Location
  • China
    • Kunming
Language
Chinese

Pricing

Price Details
Discount (August 15-May 14):
$398/week package includes:
- $299/week for morning class and meals
- $99/week for accommodations in a shared bedroom

Four optional afternoon activities:
- Free volunteer placement
- Free language exchange
- $499 internship placement
- $18.99/hour tutorial

$199 for enrollment fee

$49 for an airport pickup (optional)

Summer Price (May 15-August 14):

$598/week package which includes:
- $399/week for morning class and meals
- $199/week for accommodations in a shared bedroom
Four optional afternoon activities:
- Free volunteer placement
- Free language exchange
- $999 internship placement
- $18.99/hour for tutorial
-$399 enrollment fee
-$49 for an airport pickup (optional)
Mar 19, 2019
Sep 24, 2014

About Program

Our Weekly Morning Classes and Afternoon Activities Program are open for students who want to stay and study Chinese for an extended period of time. These classes are for beginners, intermediate and advanced learners. After class, we also offer free volunteering, interning or language exchange in the afternoon.

For beginners our aim is to help give them the basic Chinese language skills that they need to more fully enjoy and experience their time in China. Knowing basic Chinese will not only enable them to do simple tasks but will also give them the confidence and skills they need to interact with Chinese people on a daily basis. Intermediate or advanced students will learn more about Chinese usage and pick up nuances of language usage with other students in this program or with language exchange partners. To ensure the best possible student-teacher interaction, classes are limited to usually 2-4 students with a maximum of 7 students.

Video and Photos

For beginners our aim is to help give them the basic Chinese language skills that they need to more fully enjoy and experience their time in China. Knowing basic Chinese will not only enable them to do simple tasks but will also give them the confidence and skills they need to interact with Chinese people on a daily basis. Intermediate or advanced students will learn more about Chinese usage and pick up nuances of language usage with other students in this program or with language exchange partners. To ensure the best possible student-teacher interaction, classes are limited to usually 2-4 students with a maximum of 7 students.

In this program, students will study Mandarin, including pinyin, tones, pronunciation and so on. The period of study totally depends on the student's schedule. The morning classes are held in conjunction with our partner university and offer transferable academic credit. Additionally, after class, students can explore Kunming's surrounding areas of Yunnan, which are full of diverse natural and cultural wonders like tropical forests, Himalayan peaks, ancient pagodas and Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. Yunnan also has 25 ethnic minorities, from Thais in the tropical south to Tibetans in the Himalayan peaks of the north. Even more amazing is that Yunnan is just an overnight bus or train ride from five nearby Southeast Asian countries (Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia) and three of China's top locations (Guilin, Sichuan and Tibet).

Our work led us to be selected as a Top 10 Program by the US State Department and the Center for Citizen Diplomacy in 2010.

Program Reviews

8.86 Rating
based on 7 reviews
  • 9-10 rating 85.71%
  • 7-8 rating 0%
  • 5-6 rating 14.29%
  • 3-4 rating 0%
  • 1-2 rating 0%
  • Academics 8
  • Support 7.6
  • Fun 8.1
  • Housing 7.6
  • Safety 8.3
Showing 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Default avatar
Kevin
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing experience in China! I'm so glad I went

I learned Mandarin more quickly than I have at any other point, either back home in California or any other school in China. My time at Minds Abroad really raised my proficiency. My teacher was fantastic and the classes were engaging. accommodations were nice and my roommates were from not only the U.S.but also from China and Europe.

What would you improve about this program?
The program itself was great. I'd say the expect a high degree of independence from students. For me that was ok but for younger students maybe not.
20 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Lucia
9/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Great program!

In the mornings I volunteered at a school for autistic children, and in the afternoons I had one-on-one Chinese lessons. I really enjoyed both of these experiences and developed a strong relationship with my Chinese teacher. My highlight was traveling to Sapa, Vietnam one weekend and exploring the nearby towns and night markets.

What would you improve about this program?
I think people should be made aware that the program is very independent, so you often have to find food and transportation on your own. Sometimes more direction from the staff would be helpful.
20 people found this review helpful.
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Default avatar
Frederick
5/10
No, I don't recommend this program

Was expecting much more

*Lack of support concerning the school/University
*Lack of professionalism from the staff
*Poor condition of the school/University
*Poor condition of the apart + lack of food + cleaness
*Was expecting a real school but you guys are just an agency to help student with hiring teachers + accomodations

18 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Natalie
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Enjoyable summer in Kunming

I participated in the Minds Abroad summer program this year. Overall the program was very enjoyable. I appreciated my Chinese teacher, last year I spent a summer in Beijing and I found Kunming was MUCH nicer (traffic, pollution and esp in terms of weather).

I thought one particularly interesting part of the program was how it involved local Chinese students as volunteer and language exchange partners. Not only having a group of American and European students but also having Chinese students to social with was different from my previous experience. This particularly made the afternoon volunteering fun and also helped us communicate with the children in the migrant workers school.

What would you improve about this program?
Frankly a program I participated on last year had a good orientation in the US and then we flew together as a group. Minds Abroad's program just answer your questions in the US via phone and email and then the orientation is in China. I would say meeting in the US reduces the worries I had and my family had ahead of the trip. An orientation in the US would be really nice.
19 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
dadiaz
9/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Best Chinese Study Abroad Program!

So basically this program with minds abroad was the complete package that included learning Chinese with great teachers, volunteering, living with a typical Chinese family, and most importantly experiencing the culture. Most meals are provided and the living arrangements are usually of high standard, all the Chinese families have had background checks before they can join the program. Learning the language is by no means easy and you have to be ready to put in a lot of effort in order to see worthy results. However it is possible to make a large improvement in a short period of time. I liked the Chinese people the best, they were all very nice and I got the chance to socialize with them a lot. Overall I recommend the program to anyone looking to learn or have a good time in China. Also it was the most affordable program that I could find.

What would you improve about this program?
I personally would have liked the option to travel more and see more of China than I actually did. And maybe focus less on studying, which took up a lot of my time.
19 people found this review helpful.
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Response from Minds Abroad

Dear Daniel,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences online. We are so happy that you enjoyed your stay in Kunming with Minds Abroad in 2011! Your suggestion on traveling more is really helpful! This year we have designed China Travel Only Program, India Travel Only Program, Vietnam Travel Only Program and Thailand & Cambodia Travel Only Program to offer more choices for those students who prefers traveling. Please browse our website for more details about these programs. We would love to see you again!

Minds Abroad

Default avatar
ruth929
9/10
Yes, I recommend this program

A great summer

When I went to China not knowing anything or knowing anyone in Kunming I was quite nervous. But the Minds Abroad staff was so welcoming and supportive when I met them, they showed me around and provided the resources I needed. My best times were in the classroom learning with my teacher. She was so knowledgeable and had high expectations of me, and I challenged myself every day, using the most of the opportunity. I had an amazing experience helping at a local church and on one weekend, I had the opportunity to join the team to a rural minority village to hold a medical clinic, something that has impacted me even until today. Being on my own I learned to conquer the fear of getting lost because it is reality. But it was a good challenge for me and I made lots of local friends and experienced so much about living life in China.

What would you improve about this program?
n/a
19 people found this review helpful.
Response from Minds Abroad

Dear Ruth,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences online. We are so happy that you enjoyed your stay in Kunming with Minds Abroad! Please do let us know if there is anything we can do to make our program better. Your suggestions are more than welcomed. We would love to see you again.

Minds Abroad

Default avatar
Cindy
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program

I Learned a Lot in This Program

The Chinese Class in the morning is pretty active and flexible since most of the time it was a 1 on 1 class. My teacher taught me based on my language level and study progress, and she took me to market, parks, restaurants to learn and practice with local people. That was a great fun.

I chose volunteer in the afternoon. The kids are cute and I tried my best to teach them English. Anyway, it's hard to make them listen to you because there are 50 students in one class!! I have a volunteer partner, she is a local Chinese girl, we went to the volunteer site together and she helped me when I couldn't express myself in English. However, the time spend with the kids was the most unforgettable time in Kunming.

What would you improve about this program?
The volunteer experience was amazing, just my volunteer partner always late, that made us kind of rush everyday. I can understand that, but really not used to it. Next time I would love to join a study and travel program.
19 people found this review helpful.
Response from Minds Abroad

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences online. I am so happy that you enjoyed your stay in Kunming with Minds Abroad! I will share your feedback with the entire team. They would love to know that you enjoy the morning Chinese class and afternoon volunteering activities. Your feedback on the volunteer partner is really helpful, we will talk to our volunteer partner about it to make sure that you can arrive the NGO school on time. We would love to see you again.

Minds Abroad

Questions & Answers

Uh oh, we couldn't find the answer either! But that's a great question. Click here to contact the program directly: http://www.mindsabroad.com/contact-china.html