Chinese Language Flagship Program

• Check That Ole Miss Has Your Highest Test Score(s) on File

  *This is important for all future Ole Miss students, regardless of whether they end up committing to a special program like Flagship.

  Ole Miss calculates your Academic Excellence and other automatic scholarship(s) based on any and all ACT or SAT scores they have on file. If you have not already taken both multiple times, we encourage you to do so. In the past, there have been students who were unable to afford UM tuition until they re-took the ACT or SAT and moved up in the UM automatic scholarship bracket. Some students’ SAT score might put them in a higher bracket than their ACT score (of vice versa). Make sure that you the university has the highest of each. Our Admissions and Tuition page lists the most recent stats that we have, but you should always refer ultimately to the UM Financial Aid website.

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• The Flagship Student: Benefits and Requirements (read carefully)

  • Flagship is a federally-funded, selective program with the goal of bringing students to a professional level of proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and the cultural competency to match. This funding will provide you with a long list of benefits otherwise unavailable to most college students studying a foreign language; however, there are a number of requirements associated with being a Flagship student–requirements that can sometimes seem extreme if you do not have a clear picture of the program’s goals.

  Flagship provides funding so that its students can succeed, but on a meta level, its goal is to influence a paradigm shift in the way foreign languages are viewed, taught and assessed by the general American public. They are not requiring you, as an immediate beneficiary of their funds, to return the favor by working in the Department of Defense, or in any part of the federal government. They do, however, expect you to graduate from university as a prototypical “certified Flagship alum.” As public and private employers become familiar with what a certified Flagship alum can do, Flagship believes that expectations will rise to meet this new supply of highly capable employees. This in turn will eventually influence the entire American education system to mimic the Flagship approach and eventually lead to a much larger, more qualified pool of applicants to government posts that need their skills the most.

  With that in mind, we strongly encourage you to look carefully over both the benefits and requirements of our Flagship program before committing.

  • Benefits

    Here is a list of the tangible, and some intangible, benefits you will receive as a Flagship student.

    • Very small class sizes (usually 5-10 students per section)
    • Scholarships toward our pre-freshman summer, two required summers abroad, and for Capstone year (see the “Program Costs and Scholarships” section below for details)
    • Individual tutoring sessions every semester on campus
    • A dedicated faculty with as much stake in your success as you have (as measured by proficiency outcomes and program completion)
    • A sense of community fostered by
      • the extensive amount of time you will spend with your classmates and teachers
      • the continuity of teachers and classmates (You will go through each stage of the program as a single cohort and will have the same teacher, usually for an entire year. The resident director at the Shanghai summer program will also be one of your teachers.)
      • the use of upperclassmen as tutors for underclassmen, including during the pre-freshman summer (older students are tutored by graduate students from China)
      • program-organized cultural events, such as the Chinese Moon Festival and Chinese New Year, in which all Flagship students participate and are assigned roles
    • Individual meetings with instructors that occur on a regular basis
    • Advising sessions with the program director
    • Frequent proficiency checks, often in the form of internationally-recognized exams, such as the OPI, which would otherwise cost students hundreds of dollars over the course of their college careers
    • Integration into Chinese academic and professional life through Capstone (internships, for example, are a rare occurrence in China,
      and most companies would not place a non-native speaker in a role that required their full involvement in daily operations, using Chinese most, or all, of the time)
    • Unprecedented proficiency outcomes, largely due to
      • Having exclusive courses with students equally willing to dedicate great amounts of time and energy to preparing for and performing in class
      • Having a curriculum that fits 8 years’ worth of intensive curriculum into 5. By the time you finish your sophomore year, you will have covered as much coursework as most traditional programs can cover in 4. The fact that you are studying intensively means that your proficiency level will likely be higher as well (almost all of our sophomores score Advanced Low or Mid on their spring OPI’s)
    • High cultural competence from years of exposure to a hierarchical Chinese organizational unit (namely, our program, where our program director is at the top, our instructors are in the middle, and you are at the bottom), and of course, to extensive time abroad.

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  • Special Note for Students Interested in Intel / Government Agencies

    Ole Miss is an especially good place to prepare for a career with a three-letter agency. Combinations like Chinese Flagship & ISS, and in many cases, Honors, Croft, Flagship, and ISS. Needless to say, these agencies see the value as well, and many students begin doing internships and talking to recruiters as early as freshman year.

    With very few exceptions, Flagship makes you a much more sought-after candidate for these agencies, and your travel abroad is an added benefit to them and you.

    HOWEVER, to have a successful career, keep your options open, and maintain your commitment to completing Flagship (including Capstone), as is required to stay in Flagship, you will need to preparing for future job applications, security checks, etc.

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  • Requirements

    And here is a list of Flagship requirements, most of which are not typical for an independent college student studying a foreign language.

    • Entering the program at the most appropriate level as determined by our director (beginners must start in the summer; if they cannot, they must take the first year of instruction during freshman year and re-apply to Flagship; those with experience must take a placement exam and begin where the director deems most suitable for them and for the program. Students have some say in this process, but far less than they might expect)
    • Completing all stages of the curriculum, including summer programming overseas. These stages are designed to keep a student’s proficiency advancing at the pace necessary to keep up with the entire class and to insure that each student has the requisite course content and proficiency scores to apply successfully to Capstone.
      Note: With approval from our director, students may replace the second summer abroad with a semester abroad. This may be advantageous or necessary for certain types of programs or majors. Army ROTC, for example, prefers that students not be abroad in the summer after sophomore year. Spending spring of sophomore year abroad can raise a student’s proficiency enough to skip the summer and still start fall of junior year on the same level as the cohort. Students who must complete an internship in the summer after sophomore year (sometimes required of Security Studies or CME students), may also want/need to spend spring of sophomore year abroad. For some students, it may be better/easier to spend fall of junior year abroad instead. Spring of junior year is by far the most popular time for college students to go abroad, but in Flagship, this only works if a student has already completed a second summer abroad (or if the student placed into a higher cohort when starting college). ANY PLANS TO DEVIATE FROM THE USUAL FLAGSHIP CURRICULUM AND SCHEDULING SHOULD BE DISCUSSED WITH AND APPROVED BY THE DIRECTOR, IDEALLY 1 OR MORE YEARS IN ADVANCE.
    • Commitment to Capstone
      Some upperclassmen begin to realize how marketable they already are with their language skills and experience in China and start to wonder whether Capstone is worth the extra time and money. It is important that they remember that the Capstone experience is not necessarily designed to help them land their first job; it is far more beneficial in most cases, for career advancement when they reach a higher level of expertise in their fields, at which point they can interact with their Chinese counterparts in representing their company, agency, etc. Successful Flagship student must maintain a long-range view of their professional lives in order to remain excited about the amount of time and effort they must dedicate to their linguistic and cultural development.Note: a student must remain committed to attending Capstone in order to maintain Flagship standing. If a student opts not to complete a required phase in our curriculum (such as a summer abroad or an upper level course), the program will assume that the student will not advance enough linguistically to hit the next proficiency benchmark and will be barred from taking any Flagship courses. If a student indicates verbally or in writing that he/she does not intend to go to Capstone, he/she will likewise lose Flagship status and access to Flagship courses. On occasion, a student may be required by the director to move mid-semester from a Flagship course to a non-Flagship course. If at any time you begin to have questions about whether Capstone is a viable option for you (based on a change in your career plans, for example, it is best to come express your situation and concerns with program staff rather than to announce that you will not attend Capstone, OR to remain quiet about it until it’s too late. Some students have lost out on great opportunities or lost out on completing the major because they made a decision based on their own assumptions without consulting program staff who are far more knowledgeable on alternate pathways).
    • Making room in each semester’s schedule for Chinese Flagship coursework. Most students are double-majors, and the program strongly encourages this, making special accommodations when possible to allow students to complete all requirements for each; however, if our director determines that a certain course is necessary for a student to hit our proficiency benchmarks, a student must adjust his/her schedule accordingly or risk removal from the program.
      Note: students who fall significantly behind the proficiency benchmark for a given course may be denied access to the course, thereby losing their Flagship status until they catch up, which would probably require that they study abroad for a semester (assuming the program director believes that they can and that there is still time for them to get back on track for Capstone)
    • Cooperating with course section assignments. this will be discussed in more detail elsewhere. Students may be manually assigned to the Chinese Flagship course section that is most beneficial to the entire group. The program will avoid as much as possible any course conflicts with essential courses for their major(s), but students are NOT guaranteed to be in their preferred section if it is not necessary and not beneficial to the program.
    • Abiding by a strict attendance and participation policy. Attendance is extremely important for the success of a language learner for obvious practical reasons. Beyond this, attending class and arriving on time are even more essential to a student who wishes to succeed in a Chinese cultural environment while in college and in the work force. We have an unforgiving attendance policy that automatically fails a student for missing more than the maximum number of courses. With or without doctor’s notes or other documentation, a student can lose their Flagship standing, simply because they do not have the proficiency necessary to succeed in the course or to allow the class to move forward at full speed.Tardies, while a common occurrence amongst American college students, are considered highly inappropriate of Flagship students. Being late is considered extremely rude in Chinese culture and therefore will be viewed very unfavorably by our teaching staff. Students may not be removed from the program for this (at least during the regular semester) but if students need special consideration or recommendation from our teaching team, they probably will not get it. If students are late to organized events, especially those that involve travel, while at our Shanghai summer program, they can be sent home and lose their Flagship standing.

      Important advice: inform your teachers when you be late or miss class. This may seem impractical, especially when you are just a few minutes away, or when you are sick in bed. Culture does not always favor what is most practical, at least on the surface level. When a student misses class, Chinese teachers worry. They worry about the student’s well-being and the loss of proficiency, but they also begin to doubt a student’s dedication.
      When a student writes or texts them appropriately, these concerns are addressed. The teacher can stop worrying, and the student’s reputation is left untarnished. One important additional level is that a teacher must always be ready to give an account of her students to the director. If the student leaves the teacher in the dark, that teacher risks a loss of face. Whether you realize how important it is or not, if you don’t communicate, the loss of face is yours.

    • Conveying a positive, fully-dedicated attitude toward Flagship and Flagship coursework. In Western culture, we tend to let results speak for themselves. If I am a student who consistently demonstrates a greater knowledge base command of target concepts than my classmates, and if I usually earn A’s on tests, quizzes, and homework, I would normally assume that my teachers are happy with me. If I maintain strong grades but shift my focus to other courses, where I am less confident, or if I sign up for more classes to push myself, finish extra majors/minors, or finish college faster, my teachers should be respectful of me as an individual, trying to make the most of my life. In Chinese culture, however, the attitude I convey is often more important than my performance.There can often be a disparity between how a student feels and how the faculty assess his/her performance. Students must develop instincts for how they are viewed and how they can influence Chinese people’s view of them. The goal is to eventually be able to anticipate how someone would view certain decisions/behaviors and adjust accordingly. This understandably takes several semesters or longer to develop. From the start, however, students must make sure that they are always giving them impression that they are fully prepared for class and fully engaged to learn.

      For some students, it seems unrealistic for their teachers to expect this of them, and it can even feel dishonest for them to have to act in ways they don’t necessarily feel every single day. Simply put, this is Chinese culture. It’s like asking, “how are you?” to someone, not because you want a literal answer but because you want to make sure that person knows that you care about them. You’re being sincere, but not necessarily at the surface level. To show your teachers you value the hard work they put into each day’s lesson, or more realistically, to make sure they do not assume that you don’t value their efforts, you must actively manage the level of dedication and enthusiasm you convey through your preparation, your body language, your penmanship, your formulation of questions, comments, and requests, etc.

    • Responding positively to setbacks and correction. Clearly, mastering the cultural expectations of the Flagship program is achieved through some trial and error. There will be tense, confusing, frustrating moments for almost every student. Most of the time, when students commits cultural errors, it is entirely unintentional.
      They are often taken aback by the reaction they get from their teachers or from the director. In the same way that Flagship classrooms are a linguistic immersion experience, where students are treated as if they speak Chinese, and very little English is ever spoken, teachers do not “break character” to address a cultural problem. Instead, students are treated in a very similar fashion to how native Chinese college students might be treated if they were to commit the same misstep. It is important for students to appreciate this sometimes harsh treatment and to adapt as quickly as possible.One common mistake is for American student to give a detailed, rational, objective explanation of their thought process and/or how the situation turned out the way it did. The reality is that, in a collective society like China’s, the primary focus is on the group. Changing that focus to yourself, especially when the focus had to be unduly drawn to you when you disrupted the smooth forward progress of the class or inconvenience the teacher in some way, is like adding insult to injury.

      The best response is usually to apologize as sincerely as possible and then to wait for the next opportunity to prove your dedication and newfound cultural knowledge. This approach comes more easily to some students than others, but ultimately, to succeed in Chinese society, it is a universal requirement.

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  • Is Flagship right for me?

    The section above is not designed to scare students off and pare down our program size. We have plenty of capacity and would happily double our numbers if we could. We mainly want to provide you with the most thorough and realistic understanding of our program so that you will know what it means to be a Flagship student. If after reading both the benefits and requirements of a Flagship student you remain excited about what you will achieve, the answer is obvious. If you are concerned about the extra financial, practical, or cultural burdens inherent to being in the program, our advice to you would be to discuss it further. We are happy to answer any questions you have, but to get a sense of what it’s truly like to be a Flagship student, you should absolutely make sure you speak with multiple students. Our students are at the ready to talk to you about the things they love about Flagship, but also the things that might be seen as “necessary evils” (there are no shortcuts to true language mastery).

    If you already know from prior experience that giving up your individualism, making sacrifices for the group, or just waking up early and/or being on time to class would be a major obstacle for you, then we hope this information will give you more confidence about walking away from what would otherwise be a great opportunity.
    Financial considerations: We wish it were not so, but even with substantial program scholarships, many families may still find Flagship to be a costly investment. Each student/family will have to decide whether the program is feasible for them, with or without getting a part-time job or taking out loans, join a scholarship-granting program, like ROTC, etc. If you are eligible for federal financial aid based on financial need (i.e., a Pell grant), we are often able to provide enough financial assistance and/or help you locate the resources you need to afford our required study abroad.

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  • Alternatives: What if I decide later to drop Flagship?

    Some students rule themselves out too early, often thinking that, with the other majors and/or special programs they are pursuing, they won’t have time for Flagship. Sometimes they can join late, but they almost always wish they had given it a shot from the start. The inverse, of course, is also true, and it’s very hard to predict who might decide that Flagship no longer coincides with their long-term goals. Except in cases of gross misconduct, we remain supportive of all students, even if they switch to the non-Flagship Chinese track or even to an entirely different language or major.

    It is important that you know from day 1, however, how you complete the major or minor, either as a Flagship or non-Flagship student.
    You will find full details of the Chinese language major in the Course Catalog, and a detailed description of how to pursue that major in the “Chinese Major (non-Flagship)” section of our web page Majoring, Minoring, and Choosing Chinese Courses at UM.

    The most important thing to note is that no Chinese courses count toward the major until the 300 level. Flagship classes are almost all 5 credits per semester, while non-Flagship courses are usually 3. This means that, without studying abroad, non-Flagship students only complete 12 to 15 credits toward the major or minor by the time they graduate (15 are required for the minor and 30 for the major). This means that, even if you are not in Flagship, you will need to study abroad to complete the major.

    Also note that our non-Flagship courses move at a much slower pace than our Flagship courses. You should take into consideration both what you want to ultimately achieve by studying Chinese and also how important the major or minor are to you before making a final decision. If you find yourself uncertain about what to do, we can help you go over your options.

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• Parent Involvement

  In completing the (many) administrative procedures below, your parents will likely be very involved. For the typical incoming Flagship freshman, spring of senior year is usually at least as busy, if not more so, than any previous semester. We understand that in many cases, your parents will be acting as your “proxy,” at least until you have fully committed.

  That being said, please remember that the primary goal of Chinese Flagship on the national, long-range scale is “to create global professionals” In that spirit, we want to encourage you to begin as early as you can to take the reins.

  A general concept in Chinese culture is that those in lower social positions do most of the “footwork” and must show that they are always acting with the interest of the group in mind. This means inconveniencing oneself in order to keep things convenient for the teacher/director, who is overseeing overall processes for the entire group. It also means being ready to take corrective action quickly when a problem arises. When students’ default behavior is to “delegate” all administrative procedures to their parents, they often end up behind the curve and rubbing our faculty and other Chinese administrators (like those at Shanghai University) the wrong way. In China, where relationship management (关系 － guānxì) is one of the foundations of society, students who do not develop an intuition and effective strategy for such procedures become a social liability to themselves and to our program.

  This concept is often at odds with American culture, where students by default act in their own interests, making decisions based on what appear to be the full range of choices afforded to them, at least up to the point that established rules allow. Students often assume that, as long as no one has warned them (often with one or more reminders) to notice something, they are free to continue on the most comfortable and convenient course they know. Developing an intuition for this aspect of Chinese culture is by no means an easy process. It is something we are tasked with teaching Flagship students, and it is a process that arguably never ends. Students who begin early, however, and who learn to show in various ways that they are consciously working at self-improvement, tend to have better interactions with our teachers and better experiences overall in our summer programs. By the time they reach Capstone, they are noticeably better-prepared than their peers. They receive (subtle) preferential treatment when interacting with Chinese teachers and administrators abroad (who may have only partial, incidental understanding of American culture) and tend to have better outcomes at every stage of Capstone (apartment selection, course selection, roommate selection, obtaining an internship, etc.)

  This process begins with having the ability to take quick action on tasks, which in turn, requires prior experience in administrative processes, and perhaps more importantly, prior experience in learning things for the first time, or “learning how to learn.”

  Getting used to bureaucratic administrative processes is a very basic feature of understanding China and navigating its society effectively. Submitting your immunization records, for example, may not seem like a useful life skill, but when you apply for a long-term Chinese student visa for Capstone, you will find that providing medical documentation to a Chinese university is a far more involved process than faxing your records to Ole Miss. Signing up for housing and orientation are also important, as you will do similar things as early as next spring when (most of) you are getting ready to go to Shanghai.

  To succeed in Chinese culture you will have to be in the habit of taking quick action on tasks, which in turn, requires prior experience in administrative processes, and perhaps more importantly, prior experience in learning things for the first time, or “learning how to learn.” Parents can serve as mentors for this process, but you will need to be able to act .

  Also, often by age 18, young people no longer wish to be taught by parents, preferring instead to do things for themselves, or more likely, to rely on the advice of their peers. It is good for them to be taking initiative and learning for themselves, but they must become aware of the limits of their own knowledge and experience and suspect of the advice coming from friends, who are often no less knowledgeable than themselves. If you do not feel comfortable being your parents’ “apprentice,” please reach out to our Flagship staff. We do not want you to remain overly reliant on your parents as you move through your undergraduate career, but neither do we want you to remain overly reliant on yourself. It’s a much slower learning process that can be costly in both your money and your time.

  Parents, we do want you to be involved, not just in getting your child (or rather, “young adult”) ready for full autonomy, but also in following, promoting, and improving our program. We are open to your ideas and want you to be connected with each other. We cannot require students to include you in their college experience, but as long as they are willing, we do hope that you all connect via the most convenient media for everyone, which changes from year to year and group to group. We do not have the time or means to coordinate this, but we can give you a platform to get started:

  Some suggestions on topics that parents might consider discussing:

  • How to help promote our program, both locally and nationally through local schools and social media. Remember, we offer a free, credit-granting residential high school summer program every July called StarTalk, and we can help bring a trained Chinese teacher to a local high school for $10k per year (the school pays this stipend while our university waives tuition for them to complete a master’s degree on our campus during the summer months).
  • How to develop Flagship-specific scholarships for students of exceptional academic abilities and/or financial needs. Students in our program come from vastly differing socio-economic backgrounds, with some needing lots of help and others in a position to act philanthropically. The University Foundation is always happy to help set up scholarships in the most strategic ways, and we can provide some suggestions in what would be most beneficial to recipients. For example, we have long wished to partner with those who have ties to business in China who might benefit from taking on a Flagship student as an intern before and during the Capstone year (Capstone requires a semester-long unpaid internship, which we believe could be bolstered by experience with a company, perhaps even stateside in a summer prior to Capstone participation.) With or without a dedicated scholarship component (obviously not in place of internship pay), such an arrangement could have profound benefits to the student as well as a company seeking highly competent, long-term employees. Almost all of our students have a second major, ranging from business and/or finance, international studies (with a international economics and business track), computer science, all strains of engineering, accounting, etc., and a few are also members of our manufacturing minor (CME).
  • How to design, order, and distribute Flagship-branded “swag,” such as hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, etc. for both students and their families. These items are restricted from our grant budgets, but we believe they can add a sense of community and pride to everyone involved. After all, students bear the brunt of the stress and workload, but they can’t succeed without the strong moral (and often financial) support of their loved ones. Wearable items are also great conversation starters and word-of-mouth advertisement far beyond the reach of our very limited recruiting budget.

  Note: parents are welcome to contact us for clarification, or even to offer constructive criticism; however, in almost all cases (crises excepted), even when it seems less efficient, we will always direct our communications to students. Getting students to each of Flagship’s proficiency benchmarks is no easy task. We cram as many as 7 years worth of classroom instruction into 5. Preparing students to face China as a “global professional” with full cultural competence is even more challenging. No textbook can be written to act as a roadmap. Practicing autonomy is perhaps the first, and most important step.

  If interested, add info to this Google sheet:

  (Optional) Parent Contact Info

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• Placement

  Students who have studied Mandarin formally will be given a placement interview to determine their best point of entry from among the following:

  • Beginning of Summer Session 1 (CHIN 111)
  • Beginning of Summer Session 2 (CHIN 112)
  • Beginning of Fall, Freshman year (CHIN 211)
  • Post-Freshman Summer at UM Shanghai Program (CHIN 215)
  • Beginning of Fall, Sophomore year (CHIN 314)
  • Beginning of Fall, Junior year (CHIN 417)

  Students who have studied Chinese before and have conflicts may skip one or two days in the first summer session. Others are strongly discouraged from missing any days. It is extremely easy to fall behind, and there is almost no way to catch back up, at least during the summer.

  It is difficult to determine where one will place based on one’s years of formal study. Some students with 6 years have placed into first summer session, and others with two have placed into CHIN 314. Still, every year, one or more students place into our Shanghai program and begin their college careers in China with the rising sophomores.

  We will contact students shortly after accepting them to set up a placement interview. Even if you are not ready to commit to the university, it is a good idea to do the placement. Knowing where you will start could affect your decision, especially since skipping ahead usually means saving money (see “Program Costs and Scholarships” section for more info).

  If you believe you need to be placed but have not heard from us, please contact us immediately at chinese@olemiss.edu.

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• Program Costs and Scholarships

  The relatively low tuition rates, along with the automatic, merit-based scholarships and selective specialized programs, are one of the main draws for our student, both residents and non-residents.

  Still, Flagship is not free. Here is the breakdown of the stages that will add to the overall cost of your undergraduate education:

  • Pre-Freshman Summer at Ole Miss ≈ $1,570 – $4,860 (housing & tuition)

    • The pre-freshman summer amount includes tuition and housing, but not food. The amount is halved if a student skips the first 4 weeks. An in-state or out-of state student with very high grades and test scores may pay as little as $1,550k per session. In-state students with relatively low grades and test scores (still good) may pay slightly over $2,200, and non-residents as much as $2,350 per session (these may fluctuate depending on available funds and increases in summer tuition and housing costs but should remain fairly consistent). The amount may be lowered by approximately $800 if a student opts to participate in JumpStart (see related section).

      • Tuition, Housing, & Meal Plan Sites:
        • Summer Tuition Page
          • Our Domestic Summer Program consists of CHIN 111 (5 credits) & CHIN 112 (5 credits).
          • If you are starting from the beginning of the summer, look at the row corresponding to 10 total credits; if you are starting in CHIN 112, look at row for 5.
          • Look at the “Residents” column if you are a Mississippi resident and the “Total” (far right) column if you are not.
        • Summer Housing Page
          • Scroll down to the Summer Housing table.
          • Our Domestic Summer Program consists of Summer-1 & Summer-2.
          • By default, you will pay for a double room for each session (students starting in CHIN 112 pay for only Summer-2, unless they choose to come to Summer-1 to take other, non-Flagship courses).
          • There is a good chance that you will have another Flagship student as a roommate if you complete the housing registration process at the prescribed times.
          • You will have to work with housing to request a single room, if desired, and you would have to pay the increased fees.
      • UM Meal Plan Site
        • Summer meal plans may not appear on this site until mid April.
        • Costs differ widely from student to student (in recent years, they ranged from $300 to $1,000).
• Post-Freshman Summer at UM Shanghai Program ≈ $3k

  • Because we run it ourselves, the post-freshman summer has a reduced cost (≈ $3,500 including airfare). Each participant receives ≈ $3k in scholarship funds (subject to availability).

• Post-Sophomore Summer in China ≈ $5k

  • The post-sophomore summer could cost $0 if a student applies successfully for certain programs or scholarships, but they are hard to come by and should be thought of as basically a lottery. Programs often cost up to $10k, including airfare, but we offer a scholarship to each student for ≈ $5k (subject to availability).

• The Capstone Year ≈ $7,250

  • The Capstone year could potentially cost nothing if a student seeks outside funding, particularly from the Honors College, or if a student is interested in at least short-term government service and applies for a Boren Scholarship.

There are additional scholarships for study abroad, some of which are listed on our university’s Study Abroad site, but they tend to be partial.

Students who can demonstrate financial need based on their FAFSA submission are eligible for additional funding through our department and also from certain external scholarship sources, so get in touch with us early if you fall in this category. Flagship is not free, but it should not seem so burdensome as to preclude most students from participating.

As for 4-year scholarships, please refer to our detailed scholarship lists below for a good estimate of how much you can expect to pay (or be paid) as an undergraduate at Ole Miss:

Tuition & Scholarship Info Page

• Instructions

  Some students are ready to commit and get started on administrative tasks as soon as they are admitted, while others need until mid-April or longer to hear back from the many institutions to which they have been accepted. We recommend that you take the time to visit as many of them as possible, particularly if they have a Chinese program and other special programs of interest to you.

  Regardless of your time frame, we STRONGLY ADVISE you to ACT NOW on the items in this section.

  Some processes do have fees associated with them, but if you can afford it, signing up early will ensure that you start the fall with a course schedule and a residence that best suit your preferences.

  If you are unable to complete these early, do not panic. Freshman course sections are numerous, and there is some flexibility in housing assignments, at least when it comes to roommates. See the corresponding section for advice on applying late to other special programs.

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• Special Program Applications

  Please make sure you have considered other UM special programs that might interest you. Do NOT rule them out simply based on an assumption that you won’t have time. Even if their priority deadlines are past, it is worth applying late and at least being on their waiting list. Do not hesitate to call them in person.

  Very often, when students make assumptions about what is possible or impossible without trying it out, getting fully informed, and/or talking to current students who are already doing it, they miss the window in which they could start down that road … or they pay for many more winter, summer, and other intersessions trying to fit in extra classes. Every year there are students who are un-pleasantly surprised to learn that there are a handful of students who are doing all the things they originally wanted to do but chose not to simply because they thought it wasn’t possible. Not everyone is suited for this, but we have a recent graduate who successfully completed Honors, Croft, Chinese Flagship, CISS (security studies), and Air Force ROTC. If you are worried about turning a minor into a second major, there’s a good chance you can, especially if you have that as your goal from the first day of fall, freshman year (or earlier if you place out of our summer program or want to come for May or August intersession).

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• URGENT: Submit Immunization Records ☷

  You need to fax a copy of your shot records to Campus Health (662-915-5292) as soon as possible. It may not be possible for you to sign up for orientation, when registration opens, if you have not completed this step. This is required of all incoming freshmen, and a hold is placed on your account until it is done. We will not be able to register you for classes or begin paying out your scholarships beforehand.

  more info on this page healthcenter.olemiss.edu/health-requirements-and-forms/

  When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

  Immunization Submission Form

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• URGENT: Sign Up for Fall Orientation (March 5, 2018 at 8:30 a.m. CST) ☷

  IMPORTANT: you should double-check that you can log into my.olemiss.edu and that you have successfully submitted your immunization records well in advance of March 5.

  Registering late for orientation can have a drastic effect on your summer and leave you with a highly undesirable fall schedule.

  You have probably received emails prompting you to sign up for an orientation session during the summer. Students are able to register for Fall courses only after they attend an orientation session and meet with an academic advisor. They begin in mid spring and fill up very, very quickly.

  Although some occur earlier, most of the orientation sessions are scheduled on week days during the First and Second Summer Sessions (SS1 & SS2). Except in extreme cases, we will NOT allow you to miss class to attend an orientation session.

  Here are basic guidelines for scheduling your session:

  1) If you are in Honors and live within convenient driving distance, you should attend the Honors Orientation session on May 23-24 (Tues-Wed). This is NOT an option for non-honors students.

  *March 5 is the day listed on the Orientation website that registration will open. The Honors College will most likely make its final decisions before this date. If you applied and do not hear back from them by then, please sign up for the next earliest slot that fits your schedule (according to the instructions below). If you are later accepted to Honors, you may check with Orientation about switching to the honors session.

  2) If you’re attending SS1 and are not in Honors, or if making two trips would be a considerable inconvenience, you should plan on attending Freshman Session 1, which is May 24-25 (Thurs-Fri) SIGN UP AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE, as early sessions fill up very quickly (within days, if not hours, of the application opening). This would still require you to find lodging over the weekend until dorms open..

  3) If options 1 and 2 are not possible, convenient, or cost-effective, we have set Orientation Session 2 (June 5-6) as the default for all students beginning in Summer Session 1. Because this session occurs during the week, we will cancel class on these two days and instead hold class on the preceding Saturday and Sunday (June 3-4). Other students will need to “fend for themselves,” signing up as early as they can. Attending orientation during our summer program (while you are attending) is a very bad idea. Missing class puts you at serious risk of falling behind, and yes, missing two consecutive days has been enough to end some students’ Flagship careers in the past. Culturally speaking, absences and tardies are far less acceptable to Chinese teachers. They do take the reasons into consideration, but failing to sign up early would only be overlooked if a student found out about and applied to Flagship very late.

  Remember, there is a very large time window between the last orientation and the start of fall semester. If you live in a distant state, it may be unavoidable for you to buy multiple airline tickets. That being said, let us know WITH PLENTY OF WARNING if you are traveling alone (most likely to Memphis Int’l Airport – MEM), and we may be able to pick you up (public transportation is scarce and quite expensive).

  Session 2 may appear to be closed, precisely because several spots have been reserved for students in this and other special programs taking place in SS1. To gain access to this session, you will need to sign up AND PAY for another session, and then fill out the form below BY APRIL 15. After this point, the Orientation office will allow the session to fill completely.

  3) If you’re attending SS1 and have a time conflict with the Session 2 dates, contact us immediately so that we can approve any absences and then instruct you on which session to attend. If you have little to no Chinese background, this session will most likely be at the end of the second or third week of class. Beginners simply can’t afford to miss the introductory phase of instruction without drastically increasing the chances of falling irreversibly behind.

  For a full listing of all sessions, and to find instructions on how to register for Orientation, start with this page of their website:
  https://orientation.olemiss.edu/programs/programs-freshmen-and-family-members/program-dates/

  For more information pertaining to Orientation, advising, and course selection, please see our section below called, “To Complete During Orientation.”

  When you have registered for Orientation, please submit this short Google form for our records:

  Orientation Registration Confirmation Form

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• Prepare for Fall Registration (Before May 15) ☷

  In order to ensure the best fall schedule (in terms of classes and class times), look over the requirements for your intended major(s), as well as elective courses you might be interested in.
  You can look for info for your major(s), minor(s) or program(s) of interest through departmental websites. All the required coursework should be listed in the UM Catalog: https://catalog.olemiss.edu/courses.

  Make sure that the courses you intend to take in the fall have sections that do not conflict with your Chinese Flagship course. For most new freshmen, this will be CHIN 211.

  All Chinese Flagship courses can be found in the Curriculum section of this site

  The entire UM Course Schedule is found in my.olemiss.edu. Just log in and search for “Course Schedule.”

  Set Your Major Strategically for the Best Advising

  Advising take place on Day 2 of your Orientation session, but the scheduling happens before May 15.

  Follow the steps below to make sure you get the most out of the advising session:

  1. Make sure your Program of Study is accurate (go to “Change Specializations and Minors” in MyOleMiss if you aren’t sure). Do this BEFORE May 15, as it can be more difficult to make changes in the system after the university begins its first orientation session.
  2. If your current Program of Study is “Undeclared,” “Chinese,” or something you no longer plan to do: change it immediately. This will insure that you are able to meet with an advisor at your orientation without any rescheduling or other inconveniences. If you truly plan on having Chinese as your only major (very rare among Flagship students), or if your other programs are not actually majors (like ROTC & security studies, which are minors), then keep Chinese as your intended major. Otherwise, it’s better to get advising for your other majors during orientation. We will have ample opportunity to advise you, and you can look over our advising page (https://chinese.olemiss.edu/majoring-minoring-and-choosing-chinese-courses-at-um/) and share it with your advisor(s) during orientation. Also, our professors tend to be out of the country in the summer, so you would only be able to get general advising from a non-Chinese Modern Languages professor. Again, do this BEFORE May 15.
  3. If you are hesitating to add something as your second major and instead planning to minor in it because you’re just not sure you can handle all its requirements on top of Chinese Flagship, it would be a good idea to go ahead and set it as your major and get advised by their faculty during orientation. Very often, when students make assumptions about what is possible or impossible without trying it out, getting fully informed, and/or talking to current students who are already doing it, they miss the window in which they could start down that road … or they pay for many more winter, summer, and other intersessions trying to fit in extra classes. Every year there are students who are un-pleasantly surprised to learn that there are a handful of students who are doing all the things they originally wanted to do but chose not to simply because they thought it wasn’t possible. Not everyone is suited for this, but we have a recent graduate who successfully completed Honors, Croft, Chinese Flagship, CISS (security studies), and Air Force ROTC. If you are worried about turning a minor into a second major, there’s a good chance you can, especially if you have that as your goal from the first day of fall, freshman year (or earlier if you place out of our summer program or want to come for May or August intersession). Again, do this BEFORE May 15.
  4. If you really aren’t sure about another major or program to do, or if you can’t narrow down your interests, you should keep (or switch to) “Chinese.” This will insure that you get good general advising during orientation for liberal arts requirements and general courses. You can also contact the Center for Student Success and First-Year Experience (https://cssfye.olemiss.edu/advising/), who have advisors well-versed in all majors and how to best explore them. Do not hesitate to contact us in Flagship starting now with any questions or concerns you might have about your interests and how to combine them with Flagship. We can easily compare your interests with the many, many students who have gone before you and in many cases, put you in touch with students (and alums) who may have already proven that your plans are possible.
  5. Jennifer Phillips, the Assistant Director for Retention & Instructor at the Center for Student Success and First-Year Experience asked that we list her by name so that you can call or email at any time during the spring or summer:(662) 915-5970
     jenn@olemiss.eduYou can also visit her during orientation, when you have gaps in your schedule. During all orientation sessions, she is at the front desk of their office to meet with anyone who comes by.
  6. For those (most) of you with another major, we will make sure that you add Chinese as a major after orientation. If possible, we will work with the university to get it added alongside your other major; otherwise, we will instruct you on how to get it added by visiting the Liberal Arts office once you are on campus.

  When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

  Your Intended Majors, Minors, Programs, etc.

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• FAFSA (Before March 1*)☷

  We also urge all students to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the University to make sure that they may receive all student aid to which they are entitled and to be eligible to apply for certain study abroad scholarship opportunities.

  See the Financial Aid Timeline for more information

  *March 1 is the priority date to submit FAFSA and deadline for FAFSA submission to be considered for the Ole Miss Opportunity award.

  Please submit this short Google form for our records:
  FAFSA Submission Status

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• Committing to The University of Mississippi

  Many universities have a process by which new students formally indicate their intention to attend the university in the fall. The University of Mississippi does not.

  To indicate to the university that you intend to enroll here, you need only begin the process of fall registration. This would include signing up for an orientation session, completing the fall housing application, sending in your immunization records, and any other prompts given to you by the Admissions office. Many of these processes are explained below in their own sections. Contact Admissions at (662) 915-7226 for more information.

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• Committing to Flagship ☷

  Committing to Flagship, is a multi-step process:

  1. First, we would like to hear from you via telephone and/or email as soon as it is convenient. We want to make sure your questions get answered and that, if you haven’t already, you come for a visit, or at least speak with students with similar interests and career plans. Of course, we’d love to hear from you if you’re ready to commit immediately, but we’re just as grateful to hear right away if you have to decline. This allows us to plan more accurately our summer and fall rosters and to move down the line on our admission and scholarship waiting lists. It is also helpful, if you have to delay, to hear your general time frame for making your decision. A very short message from you will keep us from contacting you needlessly during what is surely a very busy final semester of high school
  2. Secondly, we, the university, and all other scholarship committees and special programs, very much appreciate your taking the time to formally accept or decline your offer online. The steps are as follows:
     • i. Navigate to my.olemiss.edu and log in.
     • ii. Click on the “Academics” tab.
     • iii. Then click the “Special Programs and Scholarship Application” tab (left hand side).
     • iv. Now, choose “Manage Special Programs and Scholarships Application”.
     • v. Sign in to the application.
     • vi. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
     • vii. Choose “Check Application Status.”
     • viii. Then, choose “View Details…”
     • ix. From here, you should see options for responding to your offer.

     The absolute final deadline for you to respond is May 1; however, in order to prepare you to possibly attend one of our summer programs, and to make sure that any vacant spots or scholarships can be rewarded to another applicant, we ask that you notify us of your decision as soon as possible.

     When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

     Decision Submission Confirmation

     This may seem redundant, but it helps ensure that no one forgets to complete this important step.

  3. Finally, your final commitment will not take place until your arrival on campus. You will undergo a brief orientation and will sign a hard copy document showing your understanding of and compliance with our policies.

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Note: You May Need to Complete a Placement Interview Before Knowing Which Sections Below Apply to You

• All Students

   

  • Orientation Session Tuesday, May 29 from 10am to 2pm

    Every year we hold an orientation for all incoming Freshman Flagship students on the Tuesday after Memorial Day. All new Flagship students are strongly encouraged to attend, and for students taking CHIN 111, it is mandatory. All family members are also encouraged to attend. This event will be held in the gallery on the first floor of the Croft Institute, which is on the Circle, in the middle of campus: See Map

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  • Apply for Your Ole Miss Student ID Card

    You will need an ID card for many basic things, including using UM Dining Services. The most convenient way to get an ID card made is to visit the ID Center on campus. If, for any reason, you will be on campus this spring, stop by and have one made. It only takes a few minutes. Otherwise, you may need to wait until your orientation session. If you are not attending orientation before beginning your summer classes, please contact the UM Orientation office to find out how you can get a card made ahead of time.

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• Students Taking Any Courses This Summer

   

  • Change Your Term of Entry ☷

    (only Students beginning in a summer session, but ALL students should fill out Google form at bottom of this section)

    This process is necessary for all students beginning in the summer. Fall entry is the default for all new students.

    All students who have studied Chinese before need to confirm with us where/when they will begin in the program before proceeding. Only true beginners should assume that they can or must begin in Summer Session I.

    IMPORTANT: BEFORE SUBMITTING, TAKE A SCREEN SHOT so that you can prove that you entered the correct academic year and term.

    Instructions:

    • Visit my.olemiss.edu.
    • Without logging in, find and submit the Change of Campus/Major/Turn Form under the ADMISSIONS heading in one of the panes in the middle of the page.
    • After filling out the visible fields, more options will appear, including, “Do you wish to change your application/admission term?,” to which you will click “yes.”
    • Then, where it says, “Please change my application/admission term from:” put “Fall” of 2018-19
    • Those taking summer courses will change their entry to Full Summer Session (if it is the only option), or to First Summer Session, or Second Summer Session (depending on placement) of 2016-17 (summer courses are included in the preceding school year.) TAKE A SCREEN SHOT BEFORE SUBMITTING!!!!
    • Note: make sure to change the academic year to 2017-18, as summer courses are included in the preceding school year. IF YOU ENTER THIS INCORRECTLY, IT CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND AND FIX

    When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

    Change of Term Confirmation

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• Students Taking Any Courses on Campus This Summer

   

  • Sign Up for Summer Housing (Beginning April 2) ☷

    You will need to submit the Summer Housing Online Application Form for “Summer 1st Term” and/or “Summer 2nd Term” (submit both if you are attending both sessions).

    MAKE SURE TO TAKE SCREEN SHOTS of all relevant pages, including WHICH SESSIONS you have signed up for.

    Read ALL instructions carefully, as the necessary buttons are not always big, brightly colored, and in the middle of the page. To begin, go to the UM Housing Page beginning April 2, when the application becomes available.

    This may seem counter-intuitive, but this dual application process is the most straight-forward way for Housing to process summer students. Despite the dual application process, you can expect to occupy the same room during both sessions. We cannot determine who your roommate might be at this time, but late in the semester, when the new cohort is complete, we will collaborate with Housing to place as many of you as possible with Flagship roommates. Hence the importance of confirming with us that you have completed the application(s).

    You can find which dorm you will be living in on the same site.
    Elsewhere on the site, you can find more information on what to bring. The Housing website also includes their phone number, if you have more questions.

    Summer Housing Move-In and Move-out dates are listed along with the session dates in the “Review Summer Dates” section below (under “Students Taking CHIN 111 and/or CHIN 112 This Summer”).

    Summer participants should expect to be in a different dorm for fall semester. Regardless, all summer residents must move themselves and their belongings out of the dorms by the SS2 move-out date. They will therefore need to think about where to keep their belongings during the weeks between the end of your summer Flagship courses and the beginning of fall semester.
    In the past, students have been known to rent a storage unit together and split the costs. Such units are abundant in and around Oxford.

    Since summer housing and fall housing are different, the applications are also different. After getting to know each other in the summer, some Flagship students choose to room together in the fall. You may, and should, fill out the fall housing application now, without waiting until you’ve found a roommate. The date you submit the housing application will determine your level of priority for being granted your preferred freshman dorm.

    When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

    Summer Housing Application Submission Confirmation Form

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  • Consider Participating in JumpStart

    All Flagship students who are taking CHIN 111 and/or 112 this summer with us and could use additional cost reductions, OR students who can skip the summer but would like to get a head start on their UM coursework at a reduced price, consider the following:

    The University of Mississippi Division of Outreach is offering scholarships for its JumpStart program that could reduce your costs this summer by approximately $450+ per summer term.

    The main goal of this program is to encourage incoming freshmen to consider taking courses over the summer and to be mentored while they do. Students must pay a program fee per session of approximately $200, but in turn, they are rewarded with a scholarship worth half the cost of in-state tuition for up to 6 credits per term. Flagship students are not allowed to take other courses alongside CHIN 111 or 112, so for most of you, this scholarship has a value of roughly $600 per session, minus the ~$200 program fee.

    Other requirements include participation in the mentoring program (this does not seem to represent a major time commitment) as well as the purchase of one of the cheapest summer meal plans.

    Please visit the link below to find out more:
    http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/jumpstart/

    As a Chinese Flagship student, you are in no way obligated to participate; however, if the meal plan and other requirements are already in line with your summer plans, this could be a good opportunity to essentially receive a ~$450 scholarship for CHIN 111 and/or a ~$450 scholarship for CHIN 112.

    Note: JumpStart prefers that CHIN 111 students arrive on campus and meet with them just before their summer session begins (usually on the summer session housing move-in date), but it may not absolutely essential, since Chinese Flagship is registering you for class.

    See their summer schedule for more details on their timeline.

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  • Summer Meal Plans

    Remember that no Flagship scholarship will cover meals (exception: students receiving ROTC-Flagship for study abroad). In order to keep your own costs to a minimum, carefully consider available meal plans through UM Dining Services and choose the most appropriate one for your needs. You may opt out of purchasing a meal plan, but with the time involved in the Flagship summer program, “fending for yourself,” is not advised. Summer meal plans will not officially be posted until later in the spring, but the largest typical meal plan last summer covered 2 meals per day, including weekends (weekend scheduling includes brunch and dinner) for the two summer sessions. This will cover your daily meals while still giving you the option to eat off campus when you like and not end up with a great deal of unrecoverable, unused meals. If you plan to eat many meals off campus, you can choose a less expensive meal plan. You are encouraged to discuss meal plans with Flagship students who have gone before you (visit our Facebook page – “Ole Miss Chinese Language Flagship”). Meal plans are purchased through the Ole Miss ID center, typically during orientation, right before the start of the session.

    Check the following website for updated information on summer meal plans and how to purchase them:
    Ole Miss Dining Webpage

    Much of the meal pricing is listed in the Meal Plan Order Form.

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• Students Taking CHIN 111 and/or CHIN 112 This Summer

   

  • Review Summer Dates

    Please visit the following URL’s to review the University of Mississippi Academic Calendar for summer, of this year.
    *Note that the coming summer is part of the 2017-18 school year.

    • First Summer Term
    • Second Summer Session
    • Summer Housing Info
    • Fall Semester
    • Fall Semester Housing Info (check back for update)

    Here is a brief summary of dates that may affect your summer plans:

    • Summer Session 1 Dormitory Move-In Date: Monday, May 28, 2018 at 3pm (see Housing site for more info)
    • Chinese Flagship Orientation Session: Tuesday, May 29, 2018 from 10-2pm (MANDATORY for CHIN 111 students)
      For participants in the on-campus intensive summer program, and all other incoming Flagship freshmen who can attend.
      Location: Room 107 of the Croft Institute).
    • Culture Days: 5/30-5/31/2018
    • First Day of Instruction: 6/1/2018
    • 6/2 and 6/3/2018: make-up classes for 6/4 and 6/5 (Freshman orientation)
    • 7/27/2018: Last day
    • Default UM Orientation Session (for fall): Session 2, Mon-Tues., June 5-6 (important: see UM Orientation section)
    • Last Day of First Summer Session: Friday, June 20 (we will continue beyond the official end date – Thursday, June 27)
    • IMPORTANT: there will NOT be time for travel or extra relaxation between the summer sessions. If possible, the SS2 final exam may be given before the last day.
    • Summer Session 2 Dormitory Move-In Date: TBD – Wednesday, June 27 at 3pm
    • First Day of Second Summer Session: Thursday, June 28
    • Last Day of Second Summer Session: Friday, July 27 Exams finish late in the afternoon on July 28, but we prefer that you schedule your departure the following day in case exams take longer than expected, or, as is often the case, you sleep very little the previous night and would put yourself at risk to drive, even as far as the airport.
    • Summer Dormitory Move-Out Date: Saturday, July 29, 10:00am
    • ~3 WEEK BREAK (Students must move out of their summer dorms.)
    • Fall Dormitory Move-In Dates: TBD – Usually August 13 – 18, depending on residence
    • First Day of Fall Semester: Monday, August 20

    Be sure to look over other dates related to registration and any other administrative responsibilities.

    ---

  • Request Approval for Anticipated Absences, (Graduation Ceremonies) ☷

    Each month of the summer sessions covers the instructional equivalent of an entire semester. Each day, therefore, represents the greater part of a regular week. Missing even a single day creates a serious risk of a student falling irreparably behind. For this reason, graduation ceremonies are one of only very few circumstances for which we are willing to allow absences.

    If you are beginning our program in Summer Session 1, before your high school graduation ceremony, contact us immediately so that we can determine what will be feasible.

    Please see the section below on Orientation sessions if your potential absences involve attending an orientation session.

    When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

    Conflicting Dates Submission Form

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  • Text Books ☷

    Students attending CHIN 111 in Summer Session 1 need the following titles:

    • Integrated Chinese Level 1, Part 1 Textbook (3rd Edition, Simplified Characters), ISBN: 9780887276385
    • Integrated Chinese Level 1, Part 1 Workbook (3rd Edition, Simplified Characters), ISBN: 9780887276408
    • Integrated Chinese Level 1, Part 1 Character Book (3rd Edition, Simplified & Traditional Characters), ISBN: 9780887276484
    • The following title is REQUIRED: Integrated Chinese Level 1, Part 1 Audio Files (3rd Edition), ISBN: 9780887276422

    Students attending CHIN 112 in Summer Session 2 typically need the following titles:

    • Integrated Chinese Level 1, Part 2 Textbook (3rd Edition, Simplified Characters), ISBN: 9780887276705
    • Integrated Chinese Level 1, Part 2 Workbook (3rd Edition, Simplified Characters), ISBN: 9780887276743
    • Integrated Chinese Level 1, Part 2 Character Book (3rd Edition, Simplified Characters), ISBN: 9780887276767
    • The following title is REQUIRED: Integrated Chinese Level 1, Part 2 Audio Files (3rd Edition), ISBN: 9780887276774

    Students beginning in CHIN 111 will therefore need to obtain all 6 titles.

    Summer Session 1 typically finishes 8 or 9 of 11 chapters in Lesson 1, Part 1 of the Integrated Chinese textbook series, while Summer Session 2 finishes Part 1 and covers most of Part 2. Those beginning in Session 2 DO NOT need to purchase the CHIN 111 textbooks; any unfinished sections will be provided to students beginning in of Summer Session 2.

    They are available online and will also be available in the bookstore upon your arrival, and you will be given time after the first class meeting to buy them.
    HOWEVER, if you buy them through the bookstore, you must do so WELL IN ADVANCE. We highly recommend that you order them well in advance and that you confirm with the bookstore that they will be holding copies in your name for you to pick up on arrival. Every year, students neglect to do this and find themselves having to wait several days, if not weeks, for the books to arrive in the bookstore, or to their mailing addresses.

    If you do choose to purchase them from the Ole Miss Bookstore (in the Student Union), note that you can purchase them online. Visit the store’s website http://ole-miss.bncollege.com and then searching for “intg.chinese.” The result should include all titles necessary for Summer Sessions I and II (you may find that some titles are on the second page of results).

    If you do get these books in advance, you can begin looking them over in advance. Our students have developed Quizlet flashcards for the vocabulary items and for each sentence of the lesson dialogues: https://chinese.olemiss.edu/flashcards/

    When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

    Text Book Status Submission Form

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  • Know What to Expect – Flagship Summer Class Schedule

    Upon arrival, you will receive a detailed course syllabus and schedule, but in general you can expect to be in class during the following time periods:

    • 10am – 11:50am (10 minute break in the middle)
    • 1:30 – 3:20pm (10 minute break in the middle)

    You will also have a 20-30 min. 1-on-1 session some time in the afternoon or evening, Sunday through Thursday (Friday nights are yours!).
    All classes are scheduled to take place in the Croft Institute for International Studies, which is located on the Circle, in the middle of campus.

    Here is a link with a map and directions:

    The Croft Institute for International Studies: Map and Directions

    You can expect to have tests as often as once per week, perhaps even more frequently, and quizzes will be administered daily. In general you can expect to spend 2 hours studying/preparing for each hour of class in order to be prepared and responsive in class. Obviously, if you are not fully prepared and participative in class, you can expect your grades to suffer.

    Because of the heavy workload and the risk of falling behind, Flagship students are not permitted to hold part-time jobs or take other classes during the summer sessions in which they are enrolled in Chinese Flagship courses (CHIN 111 and/or CHIN 112).

    Flagship students do have SOME time to “unwind” in the evenings and weekends. Many of them use the Turner Center (the main recreational facility on campus) to exercise, and students have been known to organize outings to restaurants and Ole Miss baseball games. For these and other activities, consult the UM Chinese Flagship Facebook page – “Ole Miss Chinese Language Flagship”.

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  • Registration Notification

    You will likely receive an email notification from Orientation asking you to be on campus in late May in order to register for your Summer course(s). Please DISREGARD it. You do not need to do anything to register for your summer classes. We will register you for CHIN 111 (first summer session) and 112 (second summer session) before this date.

    Please complete all administrative steps, such as paying fees, submitting your immunizations and registering for orientation so that you will have no holds when we try to register you.

    ---

  • Tuition Charge Notification

    After you have been registered for classes, you will receive a bill for tuition, housing, etc. from the Bursar’s office. This charge will appear online (my.olemiss.edu) as well in your bursar’s account. If you have linked a bank account to your bursar’s account, payments can be made electronically.

    Important note: summer Flagship scholarships may not post until after July 1. This is a nuisance, since 1st summer session will be finished, but it is an unavoidable issue stemming from the fact that the UM fiscal year changes on July 1, and monies for new students are unavailable before then. This is a recent update, as the policy did not affect us in the past.

    We can request that Bursar not charge you late fees if you choose not to pay the portions of your tuition and housing that will be covered by a scholarship. All students should determine what the outstanding balance will be after any and all scholarships are applied. Note: for students attending both summer sessions, half of your summer scholarship award is for CHIN 111 in Summer Session I, and the other half is for CHIN 112 in Summer Session II. Should you drop out, withdraw, or somehow avoid charges for either course, you forfeit the scholarship funding for the corresponding course or courses. If you perform poorly in either course, our probation policy will apply, but you do not risk losing your scholarship for the courses in question, so long as your tuition charges for CHIN 111 or CHIN 112 remain on your bursar’s bill.

    Most UM scholarships cannot be applied to summer sessions, but a few can. If you are the child of a UM faculty member, for example, your summer tuition will be reduced. If you are the child of a UM alum, your scholarship may apply for summer session as well, if your scholarships can cover more than cost of attendance for fall and spring semesters. Most other scholarships will not apply. Check with Financial Aid if you have doubts.

    If you choose to pay the full balance before the charges are due, you will be able to transfer any scholarship credits from your bursar’s account directly into your own checking account when it posts, as long as you have linked the two accounts.

    ---

• Students Going To Shanghai This Summer

   

  We will send you Shanghai participation documents and include you when possible via Skype in pre-departure briefings.

• Students Receiving Scholarships This Summer

   

  • Submit a Summer Financial Aid Application ☷

    • The summer financial aid application will become available late March, but DO NOT FILL IT OUT UNTIL WE PROMPT YOU.
      You must be registered for the right number of credits, which we must do with the help of other administrative offices, and only after you have confirmed your term of entry as summer (Fall is the default).
    • If we are offering you a scholarship of any amount this summer (we may or may not have made awards when you first read this), or if you wish to apply for any other funds through the university’s financial aid office, you need to fill out the summer financial aid application. The main reason for doing so is NOT to request funding, but rather to get you into the FA office’s system so that we can disburse the scholarship funds we have already committed to you via your bursar’s account. It is the same form, however, that is used to request other forms of scholarship, so you can do that, if you like, at the same time.IMPORTANT: You must be taking at least 6 hours/credits over the summer in order to be eligible for many forms of financial aid, such as grants and loans, but there is no minimum for the type of scholarships provided by our program.CHIN 111 in Summer Session 1 is a 5-hour course, as is CHIN 112 in Summer Session 2. While we do not allow Chinese Flagship students to take another course in the same session that they are taking CHIN 111 or 112, students only joining us for CHIN 112 could reach the 6-hour minimum by taking additional summer classes in Summer Session 1 as well as May and/or August Intersessions. Again, reaching the minimum would only be useful in applying for outside scholarships and loans; it has no effect on eligibility for any scholarships we award you through our Flagship program.
    • Note: the instructions and descriptions below may not reflect the most recent updates to the form. If you find any discrepancies, please contact us immediately so that we can update this section for you and other members of the cohort.
      
    • Note: Filling out this form incorrectly is the MOST COMMON CAUSE of scholarship delays. Since there is no way to access your submission, TAKE SCREEN SHOTS so we can troubleshoot any missing scholarships.
      

    1. Log in to my.olemiss.edu.
    2. Search for “Summer Financial Aid Application”
    3. Enter the CORRECT academic year (this will be the current year and NOT the upcoming fall-spring sequence)
    4. Enter the form as an undergraduate; not a graduate student.
    5. Next Page: Complete the “checklist” (only those that apply).
    6. Check the bottom box:
       “I have read and understand the Summer School Notice.”
       Despite the suggestion on the application, you DO NOT NEED TO REGISTER for summer classes. The Chinese Flagship Program registers all its (applicable) students for their summer classes, but not until later in May, when the Chinese Flagship roster is complete. Note that YOU DO NOT NEED to fill out a FAFSA for summer in order to receive scholarship funding from OUR program. If you are hoping to receive loans or OTHER forms of financial aid, however, you DO need to complete this extra FAFSA. Apart from loans, financial aid for the summer is rather limited. See the “Tuition Charge Notification” section for more information on the availability of summer scholarships.
    7. Next Page: Check that your info is correct.
    8. Next page: fill out each question with the answers shown:
       • 1.** This summer, I plan to be a/an (please select one):
         Undergraduate
       • 2.** I would like to be considered for federal loans…:
         [check “no” unless you are indeed expecting a pell grant or other federal funding. While Chinese Flagship is a federal program, for Financial Aid’s purposes, its scholarship funding is considered “departmental.”]
       • 3.** Additionally I will be applying for the following this summer: [check any that apply (not required for Flagship)]
       • 4.** I also have the following special classification for summer (check all that apply):
         “None of the Above,” unless you are a JumpStart participant
       • 5.** These are the five terms of enrollment during Summer:
         I will be enrolled in the following number of credit hours for the session(s) listed below:
         [5] (or 0, if you are starting in CHIN 112 in SS2) CREDIT HOURS for First Summer Session
         [5] CREDIT HOURS for First Summer Session[_] (add up all summer hour credits) TOTAL NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS YOU WILL COMPLETE DURING THE SUMMER TERMS
       • 6.** I will attend these classes at the following location(s):Oxford
       • 7. I have scholarship eligibility as noted below (Check only the ones that apply):
         [It is to your advantage to check any that apply to you, but none are necessary for Flagship purposes.]
       • 8. In addition to any aid programs listed above or any grant eligibility which will be awarded automatically (e.g. Pell), I may be eligible to receive, I am anticipating funds from the following sources ….[Flagship Support – enter the total we list in your award letter.]

    After attempting to submit this application, if you believe your registration status is preventing you from completing this, or any other administrative tasks, please contact us (chinese@olemiss.edu / 662-915-7298).

    When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

    Financial Aid Summer Scholarships Submission Confirmation Form

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• Consolidate your Email Accounts

  University policy is that the administration use your __@go.olemiss.edu account as the primary means of communication. For now, we will continue sending duplicates to any other accounts we have on file for you, but by the time classes begin, this will be phased out. If you plan to continue using a different email address, we advise you to forward your emails automatically from your __@go.olemiss.edu account. Consult the UM IT Department’s web page for more info

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• Program Orientation (mandatory for CHIN 111 students, strongly encouraged for all who can attend) ☷

  At the beginning of our domestic summer program, we hold a Flagship orientation session.
  For many parents and other family members, this is a very rare opportunity to meet each other; in fact, it may not happen again until graduation! If any younger siblings or family friends might be considering Flagship, this event can also give them a sense of the rigor of the program and the exceptionally high proficiency and cultural standards of a Flagship program.

  We do understand that not everyone’s travel schedule will permit it, but we encourage anyone in town for move-in, or within driving distance, to attend. The orientation session, presided over by our co-director, Dr. Zeng, is extremely informative and sets the tone for the rest of one’s Flagship career. It is helpful for parents to be present. This year we have to hold Orientation the day after Move-in, which will admittedly make it quite difficult for many to attend.

  Chinese Flagship Orientation Session: Tuesday, May 29, 2018 from 10am-2pm (MANDATORY for CHIN 111 students)
  For participants in the on-campus intensive summer program, and all other incoming Flagship freshmen who can attend.
  Location: Room 107 of the Croft Institute).

  When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

  Flagship Orientation Attendance Confirmation

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• Orientation Advice & Info ☷

  Note: this is mostly a copy of the “”Prepare for Fall Registration” section above

  In order to ensure the best fall schedule (in terms of classes and class times), look over the requirements for your intended major(s), as well as elective courses you might be interested in.
  You can look for info for your major(s), minor(s) or program(s) of interest through departmental websites. All the required coursework should be listed in the UM Catalog: https://catalog.olemiss.edu/courses.

  Make sure that the courses you intend to take in the fall have sections that do not conflict with your Chinese Flagship course. For most new freshmen, this will be CHIN 211.

  All Chinese Flagship courses can be found in the Curriculum section of this site

  The entire UM Course Schedule is found in my.olemiss.edu. Just log in and search for “Course Schedule.”

  Set Your Major Strategically for the Best Advising

  Advising take place on Day 2 of your Orientation session, but the scheduling happens before May 15.

  Follow the steps below to make sure you get the most out of the advising session:

  1. Make sure your Program of Study is accurate (go to “Change Specializations and Minors” in MyOleMiss if you aren’t sure). Do this BEFORE May 15, as it can be more difficult to make changes in the system after the university begins its first orientation session.
  2. If your current Program of Study is “Undeclared,” “Chinese,” or something you no longer plan to do: change it immediately. This will insure that you are able to meet with an advisor at your orientation without any rescheduling or other inconveniences. If you truly plan on having Chinese as your only major (very rare among Flagship students), or if your other programs are not actually majors (like ROTC & security studies, which are minors), then keep Chinese as your intended major. Otherwise, it’s better to get advising for your other majors during orientation. We will have ample opportunity to advise you, and you can look over our advising page (https://chinese.olemiss.edu/majoring-minoring-and-choosing-chinese-courses-at-um/) and share it with your advisor(s) during orientation. Also, our professors tend to be out of the country in the summer, so you would only be able to get general advising from a non-Chinese Modern Languages professor. Again, do this BEFORE May 15.
  3. If you are hesitating to add something as your second major and instead planning to minor in it because you’re just not sure you can handle all its requirements on top of Chinese Flagship, it would be a good idea to go ahead and set it as your major and get advised by their faculty during orientation. Very often, when students make assumptions about what is possible or impossible without trying it out, getting fully informed, and/or talking to current students who are already doing it, they miss the window in which they could start down that road … or they pay for many more winter, summer, and other intersessions trying to fit in extra classes. Every year there are students who are un-pleasantly surprised to learn that there are a handful of students who are doing all the things they originally wanted to do but chose not to simply because they thought it wasn’t possible. Not everyone is suited for this, but we have a recent graduate who successfully completed Honors, Croft, Chinese Flagship, CISS (security studies), and Air Force ROTC. If you are worried about turning a minor into a second major, there’s a good chance you can, especially if you have that as your goal from the first day of fall, freshman year (or earlier if you place out of our summer program or want to come for May or August intersession). Again, do this BEFORE May 15.
  4. If you really aren’t sure about another major or program to do, or if you can’t narrow down your interests, you should keep (or switch to) “Chinese.” This will insure that you get good general advising during orientation for liberal arts requirements and general courses. You can also contact the Center for Student Success and First-Year Experience (https://cssfye.olemiss.edu/advising/), who have advisors well-versed in all majors and how to best explore them. Do not hesitate to contact us in Flagship starting now with any questions or concerns you might have about your interests and how to combine them with Flagship. We can easily compare your interests with the many, many students who have gone before you and in many cases, put you in touch with students (and alums) who may have already proven that your plans are possible.
  5. Jennifer Phillips, the Assistant Director for Retention & Instructor at the Center for Student Success and First-Year Experience asked that we list her by name so that you can call or email at any time during the spring or summer:(662) 915-5970
     jenn@olemiss.eduYou can also visit her during orientation, when you have gaps in your schedule. During all orientation sessions, she is at the front desk of their office to meet with anyone who comes by.
  6. For those (most) of you with another major, we will make sure that you add Chinese as a major after orientation. If possible, we will work with the university to get it added alongside your other major; otherwise, we will instruct you on how to get it added by visiting the Liberal Arts office once you are on campus.

  When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

  Orientation Completion Confirmation

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• Registering for Flagship Courses in Fall ☷

  In the fall, Flagship students usually begin in CHIN 211. Those who place higher may be in CHIN 313 or CHIN 417. Most Flagship courses are blocked so that non-Flagship students will not sign up for them by mistake. Also, if there are two sections of a course, we prefer that you give your preferences in advance and allow us to split the sections evenly. By default, we will register everyone manually for their fall courses at the end of Second Summer Session, or earlier, if everyone has complete orientation.

  NOTE: You can always see what sections are available by checking the Course Schedule in my.olemiss.edu. Just log in and search for “Course Schedule.”

  Please do try to determine early which section you will need/prefer.

  Important note: Do not assume that you will receive your preference. Classes must be small and balanced for students to advance at a maximum pace. Because of the demanding pre- and co-requisites of some students’ majors, we must offer an early morning section of several classes. In order to achieve balance, we often have to collect students’ preferences, accommodate as many of them as possible, and then manually assign some students to the less-preferred section. Decisions are made based on a) course requirements, b) class size balance, c) past hardship (i.e., who has had to take the morning section in previous semesters) and d) personal preference (i.e., “I learn less effectively in an 8am class”). Note that we do NOT take into account your registration window. Some students feel that it is unfair that they have to take the less preferred section when they have registration priority due to Honors status or class standing. These are examples of individualism that we value and promote in the West but which take a far lower priority in Chinese culture (See the “Cultural Expectations” near the top of this page for more details). What might be most “fair” for you personally would not necessarily be most helpful to the group.

  Important Note: A second section is being opened for CHIN 211 this year. There will be a section M-F, 8-8:50am and M-F, 12-12:50pm. It may not show up in the course schedule by the time you go through orientation, but you can list your preferences below accordingly.

  When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

  Fall Flagship Course Preferences Form

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• Students in CHIN 111 &/or CHIN 112

   

  • Accepting Summer Scholarships (Early July) ☷

    We will begin awarding partial scholarships to participants in our summer program beginning in early July. The timing is far from ideal, but as mentioned above, funding for the 2017-18 cycle is not available until July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.Once they have been awarded, you must accept your awards through the website
    (my.olemiss.edu) and set up your direct deposit by providing your bank account information.
    To complete this process, you MUST do the following:

    1. On my.olemiss.edu, go to the Financial Aid section, and then to “Award Notification.”
    2. Enter the correct term, which is “Undergraduate of the current academic year (for summer, of this year)” and “Summer” (NOT fall/spring).
    3. Follow the prompts to accept your awards (if you do not have any awards to accept, notify us immediately).
    4. If it does not take you back to the Award Notification page, log back in and go there. Now you should see any error messages related to your account.
    5. If you have not yet signed up for direct deposit, you should see an error message listed above your awards with a link labelled “Details.”
       Click this link, and follow the prompts until you are able to submit your bank account information.
       You may have to wait up to 48 hours (although not likely more than 24) for the system to update and your account information to be fully entered into the system; however, once it is updated, any surplus funds in your bursar’s account will AUTOMATICALLY be disbursed and sent directly to your personal checking account.
       If you do NOT link your bank account in time, a check will be mailed to your permanent address. If you do not see a link within the Financial Aid Award Status Lookup interface, visit the following page to link your bank account.

    When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

    Summer Scholarships Acceptance Confirmation Form

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• Declare a Chinese Major ☷

  Note: to view your current major, or “program of study”, use the search function to go to “Change Specializations and Minors” or “Degree Progress Report” in MyOleMiss.

  As mentioned in the Orientation sections above, most students should declare a major other than Chinese before May 15. This will allow them to get more specific advising for other majors they are planning to do or are possibly considering and allow them to begin freshman year with a more strategic schedule for pursuing both majors, or for determining what major(s) will accompany Chinese.

  Once orientation is over, we want to make sure you add Chinese as a major. The more majors we have, the more resources can be allocated to the department, including those to hire additional professors and instructors as our rosters grow.

  If your intended program of study when you applied to Ole Miss was something other than Chinese, you will need to fill out the “Change of Major/Advisor” form. Contrary to its name, it is also used to add a second major. This form can be downloaded from the Liberal Arts website, but it must be submitted in person to their office:
  
  https://libarts.olemiss.edu/forms/
  
  The form itself does not have blanks for two majors, so you will need to clarify what your intended majors are when you drop the form off.

  IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have a very demanding major in another school (engineering, business, etc.) your top priorities should be completing all requirements of that major and keeping up with your Chinese Flagship homework and class preparation. If you begin to feel that you cannot add on the Liberal Arts general education requirements and still succeed in these priorities, come and speak with us about foregoing the Chinese major while remaining in Flagship.

  It is certainly advantageous for you to have the Chinese major on your resume. However, If you must choose, in most cases it is less important that you be a Chinese major than that you finish your undergraduate degree well-prepared for a future profession and with professional proficiency in Chinese to match. There is also the possibility that before you graduate you find the means to squeeze in the general education requirements that were too much to handle alongside your other coursework during your freshman and/or sophomore years. You may also find that you can fit them into one or more intersessions, while you do not have as much on your plate.

  When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

  Chinese Major Confirmation Form

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• Prepare your Passport ☷

  Before heading off to China next summer, you will need not only a valid passport, but also a Chinese visa. We will begin the visa application process in early spring. Unless you plan to obtain your own visa — a process that requires you to visit a Chinese consulate in person or pay a brokering firm to do it for you– we will be collecting everyone’s passport and applying for your visas collectively. Not only must your passport be valid at the time of applying, it is recommended that it be valid at least 1 year from the date that the visa is issued, which will be roughly April 15 of spring semester of freshman year (the semester during which you take CHIN 212).
  To be sure that everyone has taken the time to make any necessary preparations by the end of the fall semester, we require that you inform us of your passport’s current status. This simply ensures that you are aware of what steps, if any, you need to take in the next 6 months. Waiting until the last minute to obtain a new passport can require significant expedition fees. Please review the State Department’s website for policies on obtaining or renewing a passport:
  http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports.html

  When you are ready, please submit this short Google form for our records:

  Passport Status – Valid or Applied For

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• Employment Opportunities During the Academic Year

  While Flagship students are not permitted to hold part-time jobs during the summer sessions in which they are enrolled in Chinese Flagship courses (CHIN 111 and/or CHIN 112), our students can, and often do, hold part-time jobs during the academic year. This includes students who are also members of the Croft Institute, Honors, and other special programs. In fact, some of them hold multiple jobs in addition to their special academic programs as a way to gain experience.

  Not all students work, as some do not need to, or choose not to. You can find out more from members of our Facebook page (“Ole Miss Chinese Language Flagship”) on why they work or don’t work and what combinations of academic programs, clubs, sororities or fraternities are typically compatible with on-campus and/or off-campus employment.

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• The primary goal of Chinese Flagship on the national, long-range scale is “to create global professionals.” To reach this goal, students must develop far beyond what is typically achieved linguistically, but also culturally.

  In the U.S., individual rights and preference are considered fundamental, at the expense of group harmony. In China, group harmony takes precedence, and it is those with authority who protect it. Many new Flagship students “dig themselves a hole” by telling their teacher or our director that they don’t want to do what they suggest because it’s not the most convenient arrangement for them. They may even feel that following the advice given would be less optimal for their long-term academic plans. Expressing this, at least directly, can sound extremely offensive in a Chinese context. The teacher is assuming that your following a more generic pathway will be more convenient for everyone, which will indirectly be more beneficial to you in the long run. This may or may not be obvious, or even completely true in any particular case. What is important is that everyone in a group, particularly those on the lowest rungs (i.e., students), give the impression of compliance and cooperation so that the social atmosphere seems harmonious. Once a student presents him/herself as having a positive, accommodating attitude, he/she can actually negotiate in indirect ways for preferences that may be somewhat less convenient for the teacher(s) or the group as a whole; however, if a student ever demands, or insists, or tries to use pure logic or practicality as an argument for why a teacher’s opinion or suggestion is not the best one (particularly if this is done in the presence of other students, or even worse, teachers, the teacher will have lost face, which will make it much more difficult going forward to expect sympathy for one’s individual preferences or “needs.” Our program puts a strong emphasis on teaching culture on this level, and our teachers understand where 18-year-old American college students are coming from. The expectation is not for you to act wholly Chinese, especially from day 1. Flagship students are preparing to eventually be self-sufficient in a native Chinese environment, however, so they do have to become accustomed to being evaluated in a Chinese way. When course preferences, and even grades are involved, this can be very difficult to get used to. It’s a form of culture shock. You are encouraged to speak with older students to learn their strategies for coping and eventually thriving. Your tutors are a great starting point. You are also welcome to come and speak to Nate before meeting with, or writing to, your teachers or our director about consequential issues. This is part of the learning process. It is much better to talk through any confusion or frustration early on so that anything you may be noticing first on a subconscious level can become something you are able to analyze consciously and then accept in terms that make sense to you. The more you talk and think things through, the more quickly you will be able to interpret things as they are intended and not as they would be intended in an American context. Resisting or ignoring this process will lead to more frustration on your part and more chances of offending Chinese teachers and friends, which can easily become a vicious cycle. In the same way that learning Chinese characters is a long, slow process with big rewards for the few who persevere (Flagship students are all among “the few”), mastering Chinese interpersonal strategies is a long, often painful process, but mastery can yield life-long benefits. There are relatively few Westerners who can demonstrate a deep understanding of the logical and emotional systems underpinning the Chinese psyche. Those who do can very quickly endear themselves to their counterparts on every level of society. From a professional standpoint, this skill is arguably far more important than any purely linguistic one.