According to the local community college, I can't sign up for an online French course until I prove my academic credentials -- starting with proof that I've taken college-level English. My wife says I should do it, but - I don't know, that just sticks in my craw. I've never liked jumping through hoops.
I understand why they don't want just anyone to take up their classroom space; I understand why they want to have some assurance that the people who come have a decent chance of doing the work for the course, and passing it; I understand that to them it's not just a business, it's a sacred profession, and you have to maintain the integrity of the process. I do understand that.
But as I told the woman in Admissions, what she was effectively telling me was Take the Berlitz course -- they'll take your money and not worry about your qualifications. Oh, we'll take your money, she said, laughing. But we have to make sure that you're qualified first. Even though I'm not looking for college credit? I asked. Even though I've gone through college, have a partial masters, am over sixty? All of that? Still need it, she replied. It's the procedure. To me, it's a clear transfer: I give them money, they give me the opportunity to learn. To them, it's -- well, considerably more than that.
I told my wife that if I buy the Rosetta Stone software, I'm going to tell them to contact this college and thank them for the business.
Oh, and this showed up when I posted the above.
==========
Update:
I just looked at the Rosetta Stone web site. I know that people don't post demos that show the user having a bad time. But when I looked at it, saw that it tracks your pronunciation and evaluates it, walks you through images and phrases, I thought I can do this.
Question now is, level 1, basic conversation, $200, level 5, advanced communications, $600, or somewhere in between? Or perhaps Tell Me More, which also looks pretty good? Hmm....
2 comments:
I wonder how I'd do?
I didn't graduate from High School - I simply left when I was 16. And you can't get transcripts from British schools! One thing I've never been able to satisfy is getting a transcript from the technical college I went to as part of my apprenticeship. It's rarely been a problem, but when it has been - it's been a damn headache trying to persuade some recalcitrant bureaucrat that not everywhere do the same things, the same way, as the US!
I've heard good things about that Rosetta software. It's used by many colleges in their ESL programs.
Yes, I think that's what we're going to get. Not sure if we'll get the whole package (levels 1 through 5) or just 1-3; that's just basic conversation, while the higher numbers are more complex; on the other hand, the higher numbers add $200 to the base cost but are $500 purchased separately.
I think Tell Me More is likely an excellent package, too, but I get the impression that language geeks are more likely to like it than casual, or even not so casual, users. Comments such as 'Not much introductory material' and 'I really didn't recall how to use the present perfect tense' made me think that. I suspect you get a much more thorough picture of the language from it than from Rosetta Stone, but you have to work at it.
Post a Comment