In the end I did sign up for a semester at Sichuan University. As some of you warned me, the teaching quality is very poor but it provides me with the environment (and visa) to learn quickly which is great. I’d recommend this option but only if you are committed to learning outside the classroom with other students and Chinese friends.
Kathy: Thank you for your offer but I’m already having a lot of extra practice so I’ll pass 🙂