ESL Programs Orange County

Where should I study English? A college campus ESL program, a private language school, or Optimus Language School?

College Campus ESL Program

There are usually two main reasons that ESL students choose to study in a college English program: they want to be part of an internationally-recognized college and be able to use all the campus facilities, or they want to enjoy the benefits of interacting with other students

Many of the students who choose to study English at a college are interested in the name recognition. They recognize such colleges as Harvard and Yale as being great colleges and therefore want to attend their English language program. With recognition comes the highest cost of all ESL program types, while it is true that many students will benefit from the free use of the campus facilities, the benefits of studying on a college campus often do not warrant the expense.

You might also be looking forward to living in the dormitories and interacting with native English speakers on campus. Unfortunately, the reality is that average American students usually won’t start conversations with you, and you probably won’t feel confident enough to start conversations with them. This means you are far more likely to end up meeting other students from your own country and end up speaking your native language with them instead. Also, college ESL classes usually have anywhere from 15—30 students in them, making it harder for you to get adequate speaking practice in class or even interact much with your instructor.

Private ESL Program

When it comes to private language schools, there are three different tiers that have different benefits and consequences:

Tier 1: Private language schools that are on college campuses

These schools operate very much like the college ESL classes in that they lease space on a college campus and cost about the same as the college ESL classes. As such, they usually carry the same benefits and drawbacks.

Tier 2: Private language schools on independent campuses

Many private language schools operate completely separately from any college campus. With these schools, you won’t experience any of the campus life or be able to use campus facilities, but you will get smaller class sizes (around 10—15 students per class) and may see a small price cut.

Tier 3: Very cheap private language schools

You can sometimes find independent private language schools that seem to be a lot cheaper than other language schools but still have around 10—15 (sometimes more) students per class. You will also notice that the teachers keep changing and you get charged extra for textbooks and other required materials. These schools tend to cater to students who are mostly interested in maintaining their visa status rather than focused on their education and English practice.

So What Makes Optimus the Best Choice?

To start with, Optimus is a more affordable option than college campus ESL programs or other high-quality private language schools. While we don’t have a college affiliation, we have the same accreditation and are held to the same standards.

You won’t have to completely miss out on campus life either, because there are many nearby hotspots (including many actual college campuses) where local college students meet to study, eat, shop, and entertain themselves. You can visit these spots to mingle with them and enrich your cultural experience. In addition, Optimus hosts its own social events multiple times throughout the quarter so that students from all different levels can have some fun while interacting with each other and with all of our instructors as well.

Optimus also offers significantly smaller classes (4:1 ratio of students to teachers) that allow students to interact much more frequently with their teachers and classmates. Because of this, students can learn more quickly in a program that can be tailored to meet such few students’ needs. Individualized attention will guarantee that students are aware of what they need to work on and how they can improve their English. We also offer optional study classes that students can take if they feel they need more specialized instruction in specific areas. You can choose between a book club class to improve your reading skills or a journal class to improve your writing skills.

Optimus Language School requires that our instructors be college graduates who are TESOL-certified so that they can provide you with the best language education. Because of our higher standards, we also have less teacher turnover.

 

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Published on May 14, 2016

A leading English language school accredited by the CEA (Commission on English Language Accreditation) and approved by SEVP (Student and Exchange Visitor Program) located in Los Angeles, California. Learn English in LA with our ESL classes, TOEFL preparation, and English speaking classes. Are you serious about improving your English? Join a class today!