Mandarin Garden Language & Culture School (Baoshan Center)

The teacher was very nice and good he explained the things very well. I did the HSK 3 Level so the listening and speaking were useful and the grammar however because in school I do A Level the writing is usually harder, with that said my stroke order was not good and the teacher took 10 minutes each lesson to go through the stroke order and help me writing the characters in the correct order and properly. It would take me usually an hour to get the school but I used the metro and walked a bit so it wasn’t too bad. I feel like I am going to start paying more attention to my stroke order and tones when speaking to try and sound more fluent and continue the practice I was doing at the school. There isn’t I can think of for what I didn’t like. I think it was very useful to try and get the basics well and improve with foundation.

To start with the positive aspects, the two teachers I worked with, did a good job, and I made some good progress. The school Organization was flexible to adapt the schedule towards the end of the course, when my job stated and I had less time.

What I did not like was the fact that one teacher was looking after 3-5 students of different level, so much of the leaning was self study with 2* 15 min one-on-one coaching by the teacher. What I had in mind for myself was rather a course with perhaps three - six students all a the same level, so that there can be more interaction with the teacher. Would have helped my pronunciation.

The school is using a script they have written themselves, which is ok-ish, but no match with the official HSK books.

To friends or family members, I would recommend to make sure the school works with material compatible with HSK. This gives students the option to continue after two weeks and take the exam.

Social activities were not offered.

We were housed at the rock and wood international youth hostel. From there, the school is only 10 mins by feet.

In each class, there is only few students, thus permit a better teaching. The teachers are very qualified, it was nice to learn with them.

Sometimes at the school, you can have extra activities, like calligraphy.
If you are not housed near from the school, you still can take the Subway (but you Will have to walk a bit).

My experience was very good. The classes were nice with AC, so it was the best environment for studying. I have also met with my classmates outside of the class, what was a great event to get to know each other. Location is 3 minutes biking from subway station, what makes it very convenient. I didnt use the housing. I would welcome next time that the book for studies will be covered in the cost.

Well-trained teachers, two to four students per class.
Housing- far away from school (45 mins. by taking two buses, no subway) the school was far away from city center (one hour away).
On my first night, I stayed in a very dirty dorm.
I paid the agency one month before coming to the school, but they did not receive the payment on time, so I had to pay for the second time in cash.

The classes were wonderful and practical. The teacher was nice and patient. The location was quite far away from the Shanghai Metro Station (around 15 minutes of walking). Its facilities and activities were fair. I liked the one-by-one course. I disliked the toilet because it was quite dirty.

Housing: N/A

Everything was good, but it would be more interesting and more productive if the school had added more to the individual group sessions. Thank you.

Good:
- Classes were very good, interesting lessons, teachers work individually with the students
- Opportunity to live at an apartment in Shanghai
- Very good managers who communicate with students and offer some interesting courses during free time, such as playing chess, or going to Chinese restaurants

Not very good:
- Would love to have more exposure to Chinese culture, more actual practice
- Staying with a family who was not communicating much

It was a great experience. I studied only one week but everything was excellent. Teachers was very polite and friendly. Ms. Sarah and Ms. Song were very professional and patient. I want to tell them "THANK YOU VERY MUCH" because they really help me to understand my problems in the first step of learning Chinese and direct the way to solve them.
I didn't use the chance to live with host-family or stay at school hostel, so I can't say anything about this part of school service. But I rented the apartment not far from the Ya'an road, so for me school location was very convenient.

The number of students in the class is good and the teachers are well trained. Because of the size of the class, it is also easy to disscuss the wishes with the teacher and the training can therefore be adjusted. Location is also ok, about a 10 minute walk from the subway. The school also organises the activities and I only participated once (the caligraphy class), which was fun to do. I didn't make use of the housing facility and can not comment on this.
The consultant is quite helpful from the beginning and is quite quick with responses. I received quickly the documents needed for visa application. During the course, there is also regular contact between me and the consultant.