Program Reviews

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.

I studied abroad for two months with EF and had the most incredible experience! I choose to stay with a homestay family and they were the most lovely people. They really made me feel welcome, especially during my fist week when I was still very nervous. But all of the Japanese ambassadors at the dorms are so kind and helpful so you can't go wrong with whatever you pick! Going abroad is something I never thought I would be able to do, and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the whole world! I did things I never thought I would be able to do. I became a new person, as cheesy as that sounds. I was really able to break out of my shell. The language program is very comprehensive, and using the language on an everyday basis really improved my language skills. All of the people I met were so wonderful, especially my roommate! You will make so many great relationships with people from all over the world! And don't worry, there's plenty of time to explore on your own. I got to see so many parts of Japan; from Shinjuku to Kyoto! There is never a dull moment, but if you need to take time and just relax, then don't fret, because weekends are perfect for cooling down! I did so many things I never dreamed I would be able to do, and I am so happy I got to have such a wonderful experience! I highly recommend EF!

My (two) experience in EF Barcelona, i was so good, the staff (personel), school, prof and student are very great. (trip in EF BCN in 2014 : 2 weeks, and 2015 : 7 weeks)

I met so many people and made some great memories. i've grown a lot in those few months is Barcelona.

I loved the trips that the school organized in Costa Brava, Dali museum, Girona, Tarragona, PortAventura, Montserrat, Madrid etc..

I also improved my Spanish significantly and felt comfortable conversing with the locals. Highly reccomend !

But i travel frequently in Barcelona, because for me is the best city in the world, mountains, food, drink, gastronomy, park, culture, fun, art, architecture, nightlife, sun, beach, football, people.

After finishing high school, I decided to take a gap-year and study abroad in Barcelona with EF. I am so happy to say that I could not have made a better decision. Not only did I learn a new language, I also had the opportunity to meet amazing people from all around the world and share this wonderful experience with them.

The lovely teachers and staff are some of the most amazing people I’ve met in my life. From the very first day I could notice how incredibly motived everyone is. They made me feel at home in a place that was entirely new for me.

The classes are so much fun, very interactive and never boring. I’m convinced EF is the best way to learn a foreign language.

I met so many people and made some great memories. I’ve grown a lot in those few months is Barcelona, I’ve become more independent, more sociable and more open-minded.

Muchísimas gracias por todo!

I decided to go to Barcelona to learn Spanish mainly because it's the home of the best football club in the world, but I learned very quickly that you can find so much more than good football here in the mediterranean city. In fact, there is really almost nothing that Barcelona can't offer you. As a person who has been to quite a few cities, coming to Barcelona immediately let's you feel this special and welcoming vibe that flows through the warm and humid air as you wander around it's charming streets. One of the first things I noticed in comparison to other big cities is the fact that there are trees on both sides of almost every street throughout the whole town, which gives a friendly character to the otherwise urban environment. In general, the city is surprisingly green with a lot of nice parks to relax. Also the beautiful harmony of both traditional architectural styles and modern buildings immediately meets the eye even before landing by plane. Looking out of the aircraft, the first things to notice are the magical Sagrada Familia basilica erupting from the sea of identical housing complexes that is the Eixample district and on the other side of town the modern Agbar tower bathed in it's blue and red colours. One can quickly see that Barcelona is a city of culture and history but nevertheless is constantly evolving and reinventing itself. A perfect harmony of tradition and innovation.

I always tell people who ask me about Barcelona that for me it's a city that has everything! There is really nothing left to wish for in terms of culture, nightlife, art, sports, or any other aspect one might demand from a city. I mean the city ends right at the beach! What more could you want?! :) haha.

When it comes to the EF-language courses I really have to point out that I came to the school without knowing Spanish, but after just three months of classes I was already able to manage normal day to day life in Spanish without a lot of difficulties. The language classes are so different from the normal school lessons I was used to. Exciting interactions and modern teaching methods make the courses fun and you kind of learn the language in a more natural way. The competent teachers are always friendly, helpful and encouraging. The fact that I stayed with a host family also helped immensely since you are forced to talk communicate and practice not only in class but also in real life situations. After my time at EF I decided to study Spanish at university so as you can see EF Barcelona has had a huge impact on me. I loved going to class there and thats not very common right? haha

But the coolest thing apart from learning a new language and getting to know a new culture is the fact that you meet so many people from all over the world, make new friends and build connections around the globe. All the students find themselves more or less in the same situation so you immediately have one thing in common. This experience made me grow so much as a person and is unforgettable for the rest of my life. I can only recommend everybody to choose Barcelona: a city that makes you dream big and still surpasses those dream. A city so enchanting you fall in love with it over and over again.
I come back to BCN as often as I can and every time I walk back into the EF-school it's like coming home. EF will feel like family. And Barcelona will be your second home.