Program Essentials - Details and Highlights
Life-Changing Components of Our Summer Study Abroad Programs
One of the most highly respected study abroad organizations in the United States today, Edu-Culture International specializes in summer language programs in France, Spain and Costa Rica for middle and high school students.
From earning university credit to surfing on the shores of San Sebastian, each of our programs offers a unique combination of components designed to make your international and cultural adventure an extraordinary life-changing experience.
Explore your options with ECI!
Host Family Immersion Week
Take advantage of a rare opportunity to spend one week totally involved in the life and culture of a French or Spanish family! Follow two weeks of fun and intensive small-group language classes with a third week of complete immersion in a carefully selected host family.
Experience daily life as your family does from morning to night as you put all you have learned into practice. Build life-long friendships as you significantly improve your foreign language conversation skills, expand your outlook on the world, and build self-esteem & confidence in a profound way. Learn more ››
Housing Options
Choose varied housing arrangements during your program, which include Dorm Housing, Language School Homestay and Host Family Immersion. The different housing options are combined in distinct ways in each of our trips. For example, spend two weeks making new friends in a university style dorm before experiencing life as the only American student during Host Family Immersion Week. Or, opt instead to live in a Language School Homestay family with another ECI participant and several other international students during all, or a portion of, your study program.
Language Classes
Supercharge your language skills! Take interactive small-group classes in France, Spain or Costa Rica this summer. Invaluable in helping to build conversational and grammatical skills, these classes are taught by experienced native speaking French or Spanish teachers. ECI’s foreign language study abroad programs have been developed with the purpose of teaching a new language within its own setting in a short period of time. We partner only with high-quality, accredited schools.
- In France - Learn more ››
- In Spain - Learn more ››
- In Costa Rica - Learn more ››
University Credit
If you are looking to increase your competitiveness on future college applications, think seriously about opting to earn university credit during your summer abroad trip – receive three units in either French or Spanish, which count as a semester’s worth of credit.
If you decide to take advantage of this option, additional work is required during the study portion of the program, and a separate fee must be paid to the accrediting US university. Regardless of your decision about earning college credit, the benefits of an ECI high school study abroad program are limitless! Learn more ››
Language Partners
Explore the town and participate in lots of great activities with local college students during your program. What better way to practice speaking in the target language than with people your own age to whom you can truly relate!
Many former ECI students have cited this component as one of the most enriching and fun aspects of their trip and have often formed long-lasting friendships with these carefully selected young people.
We are happy to let you know that extra Language Partner sessions have been added to our exciting lineup of programs for summer 2010! Learn more ››
Activities and Excursions
These exciting adventures are all designed to enrich your experience with hands-on opportunities to explore the culture and surroundings of your selected country. Play pétanque in France, taste tapas in Spain, zipline through the rainforest in Costa Rica… Our trips are filled with a myriad of types of activities in our attempt to captivate your interest and give you the most authentic experience possible. Each day also includes free time with friends to explore your own interests and hobbies.
- In France - Learn more ››
- In Spain - Learn more ››
- In Costa Rica - Learn more ››
Eligibility
Leave your typical summer behind and study abroad with ECI in 2010! Most ECI programs require participants to be at least 15 years old with two years of language study completed prior to the summer trip. (Exception is Natural Wonders in Costa Rica for middle school students and high school freshmen!)
A positive teacher recommendation is essential to your acceptance, and more important than your grade point average is your sincere desire to immerse yourself in a foreign language and culture. As we all know, the individual benefits of an experience are directly proportional to the amount of personal effort put in. Learn more ››
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We know you have lots of questions about our exciting summer study abroad and immersion programs for teens in France, Spain or Costa Rica. While we attempt to answer some of your most frequently asked questions here (and certainly throughout our website), our team is always available by phone or email to discuss any aspect of our programs.
Our goal is to give you as clear a picture as possible of what a summer with us is all about and then, during your trip, exceed your expectations. We invite you to change your life and explore with us in 2010. Hope to see you out there! Learn more ››