Intensive Academic Semester (5 months)

I took an general course, the classes only in morning Monday to Friday. Teachers were friendly and willing share their experience. the teach way depended on which teach was in the class; some of teacher let students talk more, some focus on grammar and pronounce. Usually, there's homework every day or presentation weekly. Every Monday is a quiz day.
The location of school was great, in downtown Chicago, commute is easily by talking a walk and the CTA system( bus or metro).
I lived in the flat hostel, it's simple and clean, including stable and fast wifi, refrigerator, microwave, stove, oven, kitchenware, free laundry, trash room and lounge. It was great.
There were lots of activities after class, easily having friends and practicing English in those activities.

Classes were so useful and a great opportunity not only to learn but also to met new friends.

My teachers Aaron and Sarah were dedicated, made classes very interesting and worried that anyone participated in all the activities. I surely recommend this experience for young students that wants to improve their English skills in a healthy and funny institution. Kaplan International Chicago is located in a premium neighborhood (Michigan Ave), close to Magnificent Mile stores, the riverside and the Loop.

I stayed 1 week in The Flats and shared the apartments with great friends. The room was clean and I we needed was available.

Very good experience!

Excellent clean, tidy classes. Christopher is an excellent teacher who helped start speaking and approached each individual problem. A very friendly administration, on the first day, helped to navigate not only in school, but also in Chicago. After completing the 4 week course, I want to go back and continue to improve my skills.

Maybe because I had a lot of problems with the payment and I needed some patient from the staff, however, I did not.

I had attended the Kaplan International School in Chicago for two weeks, in July 2015. Although my course had not been so long, I can say for sure that Kaplan is the best school I have ever been to so far! All the staff, from the manager and the receptionist to the teacher, have been really friendly and understanding. In particular, the teacher I had was exceptional! The class activities he organized were both fun and useful.

I think I have improved a lot in my vocabulary and my speaking skills, which were, at the beginning of the course, less great.

I strongly recommend this school to everyone who wants to improve his or her English, from the beginners to the more experienced speakers.

I really liked a lot of the teachers, as well as the attention that the employees gave to me and the other students who were in courses at Kaplan Chicago.

The housing people were amazing too. I spent a lot of extra time talking to them.

Regards,
Cristiano

The best part at Kaplan is the staff of teachers, like Sherri or John. I appreciated having class with them. On the other hand, the new Kaplan over Michigan Ave is gorgeous. I started class in the old Kaplan and my first impression was horrible. But, in some cases, i felt that the staff of administrative people did not help me.

My impressions about Kaplan International Centers are generally positive. I'd like to evaluate the teacher of my class - Katherine Brannon. The programme and methods she used were very interesting, various, dynamic, and not-boring.
In my opinion the number of students in our class was too much (about 16), and language skill levels of students were different. That's why the studying process was a bit slow.
I didn't take a housing.

Kaplan is a great school, and the teachers are fantastic people.
The school is always offering new experiences inside and outside the classroom to improve our English levels.

The fact that they receive people from all around the world has been a crucial point in the overall experience.

Now that we moved to Michigan Ave., the experience is even more complete ! We have new tools (like the intelligent boards) and new spaces to share, and we all are on the same floor!

People in Kaplan are always willing to help you, no matter if they don´t know you. Everyone seems to love their job, and that is reflected in the service and in every aspect of the school.

The premises are good...very well located and extra classes activities very enticing....I went to a free jazz music session very interesting. The teacher was fantastic.
Besides not having improved my English a lot (it was just 2 weeks in the summer course) I had a very interesting experience and not only recommend that but also have repeated the same experience in Kaplan NY this year.

Teacher and classes: Very good, the teacher was calm, comprehensive and creative.
Location: very easy to go to school using public transport.

Negative points: there were not connectivity between themes in classes and extra activities.

It was not my first time going to Chicago for summer holidays. But I also prefer to study while I'm abroad. I feel so good about my choice for studying at Kaplan. I didn't expect it to be as good as it was! I feel now much more free (it was like that before too, but I mean I improved my English and now I can talk more fluently). So, I want to say that you guys are amazing! Chicago is the best city ever and I wish I could come to you again, because the experience I got is very useful to me and I know that you did a great job!

Thank you for all, have a good life!

Elizabeth B.

I don't know one word of English and I should do a text 3 years. The time was not well explained, and I don't know English, and don't understand, and the people spoke English very fast. The school put me in a class with a very nice teacher but many people were in these classes for 2 weeks and for me it was the start. The classes have activities in afternoon too, I don't understand because I cannot understand this class! I cannot go to evening activities because I have 2 daughters. I was always behind the class and still did not understand English. I had two weeks of pure frustration!

I was positively surprised to see the high level of the school administrative organization and commitment with educational program. I had an excellent experience with my teacher and classmates. I loved it and intend to repeat it soon. On the other hand I could not find the library... I thought the school lacked signs...classroom, bathroom, library,...what is going on in the school, etc... Poor communication, in general.

My experience in Kaplan was interesting. The classes are dynamic; they promote the dialogue and create a pleasant atmosphere. My teacher was Maggie, she is a very kind person and an excellent teacher. The location is very good because the school is in the downtown area, near of several interesting places and there are a lot of options of transportation. The facilities are very good, the classrooms are comfortable. The activities are interesting and varied. The housing is good, I was staying in International House. I liked the classes and I do not have negative comments.

In Chicago I had one of the most amazing and interesting holidays of my life. I met a lot of different kinds of people from all over the world and I readily share my culture with them. I experienced the American way of life that I love. I loved the city with its attractions, shops, clubs, and pubs. I also enjoyed my morning classes that were complete and amusing. I have to say thanks to my teacher who helped me with my English. The return was the worst part of my holiday.

It was a great experience.I am very happy.

The home stay was wonderful, Patricia Devine-Reed was charming and friendly, the same for the other students at homestay. It was a good experience.

The first week in class was boingd because the course had a slow grammatical progress. I requested two times to the manager for more hours of classes or change to another level. The change to another level was in the last four days...

I do not agree with the final exam because it was made three days before leaving the school...

I think that your course schedule isn't intesive, ten weeks per level is too much....

Another issue, there were a lot of people speaking Spanish in the corridor...

In my opinion, the classes are good but it could have more structure, like grammar, speaking... I know that all of these things are in the class but perhaps a little bit messy. The location is good too but the size of the class and the temperature (cold) are not the best, I think. The teachers, Heath and Elizabeth, are so nice and have helped me in everything that I have needed.