[See U.S. News's complete rankings of Best Colleges.]
3. Immerse yourself: Many foreign language professors agree that immersion is the unparalleled method of absorbing another language. Students who want to learn a new language should take advantage of study abroad programs available to them during their college years to accelerate the process. "True language proficiency requires years of study beyond the minimum requirement and, ideally, time spent in the target language country," says Jennifer Redmann, associate professor of German at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania. "The more language students have before going abroad, the more their proficiency will improve in the target country."
[See which colleges send the most students abroad.]
4. Take classes, not shortcuts: Widely publicized teaching tools like Rosetta Stone can help supplement your foreign language education, professors say, but shouldn't be a student's sole means of absorbing a language. While interactive tools are useful for memorizing vocabulary words, they're not as effective as learning the nuances of conversation as live, face-to-face instruction, says Redmond of Wake Forest.
Solveig Zempel, professor of Norwegian at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, agrees. "Tools such as Rosetta Stone and others certainly have a place for anyone who does not have access to formal instruction but needs to gain an introductory level of language fluency, but they are no substitute for classroom instruction with an experienced teacher," she says.
Searching for a college? Get our complete rankings of Best Colleges.
Reader Comments Read all comments (8)
K-man of NH 4:53PM March 09, 2013
Michi of CA 1:36PM March 11, 2012
stacie berdan of CT 2:40PM February 16, 2011