhua Bai, Director, Hepburn 119
Lisa Lin, Associate Director, Hepburn 115
Anna Sun, Coordinator, Hepburn 124
Mairead Harris, Alex Klikunas, Bilingual Assistants, Hepburn 113
2

Language Pledge:
The Language Pledge will be signed after dinner on Monday, June 20 th and remains in force through
the end of the session.
Basic Weekday Schedule:
Schedules for individual levels may differ slightly, but the basic schedule is as follows. Meals:
breakfast, weekend brunch will be in Ross Dining Hall. Lunch and dinner will be in Atwater Dining Hall.
Breakfast 6:30- 8:00
Classes 8:00- 12:00
Lunch 12:00- 1:15
Co-curriculars 3:30- 5:00
Dinner 6:00 – 7:00
Please note that there will be NO Long Weekend during the eight-week session.
Classes will be held on Monday, July 4 th .
Weekends & Co-curriculars
We offer a variety of activities on weekends: a film series, with films from China, Taiwan and Hong
Kong, a lecture series; a performance of traditional Chinese music, and our very own China Night, where
students get to showcase their language and musical/theatrical talents. If you play an instrument, you are
welcome to bring it. We also offer picnics, dances, films, hikes, all designed to help integrate what you
have learned in the classroom into everyday conversation. Students are welcome to take short outings
but should not plan to leave the program on weekends. Requests to leave campus must be preapproved
by the Director.
Students are encouraged to participate in our co-curricular program, which will help you “live” the
language and absorb it faster. Monday – Thursday afternoons, we offer activities such as Chinese
cooking, calligraphy, Tai Chi, singing, weekly radio show -- all in Chinese. Sports include soccer,
volleyball, frisbee, ping pong, badminton. The Middlebury campus offers complete athletic facilities,
including a fitness center and indoor pool, so feel free to bring appropriate equipment for any sport you
wish to participate in while here.
A few items you should consider bringing with you:
A fan (!), a laptop (if you have one), light weight/summer clothing, raincoat, swim suit, bug spray, warm
sweater or warm fleece top, linens, towels, and a light weight blanket. (One blanket and one pillow will
be provided per bed.) There will be a couple of formal Chinese School events (concerts, the final banquet)
to which you might want to (but are not required to) wear something more formal. The weather in
Vermont during the summer is usually warm and pleasant during the day, cooler in the evening, but there
are generally about two weeks of uncomfortable, muggy heat.
Departure: Friday, August 12 th
Academic activities of the Chinese School will end with the last class hour (12:00) on August 12 th
Students may not plan to leave before then. Flights from Burlington airport should be scheduled after
3:00 p.m. The last meal will be Saturday brunch on August 13 th . Dormitories will close that afternoon.
3