Frequently Asked Questions:

How long has MMLA been running?
Middlebury College has 95 years of experience teaching foreign languages to adults through its Language Schools. Building on this long tradition, MMLA had its first session in the summer of 2008.

What is the cost of attending MMLA?
The cost for the 4-week residential program is $4,800 at the Green Mountain College campus and $5,267 at the Oberlin College campus. This includes tuition, room and board, field trips, activities, materials, and textbooks at both campuses. The application fee is $60. We offer need-based financial aid. Please note that payment of the tuition is by check only.
 
What is the application deadline?
MMLA has a rolling admissions process. It is advantageous, however, to apply well in advance of the summer session due to the large number of qualified students who apply each year. We expect to fill up by the end of March.
               
Why attend MMLA when I can go abroad?
At MMLA, we have an intentional focus on 24/7 language learning. All of our faculty and staff, as well as students, agree that the Number 1 focus is living, learning, and speaking a foreign language. That’s why we have a serious Language Pledge.

Many programs overseas group American English-speaking students together, provide some classroom time, and take the students on excursions. During down time between classes, at meals, and during field trips, English is often the lingua franca. In other words, the students are not truly immersed.

MMLA provides a supportive environment that is there to help our students when things get difficult or awkward, to make it possible for them to work through the difficulty and continue learning, rather than lapsing back into English.

At MMLA, we also take very seriously the safety and well-being of each student. The program takes place on a very safe small-college campus in a rural Stateside college town. All staff and faculty undergo thorough background checks and are dedicated to providing a safe and supportive environment for each student.
 
I’ve never studied this language before. Does MMLA accept beginners?
Yes, MMLA has many beginners. We adapt our programming so that beginners are especially supported in their commitment to learn the target language.
 
Are cell phones allowed at MMLA?
As part of the language immersion, MMLA asks students to leave their cell phones at home. Please also note that, due to the rural setting of Green Mountain College, cell phone reception is very limited.
 
When can I call home?
Our goal at MMLA is to maintain a 24/7 immersion environment. To this end, we encourage students to keep calls home to the minimum they feel necessary.
                                                                                              
How often can I call my son or daughter?
If there is a family emergency, please call the site office and we will put you in touch with your child as quickly as possible. Otherwise, to ensure that your child obtains the maximum benefit from MMLA’s language immersion, we encourage other forms of communication. Students will not have regular access to email, but will have the opportunity to write and receive letters. We also encourage you to regularly visit the summer blog in order to keep up with how and what your child is doing at MMLA.

You are also always welcome to call the Director of Residential Life to see how your son or daughter is doing. We value parent communication and aim to return all messages within 24 hours.

I will be in the area during the session. May I take my child off-campus for a meal or another activity?
We understand that you may want to visit your child while the Academy is in session. We ask that you not do this during the first week of the session. After that, you may briefly take your child off-campus; however, we discourage frequent excursions, as this undermines the language immersion. It also tends to exacerbate homesickness.

May I leave campus on weekends?
No. MMLA is a 24/7 four-week language immersion, with weekend learning being equally as valuable as learning during the weekdays.

May I attend religious services?
Given the diversity of our students’ religious beliefs, we do not provide access to specific religious services. If you would like to attend services, you will be responsible for arranging to do so on your own, including securing transportation, filling out the necessary permission forms, and ensuring that there is adequate supervision.
 
I have food allergies. Can I still attend?
MMLA’s dietary service is well equipped to deal with allergies. Please let us know about any allergies as early in the application process as possible.

How are roommates chosen?
MMLA’s philosophy is for students to learn from each other and also learn to live with people who are different from them. To that end, we do not allow roommate switches. However, if someone you know is attending MMLA this summer, we will do everything we can to accommodate mutual roommate requests. Please keep in mind that your child is attending MMLA in order to make significant progress in his or her language. So that this progress is not hindered, we expect the target language to be maintained at all times, including in the dorms.

What kinds of facilities are available for use by MMLA students? When can I use them?
Because MMLA has sole use of the Green Mountain College campus, most facilities are available to our students, including soccer fields, a pool, a gym, volleyball and basketball courts, hiking trails, and a theater. Students will have scheduled and free-time opportunities to use the facilities as part of the language-learning program.

Does MMLA offer high-school credit?
Since no one can offer credit at a school except that school itself, we do not offer high-school credit. We do offer pre- and post-program testing, a portfolio documenting each student's progress, and a written summary of the curriculum covered. We don't guarantee anything, and it depends on how hard each individual student works at MMLA, but we do find that a large number of our students are able to advance a year or more in their studies when they return to their school after attending MMLA.

Where do MMLA teachers come from?
MMLA hires a diverse group of top high-school and middle-school teachers with a wide variety of international backgrounds in order to expose our students to different accents and vocabulary. MMLA's teachers are among the most creative and dynamic in the field -- teachers who bring the language alive. Also paramount among our hiring criteria is for our teachers to have experience teaching the high-school and middle-school age group in a residential setting.

Is there an airport pick-up/drop-off service for students from out of town?
Yes. For an additional fee of $50 each way, an MMLA staff person and a shuttle bus will pick up students at the Albany, New York airport (for GMC students) or the Cleveland, Ohio airport (for Oberlin students) throughout the day on June 27 and will provide transportation back to the Albany, NY or Cleveland, OH airport on July 24. We ask that, when making travel arrangements, students try to schedule flights between the hours of 12 noon and 5:00 p.m. Please note that any student flying in to an airport other than the Albany, NY airport or the Cleveland, OH airport will be responsible for making his/her own travel arrangements to the Green Mountain College or Oberlin College campus.