A 2-year-old program to bridge the cultural gap for Chinese exchange students at OU has been given its own space to expand and eventually accommodate any interested student.

Sooner Jump Start offers a two-semester program intended to better acclimate international students to American and college life in conjunction with the Center for English as a Second Language and the Center for Independent and Distance Learning.

The program was originally a branch of OU China Outreach, but when China Outreach could no longer facilitate the program’s growth, it was moved to a larger office and appointed a director and graduate assistants.

“It’s worth it because not only will they learn English while they are studying at [the Center for English as a Second Language], they also get the undergraduate 12 credit hours,” program graduate assistant Kelly Lin said. “It’s in a smaller classroom so they get more attention. Rather than just moving straight into the main campus, they get extra care.”

Each student must take two Tests of English as a Foreign Language, the first before being accepted to OU to assure they have adequate English language skills and the second after their first semester of Sooner Jump Start before moving on to the program’s second phase.

The program is intended to cultivate students’ English skills while providing experiences in American culture through field trips to the Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City’s Asian District, outlet malls and Thunder games, program director Sally Blair said.

The first phase focuses on language skills to help students pass the English as a Foreign Language exam, and the second phase allows students to take 12 credit hours in the Center for Independent and Distance learning. The program has five professors in history, calculus, American government, English and health and exercise science.

University College freshman Menglu Li participated in the program and said what she took away from the program was the language learning help, American food and humor.

“I hope the program will incorporate more travel with American and other international students in the future,” Li said.

Sooner Jump Start has two partners in China that attend educational fairs and various schools to recruit students and encourage them to join Sooner Jump Start.

Blair recently returned from a trip to China in October to talk about the program to Chinese students.

“We want all our students to have a head start, so they have the chance to shine and blossom,” Blair said.