I study Korean, which also has a similar institution, and it's not really that helpful. Real language usage is completely different than what's taught in class

I study Korean, which also has a similar institution, and it's not really that helpful. Real language usage is completely different than what's taught in classroom or academic environments. They are always out of date, and don't teach casual/slang usage (aka real usage by real people, not textbook language). Regular dictionaries have been invaluable.