Program Reviews

I just got back from my experience with EF in Shanghai, China- and it was absolutely incredible. You might be confused because of some Beijing reviews, but basically, the school has just transferred to Shanghai, and even though the school is brand new, it is functioning great! The school staff is so friendly and welcoming from the very beginning. With the small class sizes, EF makes learning Chinese practical and enjoyable. After spending 3 months here, I would have never expected that my Chinese would be as good as it is now. I am able to have conversations with the local people and able to survive in China. Before coming to Shanghai, I was a bit hesitant if it would be the place for me... Now looking back I am so happy that I made the decision to step out of my comfort zone and experience this rich international city. The teachers are great with years of experience in teaching Chinese. After class, they even choose to take us out for dinner and karaoke to vamp our language skills to the next level!

With EF Shanghai, every day there is something planned that you can do. It doesn't matter if it's a weekend or a weekday, EF is always planning cultural events, tours, and even trips across China and Asia to get the most of your time here.

EF does a very good job with the accommodations here in Shanghai. My apartment was always clean, and the utilities functioned great.

Conclusion- What I will take most from this experience can be summed up with the word "Networking". It felt like we were the mini United Nations. We all came from different backgrounds and cultures, lived together, studied together, and traveled together. I have created bonds that are worth maintaining through life, and I am beyond great full to have chosen EF. I have become more independent thanks to this experience and I built up a life on the other end of the globe.

This was my #EFmoment, now its time to make your own!

I have done Ef in Costa Rica, and now Paris now! I love the school in Paris and the location is amazing! I would recommend this campus to anyone that’s trying study French! The teachers and staff are amazing people! They’re so many really good restaurants near the school as well! Ef does a really good in the way they layout the classes, and make sure your always doing okay! The student lounge is very cozy and always good place to make new friends!!

I absolutely love EF Paris. It has felt very welcoming from day one witn the airport transfer to the different activities provided. I have had a blast meeting a lot of different people while continuing to improve my French. I love that I have met people from so many different countries. It’s so cool I see that we all have the same goals. The staff has also been really helpful from the big things to the little things. My host family has been very inclusive with good food and good hospitality. I have felt so at home since being at this program.

To be honest I thought it will just be every single school and programmes I sigh up before, the same but EF proof me wrong, First the staff is really nice and cool, they help me in many problem I have like bank, Telephone etc....... Second is the host family I stayed, they are super nice and the food they cook are Super also i'm enjoining the dark humor they provided :) Finally the peoples I meet here are super FUN i have make some bro's on the way. In the end I'm totally enjoy the programmes next time I might try going to japan EF.

my journey with EF have started about 7 months ago and since then I started the journey
I was away from home , yet I never had homesickness not because I do not miss it, but because I found a new home in EF school, New family , the best staff , the best teachers , the best administration and the best friends.
I learned a lot of new things, met a lot of new people , new cultures.

A lot of things I have been through in my life but my experience with EF with be always the most memorable.

Efparis is an amazing school and i want to say that hicham and matar (activity staff) are great and they have helped me so much. The director Alix is also so nice and she helps me when ever i ask for anything. the teachers are good. And again i want to thank hicham and matar they are the best. I have meet a lot of nice people from school. Alix and Sabrina are there for help. i appreciate everything. J'aime Efparis. Thank you Alix for this opportunity. merci beaucoup à tous !!

Coming from a small town in Connecticut I feel as though my experience in Madrid is something I will never forget. The friendships I have made have allowed me to travel all around Europe just visiting friends that I have made through the EF program, and for this I think it is a really special thing. Through my time in Madrid I have been through many new experiences, made friends I never thought I would have been so close to and improved my Spanish skills tenfold. The teachers at EF madrid are some of the best professors I’ve ever had in my student years. They are fun, and always there to help you whether It’s a small or large probelm. Having visited both EF Malaga and EF Barcelona although I think both are very good programs as well, I think Madrid as a city is better. Being the metropolitan capitol of Spain and in the center you’ll find that you will get more real Spanish speaking people and less tourists. For this reason it is a better city to improve your Spanish skills. The night life in Madrid is truly incredible and spending nights out with your friends is really something you will never forget. Overall I think my expirence at Madrid has been very rewarding

When I first left for Berlin, I had no idea what to expect. Moving to a place where I did not know the language, a single person, or even how to use the public transport, was something that I never thought I would do... But from the moment I walked onto the EF Berlin Campus on that very first day, I felt welcomed and understood.

From their incredible staff, no matter what I needed, I always received help. From questions having to do with the metro, to setting up my VISA, to dealing with personal battles, the people at this school never ceased to amaze me with the compassion they have towards their students. And even now, as I reach the end of my time in Berlin, I am amazed every day at the genuine goodness that everyone on the staff possesses.

Physically, the school itself is beautiful. With up-to-date technology, modern design, and an overall welcoming aesthetic, there is nothing bad one could say with the building in which we learn.

And the students that fill the school are incredible as well. Coming from all over the world, I was able to meet people from countries I scarcely thought about. Speaking about different cultures, customs, and (of course) languages, has opened me up to the world in a way I never would have expected. And I have truly made some of the best friends I have ever had, during my stay in Berlin.

Now for the most important part about my EF Berlin experience: the language. I came to Berlin knowing no German what so ever. And in the past six months I have gone from being unable to even say "Hallo!" to being able to hold my own in conversations, and understand most of what people around me say. And I can assure you that there is no better feeling than the moment when one understands their first sentence in German. It is an unquantifiable feeling of success that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Looking back on my last six months, although they pushed and challenged me in many ways, I would never exchange them for anything else in the world. I have grown into myself in ways that I never expected. I have learned so much.

Thank you so much, EF Berlin, for teaching me a language, for allowing me to find a new home in Berlin, and for bringing me to myself. And, although I have to leave, I am so grateful that for the rest of my life I will have this experience with me. I am so grateful that for the rest of my life, I will be able to speak German.

Great program! It is useful to get a hang of the basics of hiragana before coming, but not at all necessary. I recommend taking advantage of the SIM cards offered on the first day, since getting around and contacting friends is much easier that way. Don’t be shy when meeting people, they are all really friendly and patient even with very limited Japanese! Services are very nice, and it’s been a great experience so far!

I really wanted to study abroad and take the JLPT. I was told I would be placed in a class with other adults, I was not. I was told I would not be living far from the school, I was a 1hr and 20mins away. I was told I would be living with a Japanese family, I did not. I was told I would be able to take the JLPT and take prep courses for it, I wasn’t. The courses are fine I guess if you already know some japanese, don’t mind speed courses and are a college kid burning your school vacation. My teacher did not speak English well so answering her students questions was often difficult. Leaving many of us to change classes or be confused most of class. There are NO classes for adults at this location, only immature teens and young adults. So if you prefer to take classes with working professionals or atleast people 30 and older forget it. A lot of things weren’t explained to me upon signing up and I didn’t realize this until after a few weeks in so I wasn’t pleased with quite a few things. Not to mention once I was done with the program the administration and agents that signed me up seemed wash their hands of me and not respond to my questions.