Summer Immersion Programs
Summer Russian Programs in the USA
Despite a common belief that one absolutely must travel abroad in order to fortify their foreign language, going on a summer immersion program in one’s own country may lead to higher linguistic gains. Living abroad does not necessarily ensure one’s regular linguistic practice and guided progress let alone finding friendly conversationalists willing to tolerate one’s imperfect Russian. On the other hand, domestic summer programs scaffold one’s learning engaging one in various activities performed in the target language while surrounded by friendly instructors and peers.
There is no language requirement as to how many semesters of Russian one must complete prior to applying for most domestic immersion programs. Usually, during a summer program students complete a year’s worth of the Russian language. For instance, if you go with no prior experience, you will return with an equivalent of RUSS 001 and RUSS 002.
To choose the best-suited program and plan it carefully,
be sure to talk with:
Maria Alley
Russian Language Coordinator
Department of Slavic Languages
739 Williams Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6203
E-mail: malley@sas.upenn.edu
Tel: 215-746-5977
The List of Suggested Summer Immersion Programs in the USA
Middlebury Russian School, 9-week summer program
in Middlebury, Vermont
The Middlebury Russian School is the best program and, therefore, very
competitive to get in. To ensure your admission, apply no later than mid
January.
Beloit College, 8-week summer program in Beloit, Wisconsin
To be considered for fellowships apply by the end of December.
Summer Workshop in Slavic, East European and Central Asian Languages at Indiana University, 4- and 8-week summer programs at Bloomington, Indiana
To be considered for fellowships apply by mid March.
Russian Language Institute at Bryn Mawr College, 9-week Russian
program at Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania
To be considered for fellowships apply by mid March.
Russian Practicum at Columbia University, 4- and 8-week summer
programs in New York, New York
Students are encouraged to apply for Boren scholarships funded the National Security Education Program, which have various program-specific deadlines. For deadline information for Upenn students, please contact Penn Abroad Director, Dr. Barbara Gorka.
Students may also consider applying for the Critical Language Scholarship funded by US Department of State and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. For Kazan Program, please click here. For Ufa Program, please click here. For Vladimir Program, please click here.
It is also a good idea to check Upenn's most recent listings for funding opportunities at Upenn Abroad, click Financing Study Abroad.
In addition, most summer programs provide financial aid. Students are advised to check with individual programs about funding opportunities.
To support students going on a summer program, the Slavic Department awards small-size scholarships to outstanding undergraduates through a competitive merit-based process.
Jacqueline Yue, Middlebury, summer 2011
A summer at Middlebury’s Russian School is a summer well spent. It’s certainly the most intensive linguistic experience I’ve ever lived: while being required to speak solely in Russian, read Russian texts (in my case, contemporary literature ranging from excerpts of Tatyana Tolstaya’s Kis’ to exile poems by Joseph Brodsky), and decipher in Russian some of the more nuanced elements of grammar and vocabulary proves to be dauntingly difficult at first, everyone succeeds and improves immensely.
Outside of classes, Middlebury offers an excellent extracurricular program that encompasses not only an array of clubs (culinary, choir, theater, music, and slang, to name just a few) but also film screenings and presentations from famous directors and visiting professors nearly every day. There are a number of fascinating graduate-level courses that can be informally audited—I sat in one on Russian fairytales—and, as a further incentive to continue learning, there is a Russian bookseller who sets up shop for a few days towards the end of the program, giving you convenient access to books and movies to take home.
Ben Kaufman, Middlebury, summer 2007
I spent this past summer studying Russian at Middlebury College. It was
a wonderful experience to be surrounded by teachers and students who shared
my passion for Russian. The progress I made exceeded all of my expectations.
Spencer Willig, Middlebury, summer 2006
When I applied to Middlebury’s Russian Language School, I’d
heard that the program was rigorous and uncannily effective. Nevertheless,
I was skeptical about how successfully I would be able to cover two semesters
of intermediate Russian in two months. How well two years of Russian at
Penn had prepared me for Middlebury – and how well prepared I would
return – were open questions.
Fortunately, as I found out, Penn’s Russian program and Middlebury’s Russian Language School are as productively symbiotic as Dostoevsky and Anna Snitkina.
I arrived in Vermont with the strong foundation I needed to get the most out of the summer and came back to Philadelphia ready to tackle the department’s fourth-year curriculum. Now, as I continue to develop my Russian in graduate school, the material and techniques I learned at Middlebury continue to stand me in good stead.
And it wasn’t even such a bad time. The extra-curricular program is wonderful (I’d have gotten more than my money’s worth out of irregular attendance of meetings of the Criminal Lexicon Club alone), the surroundings are pleasant and the sense of community is genuine and lasting. From lunch conversations with famous directors to some very spirited multi-lingual karaoke, a summer at Middlebury produces more than its share of happy memories.
In short, Middlebury gives students the opportunity to make enormous progress with their Russian in a fun, friendly, picture-book New England environment. There are worse ways to spend nine weeks.
Rebecca Berkowitz, Middlebury, summer 2003
You will learn more in nine weeks at Middlebury's Russian School than
you will in any (maybe even all) of your Russian classes at college. It
is a massive challenge intellectually, emotionally, and even physically
(I fell into bed dead tired every night) -- but the payoff is becoming
able to speak Russian without effort, to understand Russian without having
to run to your dictionary every 30 seconds, and to communicate and work
in a native environment. If you're serious about becoming a competent
speaker, writer, and reader of Russian, you owe it to yourself to go to
Middlebury.
