Program Reviews

It's kind of funny because the day before my flight to Barcelona i was actually second guessing my decision to go. Because i planned it within a month and a lot was going on at home and i thought i was running away from my problems. The thing is once i landed in Barcelona i knew i made the right choice. The sphere is great. The people are great. Of course the first two days are the most nerve recking. Meeting my host mom, first day of school and of course all the new people. Especially for someone like me. I mean i hate having to do something new. I like knowing what im getting myself into and i had no clue about what to expect. So hopefully this review helps all future students.

I'll give the 411 on EF Barcelona. What to and what not to expect and of course some advice.

Good or bad first?

Ahh let's do the bad not that long of a list i think.

What not to expect:
1. That everyone will like you. (Rumors spread faster than any disease i know)
2. Teachers to hand feed all the answers.
3. That teachers like it when you speak your first language.
4. That you won't spend a lot of money.

What to expect:
1. Teachers and Staff members are always there to help you
2. I lived with a host family and this depends on the host family because not all are great. But mines was great. Her name was Montse and i had breakfast every morning and dinner every night. Cleaning service every few days. And a great way to practice my spanish outside of the school. I also had a really great roommate from Germany!
3. A lot of new friends and some that may stay in your life for a very long time. I've been gone for about two months now and i still have contact with a lot of the people that i met there.
4. a Great night life! From bars to club to restaurants.
5. Fun in class, well at least i had fun.
6. Fun activities organised by EF. I went on a day trip to Girona and a weekend trip to Valencia. There is also stuff like soccer matches, visiting Camp Nou, bike tours, boat rides, etc.
7. For people that live in countries where they don't have access to a beach or sun. There's plenty in Barca. (Im from an island so that was nothing new to me)
8. If your someone that loves the architectural buildings then Barcelona is the place to be. Thats something i enjoyed the most.
9. School provides you with everything Tech stuff you know computers and what not. There's also a really nice terras where you can enjoy the sun or have lunch. A mini library with some random books haha. Twilight fan? the book is there ;)
10. Meeting people from all over the world! Japan, USA, France, Germany, The Netherlands, and if your lucky someone like me whose from St. Maarten! :)
11. Your spanish improves a lot!!

There's plenty more i can add on this list. But hey i need to leave you future students to experience it for yourselves.

Now some advice:
1. You give 100% you get 100%
2. Do everything!! by that i mean Experience the night life, do the EF activities, your own activities and most of all Go to Class!!
3. Be openminded.
4. Your there to learn spanish so speak the damn language. By that i mean Practice whenever you can. To your host family, in class (very important!! Teacher doesn't like when you speak your native language), in bars, restaurants, you get the picture. Just do it!

I can promise it'll be the best thing you've ever done. Although it was a bit pricey it was the best thing i've ever experienced even if it was just for a month. You won't regret it.

Just go for it :)

I think EF Munich and EF in general, because I also was 3 months in Singapore, is really usefull: on one way to learn a language with a really efficient way and on another way by developing our self skills. I mean I´ve never learned so much about myself, you begin some one smarter, maturer, and you are more clear in you ideas by thinking or to take decisions. It´s not only a language school but also a life school.
Now I know correctly German and English and that´s something fabulous, I´m also motivated, more than before to learn other languages out of the others I´ve already learned, because you meet lot of people from everywhere in the world and it´s also a really grateful experience.

Here in Munich is the staff really super, almost everybody cares how you feel/are and it´s really easy to have a clear discussion. The atmosphere between staff and students is in general really good, and it helps. I´ve also learned from my guest family, they weren´t so good but I´ve learned to be patient and to enforce/impose myself.

To sum up, I absolutely don´t regret this adventure, because I learned to extend my limits, my vision of the world and to know what I want!

PS: Dedication to Jan and his Leberkäse. ;-)

There are so many good places in Beijing.
Also it's really safe in Beijing. So student can travel a lot of places.
And can speak chinese with so many people.
There are many foreigners don't know chinese but they can help each other.
And chinese food is amazing!! yuxiangrousi, tancuniurou, tangcuyu, xihongshichaojidan really nice!! you have to come and taste it!! |'m strongly recommend you to come Ef Beijing!!

EF Barcelona was the best idea I ever had. A little background, I was coming to Barcelona already having 3 American friends over here. I figured I didn't really need EF activities or other students, and I would just take classes, and just hangout with my American friends.
I saw them twice...

The people I met at EF Barcelona changed my life, at age 22. I learned so much inside and outside of the classroom that I could never thank them for enough. The friends I met at EF Barcelona will remain my friends for a very long time. This program attracts really fun and nice people, who are excited to learn, explore and make memories.

Barcelona is an amazing city. I don't have many other words to describe it, you just need to see it for yourself. Never, have I felt so much love in one city from people I didn't even know. I've never laughed and lived as much as I did in Barcelona.

The staff at EF is what will make your experience. I graduated from a great four year college in the states, and never have I had teachers who cared about me as a person, and about my education like the teachers at EF Barcelona. They are VERY special people who truly care about their students. The staff as well, go out of their way to make sure that you are doing well, and having fun. I still keep in contact with one of my teachers, who became a very dear friend and mentor to me. And a girl who was my age that worked as an EF staff member, became a good friend of mine as well.

I don't have all the right words to tell you how amazing this experience can be. The people of Barcelona are loving and alive, the staff at EF is some of the best people I have ever met, and the other students who became some of my best friends are fun and truly amazing people.

I actually left Barcelona to work at an Outdoor School, and I know that EF ranks as an amazing educational institution.

I PROMISE you, if you have the chance to go to EF Barcelona, you will not regret it. Take my word for it. I wish I could go back every day!

I love EF Tokyo. The people are fun and the city is great. However, there was a miscommunication regarding my gender. You see, I'm a girl, but EF has me in their records as a male. Therefore, my host family was very surprised to a see 16-year-old girl show up. Actually, I was going to be roomed with a guy there, but that didn't happen of course. It's still a story to tell, although it should not have happened. I'm great friends with my 19-year-old make roommate, though.

I am here in the EF Beijing School since 2 Month and I really like it! The Chinese culture is really interesting and completely different. The chinese hospitality is on a really high level, even if the living standards may are not that high,compared to Europe. It will definitely warm your heart when you see chinese people getting so happy when you try to talk in chinese. Learning chinese is actually not as hard as I expected and chinese people will help you to improve your language skills. So if you don't mind to have lower living standards, you will have a great time here in Beijing.

My story starts when I first came to Beijing as a person who only could introduce myself in very simple chinese. I didn't know anything about the country than the info you get in school. But when I came here I met so much more than I ever thought possible. I met new friends, a new country but more importantly I met my new self. The person I am today, a person I dind't think I could become. Love it!

The EF Barcelona school is incredible.

You learn the language really fast because the lessons are very interactive and fun and the teachers are very supportive. I learnt way more in the first few weeks in EF Barcelona than I ever did in years or learning the language at school.

Every week there are many optional activities set up which are really good fun. But also, if you want to plan your own trip you can always ask any of the EF staff for recommendations of places to visit, eat, see etc. or advise on the easiest way to get to particular places.

The EF staff are all very friendly, welcoming and very enthusiastic about their city, which I think is really important to a person when they move to study abroad, whether it is for a few weeks or many months. I found that the EF Barcelona School really does feel like a family (...that sounds really cheesy but its true!..).

During my time in Barcelona I have gained so much, friends that will stay with me for life, the ability to speak another language, experiences I will never forget and a confidence and independence I didn't have before. All of which I will take into the next stage of my life.

Thank you EF Barcelona, you have a fantastic city and a really special school.

Gracias por todo....amigos para siempre!

Barcelona is not just a city located at the seaside, it is full of history, art, music, good food, incredible people and perfect for escaping ones life.
In Barcelona you find new friends, new experiences and if you are taking it a bit seriously, you even can set the base for another foreign language in only 3 months! Thanks to EF and all the amazing people working there, I not only have a lot of memories I would never want to miss, but I have the possibility to talk to people I would not have understood before! I love practicing at home with my new Spanish friends who are happy to support my improving! So the only thing I have to say is

GRACIAS POR TODO EF BARCELONA! Que tengais muchas estudiantes nuevos que disfruten su tiempo alli! ;)

Having spend nearly on year at EF's foreigner School in amazing Beijing I can say: I'm able to communicat in chinese during my daily life, I have meet a lot of new friends from all over the world and I have also made many chinese friends. For my profesional life, I am now able to survive any chinese business dinner and I can take a more and more bigger part in negotiations with our chinese clinets and business partners.

The school itself has an perfect location close to Beijing's important Subway Line 5 and is situated in a modern building with a western coffe shop downstairs. All teachers speak a fairly good english and are doing a really good job in helping the students to master Chinese. If there was a problem I could always speak with the other stuff to find a solution for it.