Where is the best place to study English for 1 month in the USA?
I know the benefits, the low cost (In comparison to going abroad) and I'm already studying a lot here on Italki, but, In your opinion, where's the best place to study English for 1 month in the USA? As everyone knows, the United States is extremely big in its extension and has a lot of different provinces that could bring to foreign students different sorts of experience and mainly, expenses! Lately I've been researched about some of the most important and unlikely places where students would like to study in the US. In my researches I've found that San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities regarding accommodation and food, but also it has a good and relatively cheap public transportation, otherwise in Washington D.C. was verified that the cost of living is really cheap in comparison to San Francisco and even to New York. The main question is: "Where is the best education for ESL students? More than that is: Where a foreign student could live intensely the American lifestyle? As far as I'm concerned, what could really increase the student's level of proficiency is the day by day in a community, talking to native speakers and being focused on speaking English all day long! I really would love to know your opinion and your experiences about going to the USA for studying and living one month immersed on this fascinating culture.
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Corrections · 4
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As an American, I can't vouch for the English programs in American cities, but I can certainly tell you about the cost of living, ease of travel, and the environment. Personally, I would recommend Chicago (IL), Seattle (WA), or San Diego (CA) to a tourist. All are large metropolitan areas with many activities and sites to see.
Chicago is known for its restaurants and local foods, it's friendly people and very walkable neighborhoods. If you go in spring or fall, the weather will be sunny, windy, and not too hot; in the summer months it is very warm, sunny and humid. There's excellent public transportation including trains, buses, and taxis. It's an extremely popular tourist destination during spring and summer and there are lots of museums, attractions, and beautiful parks to visit.
Seattle is also well-known for excellent food and beautiful scenery; the people of Seattle are outdoorsy and there is a multitude of places to hike or watch wildlife. In the summer, it is sunny and free of rain for two months, but the rest of the year it is cool and wet; even in the summer, it is cooler in Washington than most areas of the US. The highways are usually a mess, but there is public transportation and lots of amenities, very similar to San Francisco.
San Diego, in southern California, is warmer (sometimes quite hot) and dry. It's on the coast with warm, sunny beaches that are always full of people. There are lots of attractions and local shops to visit, though the biggest attractions for adults are the beaches and beautiful warm weather. Everybody drives in California, but there are buses and taxis for tourists. Public transportation is probably better in Seattle and Chicago than San Diego.
In addition to being beautiful cities with lots to see and do, these cities are cheaper than New York or San Francisco. And they're in areas of the US where regional accents are not severe. Chicago natives do speak with an accent, but it's light and easy to understand even for a student.
If you want to see a quintessential American lifestyle, I really recommend Chicago. It's also probably the cheapest of these three options: )
Chicago is known for its restaurants and local foods, it's friendly people and very walkable neighborhoods. If you go in spring or fall, the weather will be sunny, windy, and not too hot; in the summer months it is very warm, sunny and humid. There's excellent public transportation including trains, buses, and taxis. It's an extremely popular tourist destination during spring and summer and there are lots of museums, attractions, and beautiful parks to visit.
Seattle is also well-known for excellent food and beautiful scenery; the people of Seattle are outdoorsy and there is a multitude of places to hike or watch wildlife. In the summer, it is sunny and free of rain for two months, but the rest of the year it is cool and wet; even in the summer, it is cooler in Washington than most areas of the US. The highways are usually a mess, but there is public transportation and lots of amenities, very similar to San Francisco.
San Diego, in southern California, is warmer (sometimes quite hot) and dry. It's on the coast with warm, sunny beaches that are always full of people. There are lots of attractions and local shops to visit, though the biggest attractions for adults are the beaches and beautiful warm weather. Everybody drives in California, but there are buses and taxis for tourists. Public transportation is probably better in Seattle and Chicago than San Diego.
In addition to being beautiful cities with lots to see and do, these cities are cheaper than New York or San Francisco. And they're in areas of the US where regional accents are not severe. Chicago natives do speak with an accent, but it's light and easy to understand even for a student.
If you want to see a quintessential American lifestyle, I really recommend Chicago. It's also probably the cheapest of these three options: )
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Honestly speaking 1 month is not enough time to learn English in America. UNLESS you know someone that will help you and introduce you to people who are willing to talk to you. Still there is a way. If you are affiliated with churches then they might have an exchange program in the USA. See if you can get into USA through the exchange program. This way you will constantly have to speak with your host family in English. Also it will probably be cheaper since the church might cover some of your cost.
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I would recommend big cities, although the expense might be relatively high, but you would get exposure to many aspects of American Culture (diversity). All the options you mentioned sound good to me, if it was up to me, I would choose the New York city. Not only NYC has a lot of things that America is famous for, it has nice public transportation, and has people from all over the world. Although I am unsure what is the best ESL program out there but I think you can find one easily in NYC. Just my personal opinion as an international student currently studying in the United states. If I were to choose one city to live for a month before I went back to my own country I would have chosen NYC.
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