A Day in the Life of a PiB Student

 

 

Day trip to Yinshan Pagoda Forest

Photo submitted by Risa Reid

 

PiB is split into two terms of four weeks each. Each of these terms is equivalent to a semester of college Chinese, making the program in its entirety equal to a year of college Chinese. Classes are held five days a week for four hours each day. Fifty-to-sixty minute individual sessions are held in the afternoons Monday through Thursday, and office hours are held for two hours each evening from Sunday through Thursday. Optional lectures, performances, excursions and extracurricular activities are scheduled throughout the program. Optional day trips to various historical/cultural sites outside of Beijing will be planned for most weekends.

A typical schedule is as follows:

Morning:

7:30am - 8:20am First Lecture Class   8:30am - 9:20am Second Lecture Class   9:40am - 10:30am First Drill Class   10:40am - 11:30am Second Drill Class

Photo submitted by Pitichoke Chulapamornsri

Afternoon:

50-60 minute one-on-one tutorial session with a PiB teacher. (Sessions are held during three separate time bands: 1:30-2:20, 2:20-3:10 and 3:15-4:05. Students' individual session times will vary week by week).

Evening:

8:00pm - 10:00pm Office Hours. Teachers will be available to answer questions about the day's lesson or homework, and to provide extra practice/help if needed.

Note: PiB is an extremely rigorous and intensive language program. In addition to the hours outlined above, daily dictations, weekly quizzes, oral reports, and assigned homework and essays will keep most students occupied for the majority of their time in the program. Excelling at PiB does not leave much time for sightseeing or other activities. If you want more leisure time in Beijing or elsewhere in China, plan to arrive before the program begins or to stay after it ends.