My daughter absolutely loves the Norwegian camp and plans to return for a third summer this year. As a parent, I have also been very impressed with the organization and problem solving at the camp and with the transportation from MSP to the "village." I highly recommend this experience for anyone with a child motivated to learn a foreign language. read more

Despite being in the middle of nowhere, Minnesota, and that it's absolutely freezing in the winter (-6 degrees today), this place is pretty amazing. Housing more than a dozen language villages, which are similar to different college buildings on a campus, this college has built out an amazing opportunity for both adults and children to advance foreign language abilities and learn cultures. They provide adequate lodging for you with bathrooms and laundry facilities as well. I didn't have to bring anything other than a mountain of warm clothes to support my Hawaiian living temperament. But it's all good and I'm still here. Only speaking for the Korean immersion course, although I'm curious about the Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese villages, the teaching team is very well versed in teaching, and they ensure a culturally rich learning environment. Various opportunities throughout the year allow students opportunities to try out their language and learn a lot in a short amount of time. I'm definitely considering sending my daughter here for a week long summer camp, as there is a lot of nature-esque things to enjoy as well. If you're interested in learning a language, this will help you a lot. read more

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My experience at the Spanish immersion camp for adults exceeded the high expectations I had when I enrolled. Being past 65, it's normal for me to wake up several times during the night, but I was pleased to discover myself, after several days at camp, formulating my thoughts in Spanish when I did. I started camp being able to read and understand Spanish pretty well, but spoke with hesitation. By the end, I could hold my own in a conversation about everyday situations. I plan to return. read more

It was the best camp I have ever been to. I went with my middle school Spanish class, and I had the best food ever, I learned so many new vocabularies, and I learned so much more. This is a 10 out of 10 experience, and I would definitely go again. Thank you, Concordia, for making my weekend so amazing! read more

I went to the Swedish camp called Sjölunden for two years. I did the two-week basic package in 2011 and the 1-month high-school credit experience in 2012. I remember it so fondly. Some of the best memories of my teenage years. The food was great, and it really help solidify what I already knew about Swedish language and culture. read more

This is the most amazing summer program! I attended the Norwegian village as a child and cannot wait to send my own children. Learned not only the language but important skills like working together with others and creative problem solving. The historic Norwegian site is beautiful and authentic, effectively representing the way Norwegian buildings are built in harmony with nature. The site has a brand new beautiful kitchen and expanded dining area. So grateful that this place is part of my life! read more

This review is for the online adult language courses through Concordia Language Villages. As an MA in Education, I was both anticipating and eager to see learning goals, a syllabus, and general evidence of a well-planned course. Instead, in our first class, the class repeated three lines - simultaneously (think cacophony!) - and then wrapped up with questions that included people probing for learning objectives and expectations. Even though the class is on Zoom, no lectures were posted for review and missed classes, nor was a single email sent to guide students toward practice or other relevant learning. After attending one class, I withdrew. After all, I do value my time. Of my $855 payment (12-week session/attended one), I received $377.50, and that was considered an exception in my favor. ($100 is considered a nonrefundable deposit; I received 1/2 of the remaining $755.) BE VERY CAREFUL about enrolling and paying before sampling the course. Too, consider being very clear about your own expectations for a program that may not deliver the educational quality you consider very baseline. I can only hope that my $477.50 donation will be used to advance what is a weak adult language program. Until then, caveat emptor. read more

Amazing opportunity to learn and practice a language. My kids attended Sen Lin Hu Chinese Immersion camp. We traveled from Ohio and it was worth every penny. The opportunity to use the language in-person greatly increased their ability and confidence. We will be back every year. read more

Not all camps are created equal. My kids have attended the Portuguese camp since 2015, and until today they have loved them all. The Cass Lake Location was a typical camp experience. The El Lago del Bosque location was a great experience too. This summer the camp was moved, with parents being informed literally a day before camp began, and the current location - where the Norwegian camp is - is horrific. Criminals enjoy better living quarters. The rooms are tiny, dark, poorly ventilated and poorly filtrated, with 3 bunk beds, no room for two students to pass one another, and no room for students to place any belongings. The Norwegian camp location needs a serious upgrade, and is definitely not meeting the expectations of parents and students who know what other locations offer. We will never return because of these types of ridiculous surprises over the years, which I have tolerated, but this one is too much. read more

My 15yo daughter just returned from the 2 week Spanish immersion camp, El Lago del Bosque and absolutely loved it! She did not want to go especially knowing no electronics. She ended up making wonderful connections with her cabin mates and counselors. My daughter has several years of Spanish already but is reluctant to speak it because of the fear of making mistakes. This camp helped her get over that. They sing songs, do fun activities, and sports all in Spanish. The kids can and do speak English with each other ,however, there's a friendly competition, the more Spanish you speak in a day the more points you earn. If your cabin meets the point goal there are prizes for cabins and/or campers. She said the camp absolutely did help her conversational Spanish skills. My daughter went from being annoyed at me for making her go to hugging and crying the friends she made at the end of it. That's the best for me. She can hardly wait until next year! read more

I immersed myself here for a week through my job and I emerged with a great understanding of the language and the culture. This place was very effective, the counselors are hard-working and have great patience alongside their personalities. The program is rigorous and eventful, this place is worth it. However, it's not for everyone, if you come here expecting a vacation you will soon realize that this place is an academy. This was a real life, practical Rosetta Stone. read more

Concordia Language Villages - Great day for activities - Specialty Schools Near Me - Bemidji, Minnesota

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If I could give less than 1 star I would do so. My teenagers just returned from 2 weeks of Concordia, and while my daughter just didn't like it and wouldn't return, my son said it was "the two worst weeks of my life". He reported they did the same handful of boring activities every day. His actual words were that he was so bored out of his mind that he noticed a change in his personality. "Every single day felt like two weeks". In addition, the food was bad. They don't know more of the language than they did before. We also did not know about their strange payment setup for the cafe, so after we learned about it we contacted the camp to transfer some money into the kids' accounts so they could purchase some things for themselves. After the kids returned we found out that the camp never informed them that they have some funds! They also did not return the book that my daughter had to turn in at the beginning of the camp to her so she had to buy a new copy at the airport for the long flight home. I am so sorry I sent them there and made them waste a substantial part of their summer! read more

Best summer language camp ever! My 3 children have attended 20+ language villages over the years. Concordia Language Villages are inspiring, fun, entertaining, educational and full of a very caring staff. read more

If you are looking for a 24/7 immersion program for your teen, this is not it. The students are free to speak their native language outside the classroom so the only immersion is with the teacher. When I enrolled my daughter it was with the understanding that it was 24/7. After meeting a mom who told me otherwise I called and spoke with a representative and later a teacher about the program. They both deflected my questions about the students speaking the language, emphasizing the teachers spoke 24/7 unless there was an emergency. After much pressing, they said students were free to not speak the language outside the classroom setting. The mom I had met said her son was the only one in his language who wanted to speak 24/7 and frustratingly gave up as no one was doing it with him. We cancelled our reservation. read more

My son has attended CLV's "Mar e Floresta" Portuguese camp, 2-week sessions, for 3 years. He adores it, and would stay at camp all year if possible. He is so confident and independent, in part because of his experiences at camp. As a parent, the camp is very good at communicating before and during camp, with oodles of photos of your kid(s) having fun. Worth the money. read more

I just returned from a week at the adult Italian immersion camp. Prior to attending camp, I had been studying on my own using the internet for 7 months. Needless to say, I spoke very little Italian. About one third of us were in the same situation. I loved this camp! Here are some of the reasons: 1) It made me realize that I don't speak Italian, but I became convinced I can learn to communicate in it. 2) The staff, mostly from Italy, were extraordinarily kind, patient, and funny. My husband and I have even kept up with them in the week we've been back. My husband and sons met two of our instructors in NY for lunch before their return to Italy. They feel like family! 3) We ate and drank wine continuously. We ate food that I would consider too expensive to buy here in New York. For example, there seemed to be unlimited supplies of prosciutto. 4) I loved the classes! I never wanted them to end because they were so interesting and no pressure. I realized the internet should not be my only source of learning and I will enroll in a class. 5) The accommodations were wonderful! My husband and I had a two-story cabin for ourselves overlooking the lake. It had a shower, a bathtub with water jets, and a kitchen. 6) I spent the whole week laughing and having fun. The instructors only spoke Italian to us and it was fun trying to figure out what they were saying. My husband and I are both around 70 years old. My father was Italian but I never learned any Italian and didn't have a tremendous interest in the country. I now am in love with all things Italian and am absolutely passionate about learning the language. I feel like I have Concordia to thank for that. Special thanks to Dario for all his patience and encouragement! read more

love it so much. I go to the Norwegian language camp and I made great friends. They definitely need a better lice check system though because they look at your head for like a second and say your fine. and or course I got lice there once from another girl. beside that I learned so much of the language and they have an option which is a challenge to only speak the language which helps a lot. would recommend. just wear your hear up, beware of ticks, and whatever you do DON'T SHARE HAIR STUFF! read more

My daughter went to the Mandarin camp (actually in Callaway, not Bemidji) for the first time this year at age 9. She loved it! The camp was very accommodating and the counselors were great. She got a real feel of the culture. From a language standpoint, she really got into it. When she got back to school (she goes to a language academy in Chicago's CPS) she brought it with her, for the first time using the language with her friends on a regular basis. The principal stopped me to tell me she was shocked, hearing kids actually speaking Mandarin in the lunchroom! My only criticism is the activities -- the lake swimming area was miniscule, and several activities (particularly canoeing and archery) were limited to ages much older than other camps permit/require. read more

my favorite camp, by far, is el lago del bosque. it is a wonderful spanish immersion camp. the camp itself looks beautiful: it resembles an old colonial house in south america. the buses that concordia provides, which run from minneapolis to bemidji, are very convenient! read more

If I could rate this camp less than one star I would. The only thing I liked was the food and sometimes that was less than average as well. The work load was fine but the classes felt very out of place and I felt that most of the time was wasted. There were activities such as basketball and acting which were fine, but they were definitely a waste of time. I have to say that I felt very uncomfortable in this environment because the small facility made me feel trapped. It is nothing like a classic camp would be. We made s'mores maybe twice in the month and I ended up not even getting the credit accepted to my school. Living in a dorm was fine, I am used to it but I hated how strict lights out were and how little time and privacy we were given to get ready. I would not recommend this to anyone who does not enjoy singing, waiting, having 4 classes a day and listening to the same songs for a month. It was the worst experience of my academic life. If you want to get some angry letters home please, I encourage you to send your child here. I also have to mention that I did not learn very much Spanish and I am far from the top of my class. read more