Why study English in New York? February 16, 2015

 1.     English is the common language here

The best way to learn a foreign language is to study it by immersion.  That means go and live in the place where the language is spoken by everyone.  That way, you hear it everywhere and are forced to use it every day.  New York is an English speaking city.  Sure, there are lots of people from all over the world who speak all sorts of languages, but the universal language of New York is English, so you won’t be able to get around without using it.

But not only is English the common language of the city, it’s the common language of everything.  There is so much culture in New York, from museums to shows to sports teams to restaurants to the people themselves, and it’s all happening in English.  Just by virtue of living here and participating in the life of the city, you’ll be soaking up English and speaking it all the time.

2.     There are people from all over the world here

New York is one of the most international cities in the world.  So, you’ll find people from all over the globe living here.  That means you can have a support network that speaks your native language, regardless of what it is.  While studying a foreign language by immersion is great and forces you to learn the language just because it surrounds you, it can also be mentally exhausting and wear you out.  In New York, you’re sure to be able to find people from your home country who speak your language where you can build a support network  of those who understand your language, your cultural context, and are able to relate to you in a way that those who didn’t grow up like you will never be able to understand.

3.    New York never sleeps

Let us explain.  This kind of goes back to point #1 but no matter what time of day or night you go out in New York, there is always something going on.  Whether you’re standing in line at Starbucks at 87^th and Lexington Avenue at 6 am for your coffee before work, having a slice of pizza in the Financial district for lunch, shopping in the Garment District, wandering through the halls of the Met, getting rush tickets for the opera, or hitting a club at 1 am, you’ll always be able to be out and about.  And all this takes place in English.  So you’re not only having the time of your life in one of the greatest cities in the world, you’re learning English at the same time.  Sounds like a win, win situation to us.