[presidentcarter]

(08-28-2012 10:44 AM)JohnKreese Wrote:  

(08-28-2012 09:28 AM)presidentcarter Wrote:  

I considered taking Portuguese classes at Emory or at the Atlanta Int'l Lanugage Institute for several hundred dollars. I came to the conclusion that with all the stuff available online (for free if you fileshare) as well as all the websites like livemocha and italki, you shouldn't need formal classes when going for conversational level. IMO it could actually hinder your progress as you focus more on conjugation and less on what's practical.

Why would you consider the two most expensive schools in Atlanta for language lessons?

Anyways, I had 2 years of Spanish in HS and 4 semesters in college. I can honestly say that Roosh's approach is spot-on (at least in the beginning). I have learned more/feel like I know more Spanish in 4 months with Pimsleur and the Mardigal's book than all that classroom Spanish combined.

Now, upper-level, conversational Spanish courses are probably a lot better than the intro courses, but, at the end of the day, the popularity of Spanish as a language taken in college waters down the classes. For the most part, all of the sections will have the exact same syllabus with the instructor essentially having his hands tied with no discretion to teach in the way that he is most comfortable with. It is just easier for the university/department to organize this way. When I took Russian, which draws exponentially less students than Spanish, the teacher had his own syllabus, used his own methods, and naturally, I learned a lot more.

Those were just the first two schools I came across and if did a class I'd want to make sure it was quality and not half-assed. Obviously a cheaper/less known school with positive reviews would be ideal.

Plus, $300 for 20 hours of instruction didn't seem terribly expensive (that's AILI).