studying at nsw school of languages? (1 Viewer)

[libestraumno3]

hi so chinese beginners isn't offered on campus at my school and they said i would need to do distance ed at nsl.

just wondering if it's worth it to take it as an external course considering that there are additional fees and travelling concerns.
could anyone who has gone please tell me about their experience? (anything about the actual content, class experience, teachers, effectiveness etc.)

for context of my potential workload, the subjects i want to do in y11 are:
3u maths
3u eng
eco
modern
chinese beg.
^ might swap with legal (but a bit iffy with 3 full on humanities)
- interested in doing a law degree (maybe combined international studies, eco, ppe or arts)

thank you!!

 

[jimmysmith560]

I did not take Chinese Beginners but I did attend NSL during my HSC as French Continuers and French Extension were not offered at my school. Depending on where you live, travelling to the school may not be an issue. The school itself is within walking distance of Petersham station. I would suggest taking a trip to Petersham in order to familiarise yourself with getting to the school (I got lost trying to get to the school the first time I went to Petersham in year 11 lol). As far as I remember, you only need to go to the school for lesson days (which are optional) as well as when you have exams. However, you will sit the HSC exam at your school.

Overall, my experience was positive. The teachers were nice and the teaching quality depends on whether a teacher is native in the target language with teachers who are native speakers being superior, although there does seem to be a minimum standard that all teachers exceed, irrespective of whether they are native. Given that Chinese and French are very different languages, I cannot comment directly on the quality of teaching with respect to Chinese Beginners, although I believe it would be reasonable to suggest that since it is a Beginners language subject, there should be no problems with teaching quality.

As you may already be aware, taking Legal Studies is not required in terms of studying a Bachelor of Laws (or similar). However, if you are genuinely interested in Legal Studies then you should probably take it. Another thing that you may wish to consider is your performance potential in Legal Studies and Chinese Beginners. If you are somewhat familiar with the language, then Chinese Beginners may not be difficult/may be enjoyable. If not, or if you are passionate about law and believe that you can excel in Legal Studies, then you should consider taking it.

I hope this helps!