Hi, I highly recommend this Academy and in particular our great teacher Francesca Lorenzon…read more Francesca is an excellent teacher, who truly cared about me and the rest of our class. She made sure that we learned about culture, geography and language. She always welcomed our questions and was just fun to be around. This carried forward into the overall classroom experience where all had a good time and ended up going out to lunch every few weeks. I studied Italian for eight months to prepare for my trip to Italy and highly recommend Francesca and the Academy. Joe

I have been taking Italian language and literature classes with Polyglottist Language Academy off…read moreand on since 2017. I initially started taking classes because I had planned a trip to Italy for the summer, but after my trip I was motivated to continue. I have since returned to Italy 2 more times. I've taken Italian classes with several instructors including but not limited to Sole, Valerie, Cinzia, Oscar, and Francesca. I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every class. The instructors are knowledgeable, patient, and eager to create a positive and enriching learning environment. Olga has been even more accommodating in light of the difficulties that arose with COVID-19 social distancing protocols, even allowing classes to take place on Zoom. I would 100% recommend taking classes with this academy!

I have been taking classes at Centro Latino for 4 years now. The entire time I have been working…read morewith Ximena, and she has been so great as a teacher. She cares a lot about my learning individually and is constantly catering the class to my strengths and weaknesses. We play fun games, listen to spanish music, learn about the history of various countries and their people, and do it all in spanish as a double-learning opportunity. I went from not remembering any of the spanish I learned in high school to being able to understand and converse more confidently than I ever have. The classes have emphasized proper grammar but also really help with interacting socially and in certain situations with spanish speaking people. I have used the skills I've developed to have many full, 30+ minute conversations with people in spanish speaking countries, and it's given me an opportunity to connect with people I wouldn't have otherwise. Highly recommend them.

I like the teachers in this school. They are engaging and knowledgeable in their grasp of Spanish…read more However, the school has little control over what is actually taught in class. I recently finished beginner 1 and moved on to beginner 2 with a different teacher, and found it almost impossible to adapt to. It turned out that my first teacher combined materials from different sessions. Also, the teacher in the second class was giving out handouts and assignments from an older edition of the textbook. As a result, even though I bought the book, I still had to copy the items from the teacher's book because each edition has different page numbers and homework questions. I wish there could be more uniformity in this school.

Wonderful classes, native certified instructors under the guidance of Italingua's director…read moreFrancesca Gaspari. I've learned lots in less than a year. I love and respect my instructor Diana Alberghini. She knows how to teach to all students and encourages us all to work hard while she eagerly transmits her italian culture at the same time. Looking forward to my next class online. Totally recommendable. A presto!

I've been taking Italian classes with Italingua since September 2023 mostly for fun and incredibly…read morethankful for the progress I made in the language thanks to ItaLingua. The instructors are excellent and know how to keep a class engaged - there's a particular effort in making sure the classes are not too big so everyone gets the chance to practice speaking. Highly recommend it!

I've been studying ESL at Berkeley Adult School since 2024 and I really like it here. The teachers…read moreexplain clearly and make learning fun. The classmates are nice and come from all over the world. I can feel my English getting better and I'm so happy I joined this school.

I took a class with Crystal Graves who has to be one of the worst instructors I've ever had. The…read moreclass was on Zoom. Most of the world has been using Zoom for years and has an understanding of how to use this platform. Ms. Graves has chosen not to master online instruction. Due to her poor instruction, the class was very disorganized. Also, it would have been nice if she had a quiet space to teach without personal interruptions. The final kicker was trying to get students to buy things off her Etsy site. I felt the class was a waste of time and dropped it which is sad because it could have been so much better.

Jonathan's coaching is by far the most effective public speaking coaching I've ever had, and I've…read morebeen through a lot over the years: Dale Carnegie, Toastmasters (3 different groups), Speaking Circles, and another private coach. Jonathan's program and coaching were dramatically more effective than any of the other training I had. I use the word "dramatically" intentionally, because that is what all the other programs miss out on, and what is really Jonathan's innovation: using theatrical training techniques for public speaking. I had barely thought of this before, but if you think about it, when you're giving a speech you are performing, and there's actually a whole world of theatrical training techniques that are tremendously useful, that most of us never hear about it, and that are almost completely ignored by all other training. I felt like I was getting lots of "insider" info. When I started with Jonathan, I told him my fear: "I'm afraid that I will go through this training and when the time comes for me to give my first big speech I will be right back where I am now and panic and freeze up." He said he often gets that comment. But here's what he said that was really important: "By the time you get to the speech you will know so much more about speaking you just simply will not be as nervous - because you will know what you are doing." After going through three months of coaching, culminating in my speech, I can testify he hit the nail on the head. In those three months I saw my anxiety consistently go down, including on the day of the speech. I actually knew what I was doing for the first time standing in front of an audience - I actually wanted to do it so I could try all my new skills and get my message across in the way I had always hoped.

Jonathan is a fabulous, intuitive coach. I came to him because I was doing some radio work and…read morewanted to make sure my voice was grounded and sounded professional. Jonathan exceeded all my expectations and made me feel completely at ease. He is a master at coaching the entire person; voice, body and spirit. Since our last session I've been featured on six radio shows in a two month period. He's helped me find my authentic voice with grace and ease! Thank you, Jonathan. Bethany St. Clair, Oakland, CA

We had a great time at our Burmese cooking class with Chef Sara. The Kitchen was a wonderfully…read moreorganized and open space. She was a great chef and engaged all 11 of us in the cooking action. We felt like we learned a lot, can make the dishes at home. We enjoyed the cooking and the feast afterwards. Highly recommend!

Terrible customer service. I came down with a bad flu and they refused to let me reschedule. She…read moretold me to show up sick if I couldn't find someone to take my spot. Really terrible customer service. Will never book through them again.

They provided extremely high quality teaching and it is very positive & friendly staff. They do…read moreeverything possible to make the dream become TRUTH. Thank you ;-)

Very diverse group of students and great teachers! The location is very convenient as it's right…read morenext to Montgomery BART. They have interactive white boards and comfortable facilities. The staff are very friendly.

As a parent of two young children, I'm wrestling with how best to prepare them for a world that's…read morechanging so rapidly. With AI coming, what skills will really matter? Two years into our journey at Escuela Bilingüe Internacional (EBI), I've come to appreciate the value of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, especially its focus on inquiry-based learning and bilingualism. A few reasons this feels more relevant than ever: Intellectual curiosity IB helps students develop a love of exploring ideas, formulating questions, and seeking deeper understanding--skills that will set them apart in a world of instant answers. Cross-disciplinary thinking IB encourages students to make connections across subjects and approach problems creatively. Bilingualism and cultural fluency Learning in two languages strengthens cognitive flexibility and helps students navigate a more connected, global society. Global and ethical perspective The program develops empathy, collaboration, and a strong sense of ethics, which our world needs now more than ever.

We initially chose EBI for its Spanish immersion program and were soon delighted to discover it's…read morealso an International Baccalaureate (IB) school. While raising bilingual children is important to us, the IB curriculum has become the most enriching part of our experience. Its inquiry-driven approach inspires curiosity, deep thinking, and a genuine love of learning that keeps our children engaged. Our top priority was to find a school where our kids would enjoy learning, ask big questions, and develop a global perspective--and EBI has exceeded our expectations. The teaching at EBI is high quality. The educators are thoughtful, skilled, and dedicated to helping each child succeed. They create a supportive learning environment that emphasizes both academic and social-emotional growth. Group work and collaboration are central to the school's approach, helping students build important interpersonal and problem-solving skills. EBI has been a great fit for our child with a learning difference, and also the one that doesn't have a learning difference because of their commitment to differentiated learning, which supports all learners! The inquiry-based model allows them to engage with the material without relying on memorization or worksheets. We appreciate the strong Learning Differences and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) support team as well! The EBI community--teachers and parents alike--have been fabulous!

Learning from a master instructor is irreplaceable! If you…read moredo the work you will see the results guaranteed!

I went to a noon time class and was surprised that more belly dance moves were not included in the…read morewarm up. we spent a very long time on general fitness class types of moves but without much concern for alignment or safety. (But I am a bit picky as a Pilates trainer no doubt). We did tons of drills with our tushes while seated but there was not a sense of the body as a whole with isolations for each area. They break the class down to one basic move per class so the actual belly dance portion we did only the twisting movement in place, then across the floor. I had heard such good things about the school that I was a bit disappointed that we did not do more belly dancing. I found the beginner workshop at hipline to be much more fun and incorporated more belly dance movements throughout the class.

Do not get the bootcamps they offer. They just waste your time. They cancel on me twice. After they…read morehad me paying ahead of time they canceled on me when I only had $3,000 left to pay. Now they are making me wait 30-60 days until I get my full refund. That is not fair, they are making me pay for their mistakes. I am not happy. They have $5,765 of my money and they are holding it hostage. I am very upset about this. Please don't do it, don't let it happen to you! They cancel the course and they don't even tell you why. Don't trust Edx or 2U.

I would write 0 stars if I could. I was accepted into a…read morepost-graduate program while completing a pre-req at UCBx. I had read some bad reviews, so decided it would make sense to speak with someone in the Science Admin department who might have some insight and reassurances. I reached out and was confidently told the professors for extension classes are professional, responsive, and my experience would be positive and maintain a cohesive extension of the elite reputation UCB has earned over the years. 2 weeks into the course, the professor went dark. This was an online course, so her role was to grade and comment and respond to emails and questions. Pretty light work... which clearly she did not have time for. I had to email the admin to ask them to contact the professor to grade my assignments so i could be sure I was grasping material and producing the level of work I expected of myself. Weeks went by before anything was graded. Despite this, I received short, enthusiastic, and reaffirming messages. At least I was doing work at the standard required for success. This pattern continued and I completed all course work including tests, quizzes, case studies, and essays with a very strong A. It was time to take the final, and it was a mess. Questions were posed regarding non-existent drugs (or drugs so poorly spelled they could not be identified). Other questions were contradictory, or unintelligible. The format was such that you had to click through each page to get to the next question, but the time limit was so limiting that any strategy of working back through the test to answer short answer questions worth more points first was moot. In the end, i finished 42 of 47 questions. Had the 42 points alone been graded I would have received a B. Fine. The last 5 questions however, were worth about 20% of the entire test, but the ridiculous time limit made it impossible to click through 50 pages of questions and explanations, and then click back through unfinished questions. Suddenly, my B became a C. A C grade on the final, as stipulated in the syllabus, will fail you out of the entire class. I immediately emailed the professor after the test requesting a conversation. No response. I waited 24 hours. Emailed her again. No response. I emailed admin. They replied with a generic cut and paste answer as to how to check my grade online. This is educational dysfunction at its finest. I concurrently took another pre-req at UCSDx (scheduling conflicts required I take one at each place). I had a wonderful experience with a responsive professor and walked away with an A. Im a 3.9 student who simply does not randomly fail tests, let alone finals. I have 3 days to provide a deposit and letter of intent to my new program, but cant do so unless i get some assurance I wont be failed from this class because of an absolutely disastrous test strategy and an unresponsive apathetic professor and entire admin department of UCBx. AVOID AT ALL COST.