Program Reviews

EF Tokyo was my first experience traveling and studying abroad. In being so, it has made a very strong initial impact to my life and new experiences.
Tokyo is a beautiful location and I was able to experience the beauty and breath-taking atmosphere of such a city through living and studying there. To make things even better, the location of the school is high up in the Shibuya Cross Tower which gives an amazing view of the city.
During my stay, I resided in a place called Mizonokuchi. It was one of the most friendly and inviting locations I have ever stayed in and being quite a reserved and quiet person, I easily adapted as there was rarely if ever any disturbances from the residence or native people who also resided here.
The Teachers and staff of EF Tokyo are some of the most respectful and kind people I've ever worked with in a school environment. They are eager and always available to help me in any situation I find myself in, no matter if it was school related or not. It feels that they genuinely care for your success and will take their time off to resolve your issues should any arise.

Japan is a great country of many respectful and kind people and EF Tokyo does it great justice by representing it as so throughout my experience. I would definitely recommend people come here if they want to experience a great study abroad program.

I may have gotten extremely lucky, but I met some of the most kind and enjoyable people of my life during my time with EF. Anyone would be a little nervous going alone to Tokyo, however my first few days went just fine. It is common behavior to stick with the group that arrives on the same day as you. This group has the potential to create a family of students that one can rely on. A great way to kickstart relationship building. The events and classes helped my make friends that I could explore Japan with. I will never forget all of the friends I made. The classes were fun and not too demanding. It all depends on the amount of work you are willing to put into them. This course not only helped me learn a bit of a new language, but it increased my confidence when talking to people even after I had gotten back home. I have always wanted to have a taste of Japan and I love the language so this trip was perfect for me and even exceeded my expectations. I originally signed up for 3 weeks with EF but extended to 5 to learn more Japanese. I am so glad I made this decision. And because of this I was able to experience the homestay and the dorm life. Both have their own special attributes that does not make one better than the other. The homestay gave me a sense of Independence and a friend that I could always rely on. But I loved the residence because I was able to become closer with my classmates. The whole trip was amazing and I am glad I went with EF instead of simply studying some obscure subject abroad. I would have never been able to explore the country and make friends like I did with EF.

During my high school years, I studied Japanese and fell in love with it, but I never found the chance to go to Japan. After graduation, I decided to travel to Japan and I wanted to study Japanese during the duration of my stay. I chose EF because my sister participated in another program by them, so I knew they were a trustworthy program. I was indeed satisfied with my experience.
I attended EF for three weeks and each day was just as fun as the day before. People from all over the world come to EF Tokyo to learn so I was just able to learn Japanese but also a little bit of other languages like German and French. During my three weeks at EF I feel like I made considerable progress in furthering my knowledge of Japanese. The classes were very hands-on and whenever I made a mistake I was never shamed or made fun of. Because of this I was able to learn at my own pace and progress much faster than I would in my classes at school. The teachers at EF are also very supportive and are eagerly willing to help. Thanks to them and the rest of the EF staff (especially those who planned excellent and fun activities for us) I was able to have the best first time in Japan. I wouldn't trade these three weeks for anything in the world and I truly wish I could have stayed longer.

I was very fortunate to win a prize to the EF facility in Paris, France, this year. In the last year of my current school in Allston, Boston my ability to communicate in french was limited. Though thanks to the Educatuion First language course, I was able to improve my language skills, understand and explore the parisian culture. On the day of my arrival in the local airport; CDG, I was postively suprised when a taxi picked me up and brought me to an extremely helpful and kind host family. Until this day I exalt their dedication to providing a great experience, through them I was also able to add alot of words to my vocab which as a normal french student would have been obscure. The program is very multicultural, I was able to meet new people from all over the world and understand all sorts of different cultures. The staff is extremely nice and there is an overall authentic atmosphere in the (four story) building. It is located in the center of Paris close to Galerie Lafayette, a well known shopping center. From there you can explore the city as you are close to all the sights and interesting activites. Overall I would recommend EF Paris to anyone wants to improve their language skills, meet new people and experience all that Paris has to offer.

I spent a month in Madrid in order to improve my Spanish, but I learned so much more than that! All of the students at EF Madrid were so welcoming, passionate, and intelligent. I made so many close friends; I was not expecting my social experience to be so fulfilling and exciting!
I absolutely fell in love with the city-- Madrid is so beautiful, safe, historical, and accepting. I cannot wait to return in the future!
This experience was unforgettable, and I am so glad that I decided to go to EF Madrid!

I spent 4 weeks in Madrid to learn Spanish and honestly, it's been the most wonderful experience in my life. I loved everything about the school : the staff and the teachers were kind and creative, the activities organized by EF were interesting and I always had fun in my classes. The housing was great as well ; my Spanish mom really cared about the students who lived with her.
I also loved the atmosphere of the school : I met dozens of fellow students from around the world and they were all open-minded, nice and eager to learn.
My Spanish improved so much in just a month!!
Muchas gracias a la grande familia de EF Madrid :)

Overall, the program was a fantastic erperience, not so much bc of any effort on behalf of the school, but because of the internaiotnal friends I made during three months I was with EF Paris. That being said, the school staff and classes were all relativzely satisfactory: The acitivities staff, especially Hicham and Louis in particular, were super helpful (with phone data plans, medical insurance forms bc i sprained my ankle during my 6th week, activites, and just overall questions I had with anything) and super friendly. The language barrier was also never an issue.
In terms of classes, i think the French learning you get out of the program really depends on which techers you get. From what Ive heard from other students, the majority of the teachers are fantastic! I had 3 teachers during my time here bc I moved up a level once and my second teacher left for vacation halfway through. While the second teacher was an absolute bore during class, my class had the bonne chance to get an amazing substitue for the last 3 weeks I was here. I would definitely claim that she is the best teacher at EF Paris, so that definitely made up for the previous boring 4 weeks.
After two months in Paris, Im happy I came! Plus, my host mom was absolutely amazing!

I had a really good time in Munich, in this short time i have really learned German well and made lots of friends from abroad ! Different culture and different language at the same time during this time. You can see lots of things here and explore lots of places, and especially the beer here is really cheap. The people from Munich are really friendly, you can talk with them on the train or other place, they will be really happy to talk to you and help you.

When you type China on your browser, safari or any other navigator the first thing that pops up is that China has the biggest population in the world, the largest economy in the world and maybe you can even find information about the pollution.

This can be a little overwhelming (believe me, it happened to me) but thankfully the personnel at EF were very helpful and caring and not leaving aside the host family that welcome you into their home with arms wide open and encourage you to learn their language.

Going to Beijing is quite an experience, every day is different from the moment you get on the subway station until the moment you go back home.. you get people taking pictures of you, you see the weirdest things while you walk, people on their phone 24/7, and so on.. but you get used to it.

The moments in the school are the ones that makes you never want to leave, being amongst friends whom at first were totally strangers but thru the days they become your friends, the relation with the teachers is also close they are always available for anything you need, always cheering for your learning. It's a very pleasant environment.

Each day is a learning day and a day you can share with your classmates, learning Chinese. That can be a bit difficult but at first what isn't, you just have to give it a try.

EF Beijing school is not like most schools but I think it's just what we need to make good friends, learn Chinese and make quite an experience, it has a countless numbers of restaurants just across the road where you can find from noodles to dumplings just to make in Beijing as Chinese as you want. And for the weekends you have your ordinary sightseeing starting from the Great Wall to any temple you want; lama temple, temple of heaven, etc. and not leaving behind Beijing's cuisine starting with their famous hot pot and the thing that could save you from any rush is a jianbing where you can find in any corner for a very low price with a very basic Chinese speaking and last but not least the nightlife, being a foreigner in China is a plus for when you go clubbing.. the alcohol for free so do the most of it.

You might go to Beijing speaking 1,2 or even three languages but your definitely leaving with Chinese in your head.

Going to EF Beijing is quite an experience!

Hola Madrileños del futuro,

If you are considering traveling to a vibrant, wonderful, and indsutrious city, Madrid is the right place for you! In addition to immersing yourself in a new culture and language, Madrid caters to every type of person. This city is home to some of the best soccer teams (Real Madrid and Atletico), breath-taking museums, lucious parks, and great cafes.

As an EF student, you have all the support in the world. At school the curriculum is very interactive, instead of a traditional lecture. The teachers are here to help your Spanish improve every day. Although school is a great place to practice your Español, speaking with local Madrileños is extremely beneficial. Whether you are staying with a host family or at the EF Residence, I would strongly encourage you to engage with the locals. Including EF students and staff, everyone in Madrid is very approachable and nice.

My experience in a homestay has been superb. My host-mom cooks delicious traditional Spanish dishes, and I can always rely on here when I need help. The transit system here is very user-friendly. Many students take the metro to get to school and experience little difficult. If you are wanting to travel outside the city, there are regional buses that go to Segovia, Toledo, and Aranjuez for cheap prices. I have only been here for roughly two weeks, and my experience has been awesome!

Gracias,
Quique