Before you decide where you are going to study a language, make sure you are equipped to succeed as an independent language learner.
But to succeed in most activities you need to set goals.
How much time are you willing to commit each day, and for how long?
What skill level do you want to achieve?
How many words do you know and how many do you want to know?
How fluent do you want to be?
Do you need to participate in business meetings in the new language?
Do you need to follow university lectures?
How close to native level do you want your pronunciation to be?
Do you need to write business reports or school reports in the new language?
Try to think and write down the answers to these questions on paper so you can set your goals clearly.
You may decide that you can commit to two hours per day for a period of six months or one hour a day for twelve months. This degree of commitment would mean a total of more than three hundred fifty hours and should produce a language breakthrough if the study methods are effective.
During this period of concentration, you will have to sacrifice familiar activities in order to fulfil your commitment.
If you develop the habit of listening at various times during the day, doing some casual reading, watching television, spending time in more dedicated study and having regular conversation sessions on subjects of interest, you can achieve the required level of intensity.
All that is necessary is to diagnose your needs and set your goals. You will also need to measure your progress towards your goals, so in the end you will be the one to know when you have reached your target.
You will know how good your pronunciation is, or how comfortable you are in reading or expressing yourself. You will know when you become a better language learner.
You will then realize that you are never really satisfied with your level, so you will continue to want to improve, but by pursuing your own interest in the language, the learning process will always be enjoyable and satisfying.
