I'm a recent American Harvard University graduate living in Beijing who studied Mandarin at college. I made very little progress at school in the States and came to Beijing after graduation on a scholarship with the sole purpose of improving my Chinese.

After a brief stint at a BLCU, I found That's Mandarin Chinese language school and LOVE it! I've studied there for 2 years now and my Chinese has made incredible strides to the point where I now work at the school in an all-Chinese language environment. I could not more highly recommend this school, both for the quality of its teachers and the teaching methodology.

- You get to decide what you want to learn and the teachers tailor a specific curriculum to fit your language needs (total beginner - advanced, everyday vocab vs. professional vocab, etc.)

- Scheduling is extremely flexible so you can arrange classes in the early morning before work, on the weekends, or in the evenings.

- They offer one-on-one classes where students get to speak for about 80% of the class and teachers correct your Mandarin on the spot -- unlike large university classes where you never get to practice speaking and never know if what you're saying is right or wrong.

Anyway, if you're interested in a free trial lesson, please email me (cdillon@thatsmandarin.com).