Amazing experience!!!! Wonderful school and city. The atmosphere is awesome and the staff is super…read morefriendly!!! It was the first time I took an English course, and that was the best choice I could have made. THANK YOU for excellent instruction, facilitators and facilities.

Great school! So happy to be part of BIAs students! It's a place where we can learn English, make…read morefriends, see different cultures. Just love the staff and teachers!

I am taking classes here now and really enjoy it. I plan…read more to continue learning Spanish throughout next year.

I very rarely write reviews, but considering how happy I am with my choice to come to BASE for my…read morefirst few Spanish courses, I wanted to put it out there for others! So far I have take two courses, covering 4 total levels (Basic A-C and Intermediate A). They also offer less intensive classes as well as private and semi-private options as well, but considering I was looking for conversational practice I chose the group option. Bill (the director/owner of the program with his wife) and all of the teachers are friendly, attentive, and do their best to make you feel welcome and comfortable. This school is also located in the heart of Downtown Crossing, which made it super convenient and was among the most reasonably priced options out there (including the Centers for Adult Ed.). At first I was apprehensive to start with classes, as this is more of an "exchange", as the name implies, and has a fairly informal office space setting. However, my worries were immediately set aside when I met Bill and my teacher, Elaine. From day one I felt confident that I was in good hands. She was always engaged and focused with myself and other students, catering to the varying experience levels in my class so as not to leave anyone behind or bore anyone. While the curriculum is set by the course level, she kept the class fresh and was consistently challenging us with homework and in-class conversation sessions. I also took a few make-ups with another teacher, Ricardo, who had his own style of teaching but was equally engaged and concerned with his students' progress. Overall, I feel I gained a lot from my time so far (~14 weeks), going from someone with a very basic comprehension level and non-existent speaking skill, to a much more confident and capable reader, listener and speaker. While I still have a long ways to go, I am happy in particular with the confidence Bill and his team have built in my abilities!

While we tend to think of Paris and New York as the major incubators of creativity, in the past…read moreseveral years Berlin has been driving art and architecture, fashion and music in dynamic and innovative directions. The Goethe Institute is our connection to this scene. Looking at the breadth of their event calendar, from German language classes, to live music performances, film and techno happenings, it's surprising that their programs are not more widely known and publicized. The space offers a library chock full of German publications and a Baroque-style ball room. A nice place to throw a small soiree, though the real draws are the cultural events.

The Goethe Institut is the best place in Boston to take German, if not in all of New England. The…read morecourses may cost a little more compared to some others, but I wouldn't say it was outrageous, even on my pathetic little earnings, and it's far better in quality than any cheaper ones in the Boston area. It's in a great location in a lovely old building and it's just fun to go each week for class. The classes are well taught and I've always had nice teachers, I feel like I have a good hold of the German language, up to Level B2.3, which is middle-high intermediate. GI offers tests too, like the DaF (the german as a second language test) and various other ability level tests you can register for. They host a litany of cultural events too- music, film and their 'wein-bar' social sessions. Their library is nice and has a good variety of German videos, books, and magazines. My favorite little thing about the GI is the PINS. I have as many as I can get away with having. I love my "GEIL" and "QUATSCH" pins the most. Go to the Goethe Institut for a course, you won't regret it.

Wife went. Waste of money. They wrote poems all day for weeks. They didn't review anything. They…read moredon't talk about vowels, consonants, conjugations, it's just used to abuse visas. Joke of a program. Save your money.

I really enjoy learning at FLS Boston. It's good place for study :) i meet a lot of friends. They…read morehave many active to join.

Do yourself a favor and take their Bootcamp. It's a super fast-paced and engaging 3-hours that you…read morewon't regret (and will go by so fast)! I've taken two (Spanish & Mandarin) of the three bootcamps that are offered currently, and each one you will leave with what you've learned seriously stuck in your head. They teach practical stuff that you can remember and use right away. The classes are small and the people are friendly; I can't imagine learning a language any other way now. Italian is next for me!

I love this organization! It is the only organization I've found in the Boston area that offers…read morelanguage classes and engages the public in multicultural events, something that I think is really important. They also offer immersion programs in other countries which is awesome! The teachers are very passionate and knowledgeable and the location is super convenient. They also organize conversation groups in bars and cafes in the languages they teach, which, if you're like me and enjoy learning in a casual environment, it's perfect. I really recommend AES!

In my profession, and particularly as a graduate student, I work closely with a lot of native…read moreChinese speakers. Even my advisor is Chinese. At the place I work here in Boston, the majority of my group is native Chinese or Chinese American, including one of my bosses. Thus, I decided that it was about time that I learn how to speak Mandarin, so that I could understand better the language and culture of my fellow students and co-workers, and so that I could help those who have difficulty or are reluctant to speak in English. I looked at the Boston Language Institute, but their high prices suggested I look elsewhere. Thanks to Lauren S.'s review, I found this place, the Chinese Institute of Language and Arts. Their prices are more than reasonable - I paid $220 for 20 hours of class in beginning Mandarin, as well as the workbook and CDs. The owner/manager, Peter, is very friendly and welcoming. Classes are amazingly small - I think the most I saw from any one class was 5, and my average was about 3. This means that you get plenty of individual attention and practice with the language, including drills on character recognition, help with pronunciation of words and tones, and conversation practice. The teachers are typically native Chinese or Chinese American college students or recent graduates, which is more than enough to teach beginning Chinese. They might not have tons of experience teaching, but they all seem to follow a general lesson plan, and they're quite willing to help with problems or questions you have. All in all, I think that going to CILA was a good move on my part, as it helped introduce me to the Chinese language and gave me some tools that I can use in everyday conversations with my fellow classmates and co-workers. While I need more practice (and indeed, practice outside of class helps a lot), I feel I'm sufficiently prepared to take on more studying of the language in attempts to become semi-fluent. I would definitely recommend classes here to anyone interested in learning Chinese.

Since traveling to China three years ago, I've become obsessed with all things China; I will read…read moreany related book or magazine article I can get my hands on. After a lovely breakup and many months spent shunning all my interests, I decided to finally get off my ass in late '08 and pursue two of my longer-lasting loves: learning and languages. I scoured the internet for a class offering Mandarin Chinese and found a couple of schools located in Chinatown that had decent prices compared to the go-to linguistic center in town, the Boston Language Institute, whose prices were more than double these other two places. The Chinese Language Institute offered a course breakdown with joining dates for new classes (limited to 6 people!) along with a prominent guarantee of satisfaction. A 10-week course, two hours a week, cost only $180, compared to the $450+ offered by BLI, so I warily but cheerfully submitted my interest online, promising to show up on the date of the first class, scheduled for 1/12/09. I dutifully showed up at 6pm that night but was informed that class began the next week (even though the website had not updated the schedule). I didn't consider this a big deal, so I came back the next week and enrolled with four other people in Beginning Mandarin. I forgot my checkbook that night, but they were really cool about it, saying I could pay them next week and letting me take the textbook and CDs for the class (these were not included in the online price; it added $30 to the total class fee). A little bit about the space-- it's a small area of a couple classrooms that are in, uh, dilapidated condition. This, I imagine, is probably quite unlike the BLI, which probably has gleaming whiteboards and spanking new desks. However, I cannot praise CIL enough. This is the kind of place where you get as much as you want out of the class-- you're not there to pay to have a teacher clap their hands and hand you a fancy certificate at the end of the class. You're there because you want to be there, and the teachers will give you two hours of their best work each week. The first night I had a different teacher than the one I have now-- she was very good, but the teacher I've had since the second night is amazing. She is firmer than the first girl and throws in so many different teaching activities in two hours that I'm really impressed (I work in textbook publishing so I know a little bit about teaching styles). We sometimes sing songs, work off picture charts, practice conversation with each other... in terms of the environment, it's bare bones essentials, but Wen Laoshi (Teacher Wen) has taught me a hell of a lot in only a few weeks. She sends us emails in Chinese and English with song attachments and is always fetching us tea on breaks. She's smart and makes the class challenging and enjoyable at the same time. In short, I love CIL and I am very glad I signed up for a class. If you want a language class that has an official syllabus and nice classrooms, then this isn't the place for you. But if you want to learn Mandarin or Cantonese in a supportive, engaging environment, then CIL is your best bet. Cheap classes, fantastic instruction-- one of the best things I've found in Boston. Wo hen mang. Zaijian!

I posted this on the original EFGB review page; it applies to EFGB Cambridge, since that's where…read morewe've been sending our children. We've been at EFGB in Cambridge with our two children since September 2017. It's been a wonderful experience. All the teachers are native French speaking and the children are completely immersed in French. They spend their days drawing, playing, singing, reading, and everything you would expect in a high quality preschool. There's even a weekly yoga session! The teachers are warm and engaged. The class sizes are small and the teachers know all of their charges very well. There's a playground attached to the school and they go out every day, even in bad weather. It's been great to get involved with a Francophone community. The parents are engaged and we see each other for holiday parties, birthdays, and playdates; we hope to still be in touch with French friends even as the children grow older and graduate to public schools. The schedule is a little less convenient than a typical daycare for working parents (more like a school schedule, no food provided though that may change soon) but for us, the loss of convenience is more than made up for by the quality of the school and unique ability to have our children's early years be completely bilingual.

The Ecole Francaise of Greater Boston (EFGB) opened its doors in Cambridge in the fall of 2017 and…read moremy daughter was lucky enough to be in its first promotion. The school outperformed my highest expectations. The teachers are top-notch, and they bring students the best of American and French educational systems -- with an emphasis on creativity matched by structured activities and clear rules. The students in our year came from a mix of cross-cultural families, representing 14 countries. The Cambridge campus, which is on the ground floor of a luminous building with warm, bright colors, welcomes kids aged two through six, while the Watertown branch of the school is open to older children. The school's location in North Cambridge was convenient to us, as we work at Harvard and MIT. They also have built in pre-school and after-school care to allow flexibility for working parents, like us. I envied my daughter's activities, which ranged from yoga, expressive dance, singing, painting, reading and numeracy to scrambling in the school's playground with a mix of kids of all ages. The crafts she brought home -- pictures of baobabs, an ant made of an egg carton, an aquarium in a shoe box -- are unique pieces that I treasure. Furthermore, the teachers created a lively Facebook page so we could stay engaged with our child's activities, for example, watching a caterpiller grow and hatch, or witnessing the joys of a group of toddlers getting their first taste of honeycomb. Whether your family are native French speakers or not, you would not regret sending your child to the EFGB. I can't imagine a better school.

The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (SMFA), located on The Fenway in Boston,…read moreis a studio-based art school founded in 1876 and closely tied to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It emphasizes hands-on practice across disciplines like painting, sculpture, and digital media, while allowing students flexibility through its partnership with Tufts. Known for its working studio environment and open approach to art-making, the campus reflects Boston's long-standing role as a center for visual arts education.

Can't comment on the school, but they have a small art supply store here that is open to the public…read morewhere you can score some good deals on paints, pencils, markers, sketch books, etc. The store is open to the public: when you enter, you still have to check in with the security desk, but just let them know you are going to the store and they are cool with it.