EF Reviews

The TLDR of my review is it was ultimately worth it because of the experience I had and how much I grew. It opened me up to the possibilities that I hadn't realized were within my grasp.

However, the financial cost was somewhat unexpected as we were encouraged to pay for multiple activities in addition to the trip. I hope in future programs they will be more transparent with this in the future.

While I was with a host family in France, my initial first experience with the family was disheartening to say the least. With my second host family, I really was able to enjoy myself. I was not the only student who had a negative initial experience with the host family.

As for my internship, I was so grateful for what I got. I still keep in contact with my boss and made some great memories while in Stockholm. This is not necessarily something that I thing EF needs to do, but I wish that I had been told that there were so many career opportunities while in Stockholm because I feel some regret after for not having taken advantage of that while there.

Taking the EF gap year has shaped the person I am today in so many incredible ways. This program is perfect if you want to see and experience new places in a fun and safe community. Traveling always has its moments of uncertainty, however, the EF local staff always did their best to support us and provide a plethora of information on the places visited. I loved this particular program because it allowed me to visit multiple countries and participate in a language study, service work, and an internship. Those experiences paired with tourist activities allowed me to fully experience the countries I was living in. This program allowed me to gain independence, meet so many wonderful people, and see places I never thought I would have the opportunity to see. I’m so grateful for this experience and highly recommend it to anyone considering!

I traveled Europe because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. While I was in Europe I found myself and who I wanted to become. I shed my ego and my worries and became someone who wanted to embrace change and help others along this crazy journey we call life. EF gave me that opportunity and also gave me the opportunity to make friends for life. I will be forever grateful for being naive because I am now the person I am to today because of it. I will always be grateful to EF, for ever.

My gap year experience was life changing. It’s unique that I got to learn a language, volunteer, have an internship and travel to so many places all over the world in the span of six months. I learned so much about the world and interacted with a variety of cultures along the way. The experience taught me how to travel with others and also cherish the time to myself.

I’m now living and working abroad in Thailand, one of the countries I visited with EF. The gap year gave me the confidence and skills needed to make that possible.

My teenage daughter arrived in Tokyo and walked around FOR THREE HOURS lost and scared. We called the Tokyo school and spoke to staff, no one bothered to help her. This set the tone for the entire trip.

In my opinion, very expensive (I paid approximately $6000) and very disorganized. Also in my opinion, classes were sub par.
I paid six hundred dollars for a roundtrip airport transfer to Narita that was literally never used. For the return, this company was notified of an airport change approximately four weeks in advance and a limo still showed up to take the student to the wrong airport. In my opinion, every aspect of this program was disorganized.

I totally got the run around regarding a refund for the unused airport transfer. After emailing the customer service rep for assistance, I was advised to schedule a meeting with the "student experience coordinator." The "student experience coordinator" did not show up for the Zoom meeting and did not respond to my emails to reschedule. (I had sent several emails, previously, explaining this simple issue and no idea why a meeting was even necessary.)
This is a very simple issue: please refund me the $600 roundtrip airport transfer that was never used.

In my opinion, once this company has your money, they care about nothing else.

During my EF gap semester, I was able to travel to some of the most beautiful places in the world, meet some of my best friends, and work on environmentally-focused projects in several different countries, all while improving my Spanish and learning new words in Quechua. I also had the opportunity to do this program under a Digital Media fellowship and my EF experience allowed me to get a taste of the life of a traveling videographer/documentarian, which I am eternally grateful for. The whole experience is one that I will happily and gratefully carry with me for the rest of my life.

The four week program to Costa Rica through EF was amazing! Staff from the very beginning are friendly and professional, and everything was very well organized. We weren’t just sightseeing, we were doing a lot of learning about Costa Rica culturally as well as learning about sustainable agriculture and doing service work. The team dynamic was amazing. Our tour guide and our EF team lead helped create such a great team environment. I made excellent friends that I am keeping in touch with. We all felt grateful for our chance to be there to connect with people as well as each other. Thank you, EF!

Compared to other French classes I have taken, this one has to be the best. The teachers are very nice and helpful and will work with you regardless of where you are in your proficiency. In my experience, the teachers were very supportive and understanding and took the time to ensure that everyone in the class had a full grasp of the material before moving on. They were always willing to stay behind and answer questions and were very kind. You receive discounts associated with EF from everything like food to boutiques, so you shouldn't have to worry about staying within a budget.

I have finished one month of my 8 month stay in Costa Rica and I have nothing but good things to say about it. My host family is incredibly kind, the campus is incredible, and there are beautiful beaches with great surf lesson options everywhere. Tamarindo itself is lovely: however, it is quite expensive as the area is a hotspot for tourists. As for my Spanish, I have already noticed an improvement after only one month. Nightlife is very active and there are plenty of activities to join on the weekends. I recommend this course for everyone.

I spent a month in Saint Raphael this summer with EF. I had so much fun and made connections around the world. Great if you’re just starting out! It got so hot in the classrooms though in south France. You have to get your own water bottle because we only got water at meal times but that was just me as an American ha. I loved going to places on the weekend like Monaco and Antibes. That’s probably my favorite part! I am an Ambassador for them and they treat me really well! Have fun traveling!!!!!