FAQ

Feel comfortable and confident with SLG

Youth

General

1. Does SLG accept students from countries other than the U.S?: Yes. We do accept students from countries other than the U.S. In fact we have students from various part of the world, such as U.K., Germany, France, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, Mongolia, South Africa, etc. The program fee does not include airfare, so it doesn't preset the country where the student departs from. Participants could join us in Beijing. We will keep close communication with the student in arranging picking up at the Beijing International Airport, or providing them with detailed school address and meet them at the school.

2. I have submitted the application online, but not yet mailed out the deposit, my photos and passport copy. Am I considered to have completed the application with SLG?: No. Without those items, the application is not complete, and will not be processed. In order to secure a seat in the program or take the advantage of the early application discount, we need to receive all items that are listed on the Application Form.

3. Which campus will be used for the camp in Beijing? What is the exact school address?: We are pleased to have the Central University for Nationalities (CUN) be our host campus again for the Beijing camp. The school is between the north 2nd ring road and the 3rd ring road in Haidian district. For more information about the school, please visit Camp Sites.
The official school address is
The Central University for Nationalities 27 Zhongguancun South Avenue, Haidian District
Beijing 100081, P.R.China
Enlarge the map on the right for the location of CUN campus.

4. What is the ratio of students/teachers?: The ratio is 10 to 1 or less for classroom instruction and 6 to 1 or less for after-class and weekend field trips. We do not only have teachers, but also have SLG China staff and a group of friendly bi-lingual counselors around to ensure students safety outside of classroom.

5. What does the program fee include? What does not?

The program fee includes
Classroom instruction and academic counseling	Textbooks, stationary and study materials	Room
Three meals a day seven days a week with water and fruits daily	Gift package (please refer Program)	Welcome and farewell banquet
Comprehensive health and travel insurance	Transportation to and from the airport, and on trip days	All scheduled sightseeing and trips including transportation, admission fee, meals and lodging expenses
An official group photo and a souvenir DVD of camp life	E-Camp service	2 free 1-on-1 online Chinese classes (live) and additional 10% off for package longer than 3m
The program fee does not include:
International air ticket to and from China, and airport tax	Chinese visa application fee	A fully refundable medical deposit $150 (Beijing program only)
Separate airport pickup/drop off $50 one-way per vehicle (1-2 passengers), $10 additional passenger	Separate booking fee $20 per (airticket, hotel, transportation, etc.)	Personal spending, e.g. souvenir and phone cards purchasing

6. Is there a lot of contact with native Chinese speaking students? Is there a mixed student body on school campus?: Yes. SLG participants will have a lot of chances interacting with Chinese students. Each participant will have a language buddy, a local student, throughout the camp. They will have language, culture exchange and sports activities with local students too. The group itself is very mixed as well since our participants come from various parts of the world. Moreover, there are groups of Japan, Korean, and Sweden students also studying Chinese on the same campus every summer. We have seen some long-lasting international relationships growing up there.

7. Who are the teachers? How are the local students being found? Is this going to be the same student at all time or different ones?: The teachers are credentialed in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. They are professional, active and enthusiastic about teaching. The local students - our students' language partners, are from the local schools. These students are at the same age as or a bit older than ours. They are recommended by their teachers and are based on good academic performance and moral character. They will not speak English with our students. Whether it is the same students or different ones is all up to the students. If they become buddies, they certainly can be together at all times.

8. We will go China by ourselves and join SLG in China. Who should I contact once we are there?: Please contact us at info@sinolanguage.org if you do so. We will provide you the contact in China.

9. If a student only goes for 2 weeks in the 3-week program, will that student still get a certificate of recognition?: Yes, every student will get a certificate indicating the place, the school and the time horizon they have participated in this language camp.

10. Where can I find program price? Date? Host school information?: You can find almost all the information about our program on Program page. Clicking on the session code will give you the daily schedule and itinerary of the program.
Price and application information can be found at Application page.
For school information and photos, click on Camp Sites.
If you have any difficulties in finding a piece of information, please let us know. We will be happy to guide you through the website.

11. Can students go out to shop in Beijing? Will somebody take them?: Yes, they will have chances go out shopping either on their own (in group of 3 AND age 14 or older AND with approval) or with one of our student directors depending on the students' age, where and how far they want to go. If not with our student director, we will provide them with maps and transportation information, etc. To make sure their safety, we have certain policy for them to follow. These policies will be announced during the orientation and enforced during the camp. Very popular while inexpensive shopping areas in Beijing include: HongQiao Pearl market, XiuShui Street (Silk Market), and SanLiTun YaShow market, etc.

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For Parents

1.I will accompany my child to join one of SLG programs. Do I need to submit an application and deposit for myself?: Yes. Since you will live and dine in the camp, and take part in activities that the program organizes, you are considered a participant too. Every participant needs to submit a deposit to reserve a seat in the program. A deposit is counted as part of the overall program fee.

2.I'm an accompanying father. It's a good chance for me to learn some Chinese too. Are there any short term programs available for adults?: Yes, there are plenty of summer Chinese programs available for adults. They are usually offered by university. However the date and length are unlikely to match our camp. Thus a more flexible and effective way of learning Chinese is to take 1-on-1 class that fits on your schedule and targets on your needs. If you are interested in getting the details, please email us at info@sinolanguage.org.

3. I understand I can participate in all activities of the program. But can I also take part in some of the classes?: Yes, you can. Please notify us in advance in order to arrange for seats. There is a small fee depending on what the classes are.

4. I plan to accompany my son to Beijing for several days. But I'm not sure the exact number of days yet. How much should I pay?: Please do a rough estimation for the number of days you plan to stay and pay it proportionally. In normal situations, you may stay shorter or longer than your estimated time. We will refund any overpayment or request a supplemental payment for any deficiency. We will notice you in advance if the situation doesn't allow that.

5.Can relatives/friends visit student at the school? Can student go out with relatives during camp session?: Yes. Friends or relatives are welcome to visit our students at the camp. Yet, they need to wait until a particular class is over. They can stay for lunch, or even join the field trips with the student with a small fee. Students can leave the camp with their relatives, but they should always notify us and get approved before they leave the camp, and notify us when coming back.

6.My son has visited the Great Wall last year when we visited China. Can he choose not to participate in the field trips that he has gone before? If he can, what he could do during the time frame?: Yes. He has the choice of not participating any of the scheduled activities. SLG has provided extra Chinese tutoring, Chinese arts, and sports classes to help students filly utilize their time in China while not repeating the same activities. For more details, please check what we call Specialty Options.
More activities such as home-stay with a Beijing family can also be arranged. Please notify us in advance for such request.

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Accommodations

1. What does the dormitory room provide? What does not?: There are two types of rooms in our camp: double-occupancy (accommodates 2) and apartment type (accommodates 3). All rooms are air conditioned. Each room is equipped with a TV, calling card operated phone, closet, single bed with bedding, desks, chairs, lamps, a hot water boiler, and a bathroom with a hot-water shower, flush toilet and sink. The apartment-type unit even equips with refrigerator and washing machine inside the apartment. Please bring your own towels, toothbrush, cups, shampoo. conditioner, lotion and slippers. You could buy them in China at a cheaper price as well.

2. Can a student receive and make calls from the dorm and how to do it?: Yes. Each dorm room is equipped with a calling card operated telephone that can make and receive both local and international phone calls directly. To call out: Students need to buy a calling card at the school. They are sold at the dormitories for RMB30 each. Follow the instruction on the card you will be able to make calls out. To call in: To access the dorm phone from outside of China, parents should dial 0118610, followed by the room phone number (Students will know their room phone numbers after arrival). Family and friends in the States can buy very affordable phone cards through online stores such as www.onesuite.com , www.phonecardsonsale.com , or www.cybercalling.com. It usually costs only 1.8-2.4 cents per minute to call China and the voice quality is quite good.

3. Is the Internet connection available in the dorm room?: Yes. The dorm rooms of CUN provide high speed cable Internet. Students who bring their own computers can connect to the Internet conveniently after a simple setup. It is the student's responsibility for the costs of using the Internet at their own rooms. It is RMB120 (US$15) every 80 hours. To access the Internet for free, you could utilize the scheduled Online hours. There are 1-2 hour free Internet hours at the computer lab every other day. Please check your session schedule.

4. Is there a special connector for the wall outlet? Should students buy it in Beijing?: To use the wall outlet in China, you need a power converter to transform from 220V AC in China to your own electronic appliance which uses 110V as US's standard. Bring one if you can. There are many local or online stores that have such converters available, such as this one. Please read Travel Info for more traveling-related information.

5. How to do laundry at the dormitory?: The dormitories have self-service laundry machines. Laundry store is available on-campus. Students can do laundry themselves or drop the clothes to the service people for a small fee and pickup in one day.

6. Can students go swimming in the afternoon?: If you are a big fun of swimming and very good at it, you may swim at early mornings before the class or at any of the free time. A big and very nice swimming pool with lifeguard is outside of school campus. Students who want to learn swim may signup a swimming course which provides professional coach. We don't recommend students who are not professional swimmers go there on their own.

7. Can student get snacks in the dormitory?: Yes. Campus grocery store and vending machine sell snacks and soft drinks.

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FAQ

General

For Parents

Accommodations

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Sino Language

FAQ

General

For Parents

Accommodations

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