Five Star Learning Experience in Shanghai
I studied in That’s Mandarin Shanghai for six months, taking the intensive course. I had acquired some basic notions of Mandarin Chinese in years prior through one-on-one classes in France, but this was the first time I did an intensive course in China. The experience did not disappoint. Here are some of the key reasons why I whole-heartedly recommend this school: 1. Living in Shanghai and the school environment The school is located in the heart of the Jing’An district, a perfectly central location from which to go out and explore the city after the classes are over. The school itself is a bright, comfortable place, with temperature-controlled, quiet classrooms and a coffee and tea area to meet other students and relax in between classes. The number of students per classroom varies, but it is never more than 7 or 8. There’s even a terrace with a city view! 2. Teachers and staff The administrative staff and coordinators are always friendly, collaborative and ready to assist students with any issues, ranging from school queries to recommending touristic visits and helping out with general problems that can arise when living in China. They not only make you feel welcome in the school and support your learning with some casual chats in Chinese (thank you Grand, Miki, Flow, Jo!!), but provide huge support for a newcomer to the country. Meanwhile, the teachers are excellent educators. My main teacher during my time here, Yang Laoshi (thank you also to Bao and Liu laoshi) was always a lively presence who made sure I improved with every lesson and made me want to keep learning Mandarin. Despite the obvious difficulties of learning Mandarin for a foreigner, their encouragement and patience, coupled with a great deal of teaching experience, made me feel like I was making rapid-and lasting-progress. 3. Class materials/content That’s Mandarin has a wonderful depth of material to boost the learning experience. For beginners, you will be offered eight fully illustrated high quality textbooks that facilitate personal study. At the same time, That’s Mandarin also has a series of proprietary video materials, shot professionally with high production values and actors, that will immerse and let you follow a story as you progress through the earlier levels. At the higher levels you begin to dive into Chinese culture and social understanding through skilfully prepared custom lessons. Instead of conforming to the somewhat rigid progression of the standard HSK vocabulary lists, this school’s emphasis is on mixing level-appropriate content with repetition and review, making sure that you don’t forget that word that you learned two weeks ago! 4. The Nihao Café platform That’s Mandarin makes their platform available to students from day one. Nihao Café is the platform used in class for teaching, but it also facilitates at home review and study. You can review previous lessons, look ahead to see what you will learn in the upcoming days, or review custom flashcards and exercises (listening, reading, writing). It’s convenient and easy to use, and available on mobile and desktop versions (I mainly used it on my phone). In conclusion... Having researched and heard first-hand about competing schools, I feel like this is without any doubt the best mandarin Chinese learning experience that you will find in Shanghai. My Mandarin level and my confidence when speaking the language have improved considerably since I arrived, not to mention the unforgettable friendships and experiences I had along the way. This school not only helped me to learn Mandarin Chinese, but more importantly, it also gave me the motivation to keep learning and coming back to Shanghai for years to come.