Archive for the ‘ Advice from Students ’ Category

ELC L.A.’s New Student Message Board

“How can I look for someone to buy my ticket?” “I’m looking for somebody to rent an apartment with.” It always seems like our ELC students are on a search for something, or maybe somebody. We came to realize that our students needed a method to communicate with not only their friends, but with the whole school. That’s when our former student Tim’s idea sounded like the best solution. In his evaluation, Tim explained, “I would like to have a board on which students can communicate with each other e.g. announce a private party, marketplace for used bike and stuff.” We appreciate your feedback!

Tim at the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Tim at the Hollywood Walk of Fame

And now ELC Los Angeles now has a Student Communication Board in our student lounge! There are some note papers and a pen attached to the bulletin board, and students can now freely post up any announcements they may want other students to know.  
 Students' Communication Board

Also, look forward to a slight modification to this board in February because…it’ll become Hearts & Kisses Board! There will be heart shaped notes provided, and students will be able to leave messages to someone special! Students will also have the option to write their name, or leave it anonymous. There’ll be plenty more Valentine’s Day activities such as a free movie day, candy grams delivery, and a cupcake decorating on the day of, so be excited!  

Valentine's Day Hugs and Kisses Board

2013
02/13
CATEGORY
Advice from Students
ELC Los Angeles
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Reflecting on “Times Gone By” at ELC Santa Barbara

On New Year’s Eve, one tune that takes everyone into the New Year is Auld Lang Syne, or “Times Gone By,” a poem written by a Scotsman, Robert Burns.  This folk song is sung to celebrate the New Year, and by extension is also sung at farewells and endings to other occasions.

As the year comes to a close many ELC Santa Barbara students will end their time here, and return to their home countries.  I asked them to share some of their most memorable moments during their stay in the U.S. and heard some rather interesting anecdotes!

“We were surfing at Carpenteria beach and saw some dolphins swimming about ten meters away. That was so cool!”  ~ Sandro

 

 
“We went to Las Vegas and saw One Republic in concert-then we saw some of the band members at the Cosmopolitan Casino afterwards. That was great!”   ~ Michelle

 

 
“My 20th birthday party that I spent with my home stay family-we had a cake and balloons, and the whole house was decorated. It was so different from Switzerland, where birthdays are not so loud!  ~ Andrea

 

“We had a crazy experience in LA-we all drove to Hollywood and went to the Santa Monica Pier. We had a GPS, but we still got lost on the LA freeway! We were driving here and there and everywhere, trying to find the Outback Steak House. We were getting so angry and  SO hungry. At that time we didn’t think it was funny, but now we look back and laugh, because we were all so angry and SO hungry!”  ~ Kira

“We also had a crazy experience in LA. They were doing some roadwork outside the hotel when the power line went out, and we didn’t have any power! So that night we had to put our makeup on with the other hotel guests in the hallway. Some of the lights were off and some were on, so that was interesting.”  ~ Geraldine

 
“I spent Thanksgiving weekend with my host family in San Diego. We had a “”Tofurky” (tofu turkey) because we are all vegetarian. Then we went to Marina Del Rey and went sailing.  It was cold and windy, and the sea was so dark, but it was fun”  
~ Michele

 
All in all, the students at ELC Santa Barbara have had some very interesting “times gone by,” and we hope they will return to have more!!

By Debbie Belardino, teacher at ELC Santa Barbara

2012
12/18
CATEGORY
Advice from Students
ELC Santa Barbara
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Boston Nightlife for the Under 21 Crowd

Every Monday at orientation, students are always shocked at the legal drinking age in the USA.  Not only do our laws restrict access to beer, wine or other cocktails, but also many dance clubs and music venues hold exclusively 21+ events.

Never fear, students! Underage doesn’t have to mean underwhelming! Despite the city’s strict ID laws, there’s still plenty of fun nightlife for those less than 21 years old. Be sure to check out the websites below for the 18+ schedules and show times!

Music Venues

  1. The Middle East: This award-winning venue has three stages, with different bands every night. The club, as its name suggests, also serves first-rate Middle Eastern cuisine. (472-480 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge; mideastclub.com)
  2. Great Scott: Great Scott is 18+ weeknights, 21+ weekends and often features indie & rock artists. Offers some free shows, but most are about $7. (1222 Commonwealth Ave., Boston; greatscottboston.com)
  3. Brighton Music Hall: Formerly known as Harper’s Ferry, this venue has music for every taste – reggae, rap, rock, electric and more. (158 Brighton Ave., Boston; brightonmusichall.com)
  4. Paradise Rock Club: This venue hosts a wide variety of artists and all shows are 18+. (967 Commonwealth Ave., Boston; thedise.com)
  5. Ryles Jazz Club: Ryles has live jazz and salsa.  Try the Latin Caribbean Night on Thursdays – entrance for $7 ($13 with classes) you get a salsa and bachata/kizomba lesson and can then enjoy dancing until 1am. (212 Hampshire St., Cambridge; rylesjazz.com)
  6. P.A.’s Lounge: This Somerville spot offers indie, pop or rock music, depending on the night, as well as open mic nights. (345 Somerville Ave., Somerville; paslounge.com)

Dance Clubs

  1. Rise: Rise claims to be Boston’s only after-hours nightclub. The club offers patrons a place to literally dance the night away. Some events don’t end until 6am! Admission to most events is between $15 and $25. (306 Stuart St., Boston; riseclub.us)
  2. Rumor: This club offers 19+ events, depending on who’s performing. Admission to most events is between $15 and $25. (100 Warrenton St., Boston; rumorboston.com)
  3. Phoenix Landing: The Landing is an Irish bar that opens its nightclub to the 18+ crowd every Sunday from 10pm to 1am.  The music usually consists of dubstep, techno, and house music, provided by some of the best local DJs! (512 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge; pheonixlandingbar.com)
  4. The Middle East: It’s on our list twice for a reason.  Each Thursday, the club hosts Throwed, an 18+ indie electric dance party that draws between 200 and 500 college students from all over Boston. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission runs between $15 and $20.

Karaoke

  1. Limelight Stage and Studios: ELC’s go-to Karaoke spot. Admission is $10. (204 Tremont St., Boston; limelightboston.com)
  2. Doremi Karaoke: Doremi has 13 language options and private karaoke suites! (442 Cambridge St., Boston; doremikaraoke.com)

Bowling

  1. Lucky Strikes at Jillian’s Boston: Jillian’s Boston is a massive, three-floor operation that is home to a club, billiards, bowling, and ping-pong. (45 Ipswich St., Boston; jilliansboston.com)
  2. Sacco’s Bowl Haven: This small bowling alley offers 10 candlepin bowling lanes as well as flatbread pizza, salads and more. (45 Day St., Somerville; flatbreadcompany.com/flatbreadsacco2010.html)

 

2012
11/08
CATEGORY
Advice from Students
ELC Boston
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ELC Summer Campus Program at UCLA

Every July and August we have students from all over the world who take part of ELC’s summer campus program at UCLA.  The University of California, Los Angeles is a beautiful school with nearly 100 years of history. Often called “a city in the village,” UCLA boasts state of the art research and recreational facilities and excellent dining options that cater to wide ranging tastes. What’s more, UCLA’s population of nearly 70,000 can also take advantage of numerous open spaces and gardens.

We asked a few students to write about their experience taking classes with ELC on the UCLA campus and this is what they had to say:

“Living in UCLA campus is like living in a movie. You can meet lots of people from your country or from every part of the world. Here you can find all that you need from good restaurants to shops! UCLA also has a huge gym and pools. If you study in ELC you will improve your English by taking grammar and conversation class with qualified teachers. “ – Alice A. from Italy

“ I think my experience here has been amazing. The weather is great, the classes are cool and both people and activities are super! The campus is like a little city. There are restaurants, sports, swimming pools… you can do anything you want!” – Cecilia C. from France

“Based on my personal experience in the ELC course, I really recommend everyone studies here once in their life. It’s awesome how fast you can meet new people and learn, especially speaking. Therefore, you learn about other cultures and how people of different ages and nationalities can come together and create lasting friendships. “ – Beatriz B. from Spain

2012
08/15
CATEGORY
Advice from Students
ELC Los Angeles
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Cambridge at ELC Los Angeles

It was always my dream to study abroad. I decided to take the Cambridge Exam because it gives also some possibility for further studies in Switzerland. In Switzerland you have a lot of opportunities to studying English but it’s never like studying in an other country. Even if I had English at school for four years, I really improved my English here. I discovered some skills I never known about and I enjoyed the time a lot. I took the First (Certificate in English) and it was not always as easy as I thought before. It was challenging and fun in the same time and we had every week an exam for preparing us for the real one. If I look back, my scores were higher than before but I still look forward to my result of the real exam.

In my opinion, the time at school was perfect. I really enjoyed meeting some new people from all over the world. I am happy to have had kind and helpful teachers, and maybe sometimes also really funny and strange. But that made our days at school only more interesting. I think everybody who took the Cambridge Exam but not only, can confirm to have learned something more than just a language.

I had a really good time also with the office people. They all are really kind and nice but the most important is that all of them are so helpful. They are great and care of you not only like a student but in some situation also like a friend. I miss the time at school, although I am happy that I finished my exam. Now I have a few weeks more in Los Angeles, which I will spend to learn more about the city and not at least to visit the school as often as possible.

Iphigenia S. 19 , Switzerland  :P ^^

2012
07/13
CATEGORY
Advice from Students
ELC Los Angeles
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Potluck lunch at ELC LA

The potluck lunch was a nice way to share with other students and staff the different dishes from their own countries. It was really fun and a nice experience.

I hope they will organize another potluck again because it helps you meet other students. It was a good opportunity to learn the different cultures and dishes.  We had so much fun and it was quite interesting tasting the kimchi-fried rice from South Korea because it was delicious.

I would like to say thanks to the organizers and if I weren’t leaving next weekend, I would take part in the next potluck lunch!

  Written by Sugi from Germany

2012
04/27
CATEGORY
Advice from Students
ELC Los Angeles
Student Activities
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Snip Snip Snip! (LA hair salons)

Not happy with your look? Perhaps you need a new, fresh hairstyle.

It is not difficult to find a hair salon in Los Angeles. Some salons offer many services in addition to haircuts and color treatments. From manicures to pedicures, some places even offer waxing and makeup under one roof!

It is difficult to find a good salon that will balance a reasonable price with high quality services.

My personal favorites include the Suzanne at the Tea Room in Venice Beach, (543 Rose Avenue, Venice, CA 90291. Phone (310) 399-1551) JR at Mynt Salon in Larchmont Village (5oo N. Larchmont Los Angeles, CA 90004 Phone (323) 469-8229,) Antonio at The Hills Salon in Koreatown( 217 N. Western Ave, L.A. 90004), and Robin at Kim Sung Young in Koreatown (306 N. Western, L.A, 90004). If you are a new customer at Kim Sung Young salon you get a 20% off your hair cut! My new favorite stylist is ELC Los Angeles’ very own Sakina Nakamura. She is responsible for the masterpiece that has replaced the boring mess on my head.

A few other students have visited other salons with great results.

Samire and Maria recently visited the Aveda Institute in Westwood Village
(10935 Weyburn Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024).

 

 

“The service was amazing, and the quality of the cut and color was great. We are very happy with our new hair!”

 

 

 

Desiree visited the Polish Couture salon on Melrose Avenue.

“I really like my haircut. They also did my nails and offer waxing services.”

 

Of course there are many other locations to try:

Floyd’s
Paul Mitchell Institute
ULTA

I recommend to try many different places until you find the one with people and prices you love! Treat yourself.

Written by Eva

2012
04/12
CATEGORY
Advice from Students
ELC Los Angeles
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Advice from ELC Boston Students

This past Monday I accompanied students to a new spot that we found down the street, The Red Hat Pub.  It’s a place that has become quite popular with ELC over the past couple of months due to their ten-cent wing deals on Mondays and Tuesdays and I went to uphold my title as the 19 wings in 10 minutes silver medal winner. While there I did more than just eat 12-15 wings in one sitting, however.  We had a student present who is just finishing his five-month stay here in Boston as well as two students who had just started that very day.

Over the course of our gluttonous feast, our veteran student, Jose, started to explain to the rookies a couple of things that will make your time at ELC enjoyable. He mentioned that it’s definitely important to take advantage of each day here in Boston and to keep yourself occupied so as to make the most of your experience. His advice made me wonder just what it is that other students think is the key to being happy while studying English here. So I reached out to a handful of students who have been here a while and asked them what advice they would give to students who are just embarking on their ELC journey.

One of the most important things that students stressed is that you should try to immerse yourself as much as possible and avoid speaking your native language. Naif from Saudi Arabia has been here for a year and said that new students should “just speak English” and Angel from Venezuela has spent 7 months here so far and he says that it is important to be with people whose first language is not the same as yours. Gabriela, also from Venezuela, has been here for 9 months now and added that time here at ELC is great to spend with different people from different countries.

Many students mentioned participating in ELC activities and also getting out and about here in Boston.  Ran from China has been here for 6 months and recommends visiting Boston Common as well as universities here in Boston with friends and definitely going to Newbury Street and Quincy Market. Gyeongjin, a Korean student who has also been here for 6 months, mentioned that in order to adjust you should definitely get involved with activities because they are a lot of fun and its easy to make friends that way.

A few students had some unique things to say about what makes ELC fun. Ahmad has been here for over a year and says that he has had an unforgettable experience here and that every one is friendly and welcoming and therefore you should try to enjoy every second that you spend here. Even more intriguing, Kibum says that it is crucial to “believe your teachers” and also to “love Laura and Melissa,” a piece of advice that I would also strongly impress upon any students new to ELC!

All in all, I was very impressed by our long-term students and the tips they had for newbies here at ELC. They had some great advice to offer them and I hope that it makes for some happy students in the future!

-Written by Laura A.

2012
04/04
CATEGORY
Advice from Students
ELC Boston
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Cheap Eats in LA

Hello! How’s it going everyone? My name is Simon and I am from South Korea. I have been studying at ELC Los Angeles for the past 8 weeks and I will be here until September 2012.

What do you want to eat for lunch?? Everyday you hear that question during lunchtime. Is it hard to choose a restaurant that everyone likes?? I like to find delicious restaurants in Los Angeles so I will recommend some good places, which are suitable prices for students.

I will recommend three different types of food restaurants; two of them will be American. If you want to eat pizza, then you must go to 800 Degrees and you must get there early because the restaurant always has a long line. The taste of the pizza is so fresh, which makes it great! You can choose the toppings and the type of dough you want. The price is only $5-$10.00, it depends what you want to add to your pizza. The best thing is that the pizza is done in 3-5 minutes because they put it in a hot fire oven that is 800 degrees.

Another American place is, In&Out burger, this place is already famous and everyone loves it. Even though their food is fast food they use fresh and quality ingredients. The cool part is that you can see how they make the hamburgers and the French fries, I might say “Simple is the best” which is what I think of In&Out.

The second type of food is Japanese. If you love sushi or you want to try sushi you should go to “Sushi-stop”. The sushi here is very cheap price and also made by a Japanese chef. Most Japanese places in Los Angeles that have a Japanese chef are very expensive but this is different. All the dishes are fresh and delicious even though they are $2.75. I love this place so much that I will wait in line for 30- 60 minutes, but even waiting in line is exciting!

The last food I recommend is Korean food. Many of my foreign friends here at ELC don’t know about Korean food. I really want every student to eat my cultures food because it is yummy! There are so many good Korean dishes and places in L.A. I suggest Korean BBQ; the restaurant name is Boedeunamu Restaurant in Korea town. If you want to eat delicious meat you can go here and only pay $10.00 for all you can eat!! You can have a variety of meats and great side dishes for only $10.00 per person!

The restaurants are all great for students on a budget! The last advise I have for you is to make sure you have an appetizer before you go because you will have to wait in line if you go during lunch time! If you go too often you will gain weigh ☺ Thank you for reading my long food story.

Have fun eating in L.A.
Bye!

-Simon, Korea

 

 

 

 

 

You might also want to check out: Los Angeles Magazine’s 101 Cheap Eats

2012
03/27
CATEGORY
Advice from Students
ELC Los Angeles
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Where should we go to lunch in Santa Barbara?

A common question we get from students is, “Where should we go for lunch?”

Well, there are countless of options near the campus, but we wanted to suggest some of our favorites as well as some of our students’ favorites.

Here are some of our staff and student favorites:

Jeannine’s Bakery
15 East Figueroa Street

Jeannine’s Bakery is a great place to grab something on the go or if you’d like to have a nice sit-down meal. It’s only two blocks away from the ELC! They’re well known for their baked goods and sandwiches. Not only is their food delicious, it’s also healthy and fresh. Have coffee with friends here, or enjoy a nice meal in their outdoor patio area. You can have a look at their menu here: http://jeannines.com/menus.html

Panino
834 Santa Barbara Street

Panino is a wonderful restaurant where you can enjoy unique, fresh, and delicious sandwiches made with freshly baked breads and soups. The restaurant has a quaint, neighborhood feel. If you’re curious about what they serve, you can check out there menu here: http://paninorestaurants.com/menus.html

Our Daily Bread
831 Santa Barbara Street

Our Daily Bread is a cool spot where you can enjoy breakfast or lunch. Their sandwiches and fresh baked bread are their specialties. This bakery is in walking distance of the school, and they offer special deals to ELC students. Just show them your student ID! You can check out there menu here: http://ourdailybread.net/

The (805) Deli
135 East Carrillo Street

The (805) Deli is located about two blocks away from the campus. It’s a great place to grab some quick coffee or lunch. They have specials every day, and they have a wide assortment of food from which you can choose. You can browse their menu here: http://the805deli.com/805_deli_-_santa_barbara_resta.html.

The French Press
1101 State St

The French Press is a unique coffee shop on State St. It has a fun, hip atmosphere and serves delicious coffee and tea beverages. It’s a great place to grab coffee with friends as well as great place to study. There’s a neat back patio area where you can hang out with friends over a cup of coffee (or tea).

The Habit
628 State St.

The Habit is a burger place that offers a wide selection of burgers at great prices. It is a small chain of restaurants that started in Santa Barbara. The food at The Habit is fresh and delicious! Here’s their tasty menu: http://www.habitburger.com/charburger/

Baja Sharkeez
416 State St

Sharkeez is a sports bar and restaurant. It’s a great place to go if you want to catch the latest sporting event or meet up with some friends for some drinks. They also offer a full service menu.
http://www.sharkeez.net

In-N-Out Burger
4865 Calle Real
Goleta, CA 93111

If this is your first time in California, then you MUST try In-N-Out burger (They’re restaurants are only located in California and a few others states.)! It’s a widely popular burger restaurant, and their prices can’t be beat! They’re famous for their burgers, fries, and milkshakes! Everything off of their menus is very fresh and tasty! You can also order items off of their secret menu: http://www.in-n-out.com/secretmenu.asp.

Freebirds World Burrito
879 Embarcadero Del Norte
Isla Vista, CA 93117

Freebirds is known for their version of fresh, delicious Mexican food. They’re also famous for their HUGE burritos and gigantic servings of nachos. This is a great to check out with your friends for lunch, for dinner, or for a late night snack. You can check out their menu here: http://freebirds.com/food/menu/burritos/

 

A list of suggested restaurants from Santa Barbara’s official website:
http://www.santabarbaraca.com/experience-santa-barbara/sip-savor/

Another list of popular dining places in Santa Barbara along with reviews:
http://www.santabarbara.com/dining/

2012
03/23
CATEGORY
Advice from Students
ELC Santa Barbara
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