I have been studying with Brazil in Chicago in some form since about 2006, either through…read moreindividual classes or group classes. The school and space have evolved/grown significantly, and the Lincoln Square location is a great facility. While we drink less wine than we used to during our classes, they are just as enjoyable as they were at the beginning, which I attribute to both the teaching style as well as the character of those who would choose to pick up Portuguese language in a city (as far from Brasil) like Chicago. One of the nicest things about the school is the continued support for and encouragement of participation in Brazilian/Portuguese/Cape Verdean/etc music/sports/cultural events in the greater area.

I took my first Portuguese class at Brazil in Chicago and I know these 12 weeks ahead are going to…read morebe a lot of fun! My first impression of our instructor Carla is someone who wants nothing but her students to understand and have as much fun with the Brazilian culture and language we are learning right now. Obrigado y Tudo Bem! The classes take place in the small rooms of a house or if you are lucky like me the living room. The best thing is that people are only there because they really want to learn the language...an atmosphere of passion. The neighborhood of Lincoln Square is easily accessible through the Metra (get off of Ravenswood) and the L (brown line Damen stop). Much to my delight there were some cool places nearby that I went to: Tiny Lounge and Book Cellar...reviews will come pronto. Come to Brazil in Chicago and learn the language of a country that has everything going well for it so far: Large oil reserves, The most ecologically diverse rainforest in the world, hot women and men, Carnevale, Samba, Jiu Jitsu & Capoeira, and Caipirinhas. What more could I ask?

I studied improvisation with Steve Ivcich decades ago. I wasn't interested in becoming a…read moreprofessional actor (and lacked the talent even if I had wanted to become one). I took the class just to have an interesting life experience and possibly meet some new people, nothing more. And yet what I learned from Steve has stuck with me all these years later, and I still think about my experiences in his class from time to time. They were that meaningful -- even profound in some ways. That's the mark of a great teacher!

So... I realized something the other day... I actually dove…read moreinto acting because of this guy... I took several of his Professional Program classes and never looked back. Unfortunately I never finished the last class, but wow, as I thought about it, Steven taught method acting like none other. Pure genius. Pretty much in line with the teachings of Stanislavski and Chekhov, but with Stevens' own blend of artistry mixed in! Without a doubt, his classes gave me the drive and ambition to pursue my acting career. And thankfully, I've been involved in some really, really, awesome projects. Thanks Steven! Highly Recommended!!!!!!

I was very lucky to have studied with Keith from Chicago. I initially met Keith through the…read moreManhattan GMAT class pack in which he was the instructor, and later took a few private classes with him to improve my understanding.   Overall, Keith is a very efficient and to-the-point instructor. I was quite confident in math but was making unnecessary mistakes so Keith pinpointed it to exactly where it was and provided CUSTOMIZED study plans for me based on my goal and schedule. As for verbal, he was instrumental in teaching me how to read and answer the question.   My first practice test was in the 600, and with the help of Keith and many hours of hard work, I increased a score of 100+. I would highly recommend Keith to any student who would like to learn and achieve a good score.   Manhattan GMAT also offers one of the best online platforms. It syncs up with the book and the explanations really helped me understand why an answer was right, and better yet, why other answers were wrong. In addition, you can use the report feature to see your overall performance and area of improvement. I would recommend taking a GMAT course with Keith through Manhattan. Thank you Keith!

Quick Summary: Best in-person GMAT prep course in Chicago…read more Dan is awesome. --------- Lots and lots of detail: Teaching: 10/10 Dan. Bartz. I owe a LOT to him. He was a huge part in the 90pt increase from my first attempt to my second attempt.* He scored in the 99th percentile (several times), so yes, he's insanely smart. As a teacher, top notch scores will only get you half way to five stars. Dan's personality gets him the rest of the way and more. During my prep, I asked a lot of basic questions (trust me), but Dan always had a patient and thorough response. In class, he aimed for true comprehension. No matter how complex or simple, if we weren't getting it, he found another way to teach the concept or open up the problem. He was very conscious of varied learning styles and backgrounds in the room and made an effort to find opportunities to tailor a message. In addition to being incredibly approachable, Dan is very engaging. The Manhattan classes have a card system so all students "poll in" an answer to questions (makes sense since you can't skip an answer on test day!). He'd use this and other techniques to get the class involved. This engagement really helped keep my energy up and stay mentally present for three hours after a full day of work. He was available at any point during the course or while studying after the course ended. He wanted to help us succeed and whatever he could do to help, he would. Did I mention he's just a really nice guy? He's just a really nice guy. As we approached the end of the course, everyone had different time lines. Some were ready to face the GMAT monster. I was not. I met with Dan to create a personalized game plan for life-after-Manhattan. He went over my strengths and weaknesses and we created an outline for what turned out to be four more weeks of studying. I was planning on evenly studying Q/V and focusing on my weaknesses within those topics, but Dan suggested that I be more in the 75/25 range. It paid off! After sitting the test a second time, I maintained my Verbal percentage from the first try, but increased my Quant percentage by 37 percentage points. My overall score went up 90 points! Dan's guidance heading into the homestretch was priceless. I honestly don't think I could have cracked 700 without it. *I'm sure someone out there would want me to say that this isn't guaranteed, and no, I don't work for Manhattan GMAT. --------- Materials: 10/10 Studying for the GMAT is intense, but the order and depth of the materials broke down the concepts into digestible segments. You could all but feel the building blocks stacking as you worked through the books. The syllabus was also a godsend. I thrive on structure and deadlines (I realize that makes me sound super awesome); free form studying is not for me. The detailed syllabus kept me on task and progressing logically for nearly over months. The 14 or so books are great. Some thick, some thin. Some you'll use once, others replace your best friend (don't worry, your real best friend will forgive you). Each major concept has its own book, and you work from basic concepts to full-blown convoluted and mean GMAT questions on each topic. The syllabus ties it all together and tells you where to go and when. Then the online resources tell you if you should go back and review anything in particular. --------- Online Resources: 9/10 Manhattan GMAT has all the resources you'd expect (practice questions, CATs, videos, etc.). The OG Archer is a really great tool. Even with Dan's urging in class, I really only started using it after my class but I wish I would have taken advantage of the Archer sooner. The analyses available for both the Archer and practice tests were very insightful and helped me focus my attention on what mattered. I gave the Online Resources a 9/10 since there were a few quirks in the system, specifically in the OG Archer, that I found clunky and a bit annoying. To really work on a specific area (number properties, anyone?), there are some focused sets of questions organized by topic. Once you've started in one of these sets, clicking next will give you the next problem in the OG, not the next question in the focused set. I ended up opening a browser tab with the list of questions in the focused set, and a second tab with the OG up. Also, as you are clicking next or loading a new question, the full page reloads and scrolls you back up to the top so you have to scroll down again. Both are minor annoyances, but when you're trying to make the most out of limited study time, it would be really helpful to move through the Archer smoothly. --------- My brief history with the GMAT (for credibility, I guess): 12/12-4/13: Took an in-person course with a company in Chicago 4/13: Official GMAT (low 600s) 10/13: Demo'ed a class with another company; wasn't feeling it 10/13: Demo'ed a class with Manhattan GMAT; felt it 10/13-1/14: Took an in-person class in Chicago 1/14: Official GMAT (low 700s)

I took Spanish for Social Workers with Adriana at UNAM and I loved being a student there for a…read moresemester! The staff is all very friendly and accommodating. Class was always very interactive, with a diverse array of assignments and activities throughout the semester. Additionally, UNAM frequently has exhibitions and activities that students can attend for further language and cultural immersion. My class met twice a week from 5:30-7:30 pm, which sounds like quite a commitment - but I enjoyed class so much that it made it easy to attend. Homework assignments are incredibly reasonable, flexible, and relevant to your learning. I would take a course at UNAM again in a heartbeat!

I am very happy with my experience with UNAM. I am impressed with their intentionality in placing…read morestudents in classes and progression of curriculum. Those who are serious about learning spanish should choose UNAM! I took virtual classes with Monica who lives in Mexico. She is a great teacher who is very knowledgeable of language and teaching practices. It took them a few days to get back to me via email, but they are very helpful.

Very good teacher is very nice and they teach very well. It is a very nice atmosphere and you've…read morelearned a ton there's also good front desk and helpers

1. they never answer their phones and never return messages left on voicemail. IVR phone system…read moredoesn't work - "to speak to an agent, press 1 at any time" does nothing. Thus, all transactions need to be done in person in downtown Chicago. 2. teachers only teach Castilian Spanish including conjugations that are not used in the US. 3. teachers talk too fast even when you ask them to slow down. if I could follow spanish speech at normal speed I wouldn't need lessons. 4. would not recommend.

I have had, and am currently having, an amazing experience with the Spanish LC. I have been in…read moreclasses for almost a year now, and am planning to continue on with remote learning due to Covid. Valeria has been my teacher and she is AMAZING! She makes learning intuitive and fun while also going above and beyond with any questions I have. I highly recommend the Spanish LC to anyone who is thinking of learning Spanish.

Background: I've now taken classes at Cervantes, UNAM,…read moreSpanish Language Center and Spanish Lessons Chicago / Latin American Language Center, so I have seen a decent cross section of what is available here in Chicago. In my opinion, SLC is definitely worth trying and can be a very good value if you do the membership deal ($600 for 6 months all the classes you can take model). I took Beginner 0, 1 and 2 this Jan - June. Could have taken Beg 3, too, but got pretty busy at work and needed to take a break. I would also suggest that SLC is most useful for learning the basics and rules of the language, but it's not (at least not yet) been a great place for practicing much conversational spanish. This could be a function of my still being pretty early in the progression (Beginner 2) or the nature of the classes, where you've got 7 - 10 classmates and you go around the table taking turns translating examples and asking simple questions. So, it can be a help to start learning but you will definitely want to do other things to practice outside of the weekly class time. What I like: * The curriculum is clear. You know what you will be covering in each section (e.g. Beg 1, Beg 2) and in each specific class (e.g. class 1 of Beg 2, class 2 of Beg 2). I can't say the same of the other places I have studied. * The text / materials are clear, straightforward and useful. I have also purchased a number of general spanish exercise books online and prefer the workbooks that SLC has put together to complement their classes (Note: these materials do cost extra, but are pretty reasonable. ~$35 or so per class, I think). * They seem to draw a consistent mix of people who want to learn and consistently show up. So as you track through their levels you can be taking classes with familiar faces, which can be comfortable. What could be better: * Consistency of student levels This is a challenge everywhere I've taken classes. Not sure it can be solved. Seems you're always destined to have some folks who are in a bit over their head and others who maybe should be in the next class up. This mix can make some lessons a bit choppy. But I've seen this everywhere. * Consistency of the teachers I have had classes with 3 or 4 different teachers now, sometimes within the same track (e.g first 3 or 4 classes of Beg 2 started with one teacher, last 3 classes have been with another). Styles vary and just when you really start to click with one teacher he might be be gone without explanation. All of the teachers I've had have been pretty good, so it's not an awful drop off. But just know you should expect this kind of variety. The materials are the constant, the teachers may vary.

I started working with Literacy Chicago by participating in its intensive and excellent training…read moreprogram. We learned the best way to work with adults, who want to learn to read. (Note: I do not work with ESL students, so I don't know those resources). Somehow our school system has SO failed these motivated adults. Volunteers, like myself, are encouraged to develop our own lesson plans based on the level of the students and often addressing their specific deficiencies. I am completely puzzled by the negative reviews here. Curriculum? After the training, the volunteers have a lot of freedom to develop their own lesson plans. Each adult comes in at a different level, so it's not like a grade school or high school that has a specific curriculum, and that's good -- because these adult students each bring different needs to the class. There are many materials available to teachers at Literacy Chicago to choose from. Volunteers are expected to develop their own lesson plans, as I do. I looked up "Oxford University Textbooks" that Melissa (1-star reviewer) used; they are cute -- for little children, but, based on my Google search, look totally inappropriate for the adults who come to Literacy Chicago. They have pictures meant to appeal to little children. If Melissa wanted support, all she had to do was ask. I find the staff supportive and the students determined -- coming multiple days a week to learn to read. It's a wonderful experience for both volunteers and students. Please ignore these negative reviews.

I've been volunteering as a teacher at Literacy Chicago since 2018, helping adults to improve their…read morereading skills. Many of these adults are only reading at the second or third grade level. After attending a training program, it is our job as teachers to meet these students where they are and through hard work, lots of repetition and tremendous dedication, try to take them as far as their capacity to learn will take them. It is incredibly fulfilling to be a part of this organization because the students are motivated and appreciative, the leadership is incredibly supportive, and the other teachers and tutors I've met here are outstanding.

My favorite College Radio station in Chicago. Best website. Best female DJ's. I only listen…read morebetween 1PM-9PM.

I really like the downtown loyola campus because it is so close to Michigan Ave in the beautiful…read morecity of Chicago. Close to all the stores, shops and boutiques. The only downside is that if you attend Loyola University you won't have money to spend it on these stores because of tuition. The school itself is good the buildings are nice and I believe there is a new building now for business majors that will be open soon. The library downtown is really nice, multiple floors with computers on hand. Many rooms with computers to just browse the web or do some homework. The cafeteria is nice with a good assortment of sandwiches, pizzas, breakfast and drinks. This school is close by the red line train and there is also a shuttle that can take you back to the Lakeshore Campus.