repiano90

How are the language classes (Spanish, French, Italian) at Michigan? Do they include a lot of oral presentations and projects or are they more writing intensive?

Ibleedblue

I placed out of Spanish but was a little worried about my proficiency so my advisor sort of bent the rules so I took an upper level intermediate course (232). It was SUPER easy. The thing with languages at UM is that it really depends on the instructor you get. My instructor was easy while one of my friends who is much better at Spanish than I am had a harder GSI. All of the exams are uniform but the grading method naturally varies from instructor to instructor. Each week we had to turn in a journal that had two entries 700 words total. The essay topics aren't very hard and the exams are exactly what you learned in class. It's a fun course. It is entirely taught in Spanish however. I found that as the semester progressed I understood my instructor without even trying. The hardest part for me was actually showing up because I had an early morning class lol. The sections are small and informal. Lots of fun and I believe that most languages are taught this way. I definitely recommend you take a language even if you place out.

Ponydance

The classes themselves aren't that hard. Maybe one or two short writing assignments a week. Tests can be slightly difficult.
Definitely take a UM language class! Not only is it a great experience, but its a great way to meet people! Because you're in the same small class with only about 20 people 4 times a week, you become very good friends!

MJ09

Are there are any Asian language classes? And in general, are there a lot of people in the beginner level language classes?

pancakes

LSA Course Guide

They have a section called "asianlan" with a lot of the asian languages.

There are less people in the Korean language program. There are lots of people in the Chinese language program.

You'll find the most students, I think, in the beginning level language classes.