School's almost out, and the Global Times was on campus this week to hear students sound off over their Chinese language programs this year.

Beijing Foreign Studies University

The students at Beiwai love the school, and it's easy to see why. Although the campus is permanently under construction, the upside of the noise and unsightliness is amazing facilities like a glass-covered Olympic-sized pool and a brand new building for the Chinese school complete with library, state - of- the art classrooms and a sunny atrium for studying. Even the students' complaints speak to the dedication and professionalism of the faculty, one of the most experienced in the country. "The teachers call you if you don't come to classes," said 22-year-old Colombian Hazel Bogoya. "It's too much!" Mateusz Wojcik, 21, from Poland, said he has a lot of friends who studied at Beiwai as exchange students and returned home. "They want to come back to study in Beijing and all plan on coming back here." Foreign students make up a small minority, so finding language partners and friends is easy.

Beijing International Studies University

The female students at this university are (probably undeservedly) notorious for being mistresses, but the out-of-the-way "Erwai," or the Beijing Second Foreign Language University, offers a decent option for students concerned about money. But the low cost comes with large class sizes, sometimes as large as 25. Foreign students are a small slice of this language university, so finding language partners is no problem. The isolated campus offers no local nightlife, and none of the locals speak a word of English. "Wudaokou has a lot of Internet bars and places to play, so this place is better for your studies," said Noeh, 19, from Madagascar. Students say the teachers are professional and organized but are indifferent to whether you come to class or not. "If you need to be pushed, it's not a good place," said Violeta, a 22-year-old Swiss-Mexican.

Communication University of China

The main draw of CUC is its bargain tuition - 8,300 yuan ($1276) for a semester and even less if you stay a year. The school occupies a floor of a run-down building, but the classrooms all have PowerPoint projectors and the teachers often use videos, pictures and PowerPoint slides. The end of the hall serves as the smoking section, and students play ping pong on a table set up by the stairs between breaks. Communication University is famous for its television broadcasting graduates, and the relatively young language school was set up to generate money. Because it is relatively new, adjustments in textbooks, curriculum and teachers are frequent. "They changed teachers four times in one semester," said Philip, a 24-year-old Swede, giving an extreme example. High absenteeism offsets the occasional problem of large classes. "This is not mainly a language school. You study, it's up to you," said Miami, a 23-year-old from Uganda who started studying at the language institute and is now doing her undergraduate degree with Chinese classmates at CUC.

Beijing Language and Culture University

Despite the reputation for being a party school, if you've got zero Chinese under your belt and want to grasp the basics relatively painlessly, then BLCU is the place to go.

According to students, the "party school" reputation closer reflects the relaxed atmosphere of an international student body sharing a new experience.

"BLCU is a great place to learn Chinese �� and English and French," laughed Italian student Noemi Mauro, here for a three-month program. "Because there are so many people from everywhere and Chinese is difficult at first, you improve at English quickly."

Authors of the HSK, the most widely recognized Chinese language aptitude exam, much of BLCU's resource and instruction focuses on test preparation. Students also complain of large classes and teachers "sticking to the textbook," while the huge population makes it difficult to get any extra attention from teachers.

"Many students, because there really isn't any way to get one-on-one attention during class, are forced to get tutors," said American student Meg Adamson.

The campus might not be fancy, but its small size puts all the restaurants, sports fields and the large fitness center within walking distance. Add on the campus clubs and its Wudaokou location, BLCU it less about academics and more about the study abroad experience.

Beijing Normal University

Saying you go to Beijing Normal University will get the eyebrow-raise of approval that comes with attending one of the country's most prestigious schools. But this is as far as the BNU brand carries its Chinese language program.

Although the school hosts excellent study abroad programs (SOAS, Princeton), those curriculums are completely separate from the BNU-run program, and frankly BNU does little to distinguish itself among other universities. According to students, teachers are hit and miss, strict on attendance and rarely deviate from their Peking University Press textbooks.

However, BNU shines for students with a solid foundation. "My level (third year) all are professors and the classes are really interesting, they explain things you would never get elsewhere," explained Ukrainian student Svitlana Pryzynchuk.

To its credit, BNU does offer morning or afternoon classes, the latter good for Sanlitun hangovers. But the campus' awkward location leaves little choice in nearby shopping and dining, while the school provides little in the way of orientation and other services.

Peking University

Serene lakes, beautiful architecture and soothing greenery �� a short walk on Peking University's campus just might be enough to convince those on the fence where to go.

Although the tuition priced a little higher compared to other schools (26,000 yuan per year), PKU also has the undeniable "prestige factor."

"Honestly, a transcript that says PKU and a decent HSK score is going to help when job hunting," said first-year student Luke Nantz from the US.

Such prestige attracts a student body of younger students and professionals with experience in the workforce, all quite serious about their language learning. Spoken Chinese classes tend to stay small, use the Boya textbooks and offer a slew of electives from history to classical Chinese. Also unlike most schools, PKU allows students different level for writing/reading and speaking/listening to better customize curriculums.

But that doesn't mean the teaching is outstanding. According to students, even PKU still sticks to memorization, textbooks and a disproportionate focus on the written language.

"The only thing about learning Chinese in China is that it's taught with Chinese methods," said advanced student Martin Leutner from Berlin. "But it's a dream to go here. I don't think I could have gone anywhere else."

Capital Normal University

It's not a young program, but CNU has got youth on its side. Although suffering from the same textbook-heavy curriculum as the rest, CNU has a notable amount of young spoken-Chinese instructors, many of whom are enthusiastic grad students training in teaching Chinese to foreigners.

"Our teacher is not much older than us," explained Charlie Willan from the UK, "He came out drinking with us one weekend and got totally smashed."

The classes are standard fare with electives from HSK prep courses to newspaper writing, and class sizes average around 15. But teachers tend to keep students motivated with old-fashioned strictness - chronically missed classes equals a reduction in credits, while teachers hold a fresh round of exams every three weeks.

The West Third Ring Road campus, although boasting new facilities and accommodations for foreign students, is isolated in Beijing. But with Subway Line 9 set to open in the end of this year, it will be much easier to get around soon.