Learning a language is one of the best gifts we can give ourselves. It opens doors, allows us to meet people, and teaches us infinite amounts about other cultures. However, it can often be daunting without the right support or resources. The good news is that college is the perfect time to embark on your journey. Your schedule is more flexible and the resources are falling at your feet! Here, we review seven ways to learn a language in college–without too much stress or money!
1. Take a Language Course
We’ll start with the most simple, straightforward way. You’re at an educational institution. Use it! Language classes are generally GE courses, and some majors (i.e., ISCOR at SDSU) require you to take a few semesters of a language. Language classes can be good for a few reasons:
- You get to learn the language in a structured setting where you are held accountable and receive consistent feedback.
- You have a professionally trained and knowledgeable speaker who is helping you.
- You get credits that can either fulfill GE credits or boost your registration status.
- You get to meet other people, some of whom may have a similar interest.
- You can learn the language without leaving your campus.
Overall, if you want to learn a language in college, you should take advantage of the opportunities presented to you. After you graduate, it will become a bit more difficult to just enroll in a class like this. Knock out two things at once and pick up an extra class during a light semester–you won’t regret it.
2. Study Abroad
This is also related to your position as a college student, but it’s a little less straightforward. While you can fairly easily sign up for a Spanish, French, or Japanese class, it takes a bit more planning to study abroad. However, in some ways, this might be the most efficient method to learn a language in college. It’s been proven that immersion is the best way to learn a language, which I talk about later. In most cases, studying the language in the place where it is actually spoken will be the most effective form of immersion. While TV, literature, and movies are great, there is nothing quite like hearing it around you 24/7. This is the way that you pick up nuances in language, as well as access to help whenever you need it!
Additionally, when you study abroad, you see the language in its context. Everything you learn has meaning to you, and you can apply it immediately. You’re exposed to the culture associated with the language, and this is crucial. Languages often reflect how people think and communicate, but in a classroom, we miss out on this. By studying abroad, you get the full view of the language, which is much richer than you would otherwise experience.
3. Study Up
If you’re like me, you like to go old school. Go to your local Barnes and Noble, Amazon, whatever, and buy a book. There will be plenty to choose from, but my favorite is the For Dummies series. McGraw-Hill and DK also offer useful books, many of which are targeted at learning the language ASAP. While they won’t actually get you fluent in 12 weeks or whatever is promised, they help in the sense that they cover the necessities. From there, you can couple it with Youtube or another book to build your foundation.
For those of us who like writing in books, this is a fantastic option. I love highlighting, underlining, and using all of those other methods, so this works best for me. Additionally, I find it easiest to write down vocabulary and practice in repeating columns. Online, it’s not quite the same. You can make your own tests, write paragraphs using new words, or buy practice books like you would with a class. For me, this was a very useful way to learn the language I wanted to, especially since I was physically writing.
4. Join a Language Society/Group
Many colleges have language societies or groups, many of which are made up of native speakers of the language. Additionally, social apps like MeetUp have options for you to meet local language enthusiasts and native speakers. This is a great way for you to meet people locally (or even better, at your university!) and to also get some language practice in. Like I mention in #7, immersion is the best way to practice. While it might take some courage at first, it is definitely worth it! Plus, like I talk about in this article, finding people with shared interests is the fastest way to make friends. If you play your cards right, you might hit two birds with one stone.
5. Practice Using Apps
The beauty of the 21st century is that there’s an app for everything. Whether it’s apps that go along with language books (i.e., DK 15 Minute Language or McGraw-Hill Language Lab) or books that let you connect with native speakers, there are plenty of ways to practice conveniently. Below, I have some of my preferred apps. You can see what works best for your schedule, but I definitely recommend supplementing your learning with these.
- Duolingo: The most famous language learning app. This is great if you want to learn vocabulary and get some of the basics. It’s not the best for learning grammar, but if you want to take a shallow dip into the language waters.
- DK 15 Minute Language: Meant as a companion to the books (i.e., Learn Italian in 12 Weeks), this goes over the vocabulary on each page and offers the pronunciation and oral version of written conversations. It’s a great way to practice both listening and reading.
- McGraw-Hill Language Lab: Also a companion, this allows you to select the book you bought and do practice exercises along with it. It gives you flashcards and more on vocabulary, verbs, grammar, etc. This is very useful if you want a quick practice with things that you’re already learning.
- Tandem: This is my personal favorite. Although there are some creepy people here who you have to watch out for, it has overall been a great experience for me. Essentially, you can text back and forth on the app with people of your target language who want to learn your language. You can look at their language learning goals and their preferred conversation topics before them. If you establish a good rapport, you can do videocalls, voice calls, or move to a different platform. This is great to make friends all over the world and improve your skills at the same time.
- iTalki: Similar to Tandem, you can practice your language skills with native speakers. However, iTalki also offers the option to connect with native speaking tutors if you want more formal practice.
6. Immersion
While it can be difficult to do this, depending on where you go to college, it helps to find as many native speakers as possible. When you learn a language, you want to be exposed to your target language as much as you can. You can do this through quite a few ways fairly easily:
- Watching TV shows in the target language (Netflix has the most options for foreign language TV shows and films, and I recommend doing the subtitles in that language too so that you’re not just reading)
- Watching commercials in the target language (Youtube)
- Finding podcasts in the target language (Youtube, Spotify, Apple)
- Reading news or stories in the target language (search Google using that language, bookstore)
- Going to local areas with speakers of your target language
These are just a few ideas! The general concept is to find as many different avenues to fluency as you can. I like to focus on the four areas (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) and make sure that I’m practicing each of them daily.
7. Google and Youtube
This is broad, but rightly so. Google has the answer to everything, and it’s incredibly useful. When I wanted to practice Spanish verb conjugation for a class, I simply googled it and found this website. When I wanted to get lists of vocabulary in Italian, I found this website. There is something out there for everything, and if you want to learn a language in college through self study, this will be your best friend.
Additionally, Youtube might just be the best way to learn a language for free. No matter what language you’re trying to learn, you’ll find resources from some wonderful person out there. Whether it’s grammar lessons, vocabulary, or study tips, this is the first place I go. For Italian, I’ve found wonderful, in-depth accounts that have taught me more than some of my in-person Spanish classes. When I was learning Portuguese, I found a similar account that was incredibly helpful from a grammar and immersion perspective.
A Final Word
Learning a language enriches your life in so many ways, and you have so many resources at your disposal during the college years. Don’t wait until it’s more convenient; take the step toward your dreams today. It won’t be easy to learn a language in college, but it will most certainly be worth it in the end. Do you use any methods that weren’t listed here? Let me know in the comments!
