author: Daniel Pedro
If this is your first experience at a language school, you will find some key differences from a college class.
1) Most notably, class sizes are much smaller. At ECELA you will never have more than 8 students to a class, making it much more conducive to meaningful conversations. This also means that our teachers can focus
more time on individual student needs – helping you to improve your Spanish skills in a much quicker timeframe.
2) Everyone is there because he or she wants to be there. At a language school, you will find students are studying Spanish because they chose to, not because they have to meet “the foreign language requirement” to graduate from college. This results in a more engaged group and peer support.
3) It is an immersive experience. When you are studying Spanish at a language school, you will find it much easier to improve because you can focus on only one thing – Spanish. At college, taking Spanish is often just one of many semester courses, meaning you’ve got to study and focus on multiple subjects at the same time! Further, you will put your studies into practice outside of class in your homestay and in our cultural activities.
Small classes, interested students, and master-level teachers all contribute to a language school’s superior effectiveness.
4) Finally, at ECELA, your classes are taught for by professional Spanish teachers, many with over 10,000 teaching hours, often cited as the magic number to reach “mastery level”. Unfortunately in college many classes are now taught by a graduate assistant with zero prior teaching hours, and minimal if any training.
While the above are the primary educational differences, other positives include:
A worldwide student body: You may have class with a journalist from Brazil, a law student from Germany, and a gap year student from Sweden
Free snacks and refreshments: The snack break between class sessions is a good time to catch up with your new friends.
And what is the biggest difference? …..
Surprisingly affordable: With small classes, free refreshments, and comfortable facilities, you would expect a language school to cost several times more than a college class. However, the opposite is true. Our hourly cost is about $10/hour, compared to $75/hour a private college will cost you.