Please visit EF Australia website to see relevant programs, offers and pricing information.

Academics

Boarding Life

Language And Culture

Parents

Alumni

Student Stories

School News

Language Learning

New York

Pasadena

Oxford

Stories from our international boarding schools

Ed Davies ‹ EF Academy Blog - 2

<p><em>In March we caught up with <a href="https://www.efacademy.org/new-york/">EF Academy New York</a> alum Viola Marcia to talk about the lessons she has learned since she moved to the US in 2014.</em></p>
<h3>What is the most valuable thing you learned at EF Academy?</h3>
<p>I learned who the type of person was that I wanted to be around. I was completely in my phone early on, and missed my family and my home, and I cried a lot. After a while I thought “what I am here for if I’m just looking at my phone?”. I started to put the phone down more often and started interacting with people more. The fact that we all spoke English brought us together, but I learnt some Russian, German, Indonesian and got to see such a variety of different cultures. I like more variety and more international people now, and I find I work better with those people as a result of my time at EF Academy.</p>
<h3>Why did you choose to study abroad?</h3>
<p>The US has a lot more opportunities than Italy. I want to be a doctor and this is the land of dreams where you can do anything if you work hard enough. As a student and as a human being I am always learning new things. It’s important to stand up every time you fall down. My friends were worried we wouldn’t talk anymore and they said I was crazy but I talked to my parents and they decided they trusted me enough to send me abroad. If I wanted to go back the option was there but I knew that if I came back I would regret it. I stuck it out and I am so glad I didn’t go back.</p>
<h3>Do you have something that helped you get through the hard times?</h3>
<p>It’s super important for students to be able to branch out when you’re studying so hard. You have to stay true to yourself, turn off your mind and have some time to yourself or you risk having a breakdown. Even 30 minutes or an hour a day to have a break will help. Go to the gym, play the violin, go to the park. Don’t stay on your phone the whole time. Medical schools like to see that you have interests and aren’t just studying.</p>
<h3>How do you think you changed at EF Academy?</h3>
<p>EF Academy started to teach me how to manage my time. Before EF Academy I was living with my parents, where my mum was the one telling me what to do and when to do it. When you’re living with roommates who are all the same age as you, that voice has to be in your head. Feeling like an adult is cool, but you have to be responsible. I realised I need 8 hours of sleep and that I like routine. In college it’s even more intense and you need to make sure you learn good habits. Bad habits are easy to learn but if you put your mind to it you can learn good habits.</p>
<h3>Do you have any advice?</h3>
<ul>
<li>Meet new people, try new things, and expand your horizons.</li>
<li>Any friend can be useful to you in the future, you don’t need to have enemies. Be friendly and hard working.</li>
<li>People say “Been there got the t-shirt”. Well, get yourself a t-shirt and show that you did these things so that when you go to college those experiences can support you.</li>
<li>Take any opportunity that you can, and try not to miss anything because life is short.</li>
</ul>

In March we caught up with EF Academy New York alum Viola Marcia to talk about the lessons she has learned since she moved to the US in 2014

Alumni Feature: Viola Marcia, pre-med student at Manhattan College - EF Academy Blog

Alumni Feature: Viola Marcia, pre-med student at Manhattan College ‹ EF Academy Blog

Alumni Feature: Viola Marcia, pre-med student at Manhattan College

Alumni feature viola marcia

<p>Moving to another country for the first time is a big step to take. For many, it can awaken a craving for new cultures and experiences that never goes away. As alumni of <a href="https://www.efacademy.org/">EF Academy</a> you are already aware that living abroad will <a href="https://medium.com/@christineneilson/the-brutal-truth-about-living-abroad-495a1361f1ac" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">change you as a person for the rest of your life</a>. My first taste of living abroad was a year’s exchange to Sweden when I was 20 and it opened my eyes to the possibilities of living and working in another country. I only wish I could have done it sooner.</p>
<h3>Find your place in the world</h3>
<p>One of the main things I learned from my time abroad was that there are people living their lives all over the world. This may sound obvious, but it doesn’t occur to everyone. People live, work, eat, and fall in love all over the world, all of the time. You are rarely restricted by living in your home country to find your dream job, or at least to get yourself started. Living and working abroad can help you develop a <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/05/how-living-abroad-helps-you-develop-a-clearer-sense-of-self" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">clearer sense of self</a>, and help you to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinmoriarty/2019/08/23/what-does-working-abroad-do-for-you/#412ce0c91c62" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">understand yourself and your goals more clearly</a>. My time in Sweden did this for me, and eight months after graduating from university I moved from the UK to Switzerland to start working for EF Academy. I could not have made a better decision.</p>
<h3>Grow as an individual</h3>
<p>Living and working abroad can certainly be intimidating, but it opens up so many opportunities. In the next five years, global executives will need experience of working abroad in order to keep up with the <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/10/the-future-and-how-to-survive-it" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">changing nature of business</a>. As we grow into “the people that work abroad”, our experiences set us apart from those who stayed at home. Living abroad allows us to understand ourselves on a deeper level and be <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/adigaskell/2018/04/06/living-abroad-and-finding-purpose-in-life/#3cf116eb41b5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more comfortable with who we are</a>. Our experiences allow us to see the world and ourselves from a different perspective, and help us to approach life differently than others.</p>
<h3>Experience cultures as a local</h3>
<p>With each new country or city comes a new culture and, in many cases, new languages to learn. One of the joys of living abroad is finding that you have something in common with someone from a completely different cultural background. Depending on where you go, you will also likely notice tourists visiting the city where you live. This is a particular point of pride to me: I get to live somewhere that others want to visit on holiday, and I can see it every day of the year. Being able to see the cycle of the seasons in a place and experience all of the different cultural moments throughout the year is so amazing.</p>
<p>There are times when living away from home can perhaps be lonely, and it will always take some time to establish yourself in a new place. But once you have built a life somewhere, it is so rewarding. Finding your people and getting involved in the community of a new place is an experience like no other. On top of that, those of us who choose this path are many, and the more we interact, the more amazing opportunities we can offer each other.</p>

Living and working abroad can help you develop a clearer sense of self, and help you to understand yourself and your goals more clearly.

The benefits of moving abroad for work - EF Academy Blog

The benefits of moving abroad for work ‹ EF Academy Blog

The benefits of moving abroad for work

Moving abroad for work

<p>The workplace is a diverse and challenging space, and more so if you are working internationally. In the last 20 years, the ability to exist online has meant that companies must increasingly operate on a global scale, regardless of their relative size. As companies become more global, many of us now work as part of teams with many nationalities, backgrounds and ages. EF Academy alumni are more than used to this level of cultural interaction, but offices can pose a very different set of challenges compared to school.</p>
<h3>Challenge 1: Different working methods</h3>
<p>One of the biggest challenges in working environments one must face are working methods that differ so much from one’s own. Often these clashes can affect productivity and cause projects to stall, if not dealt with properly. These issues mainly arise as a result of not being able to understand why a colleague works the way that they do, and, therefore, struggling to see how it can be an effective way of working.</p>
<p>For example, the way that different people work towards a deadline can vary significantly. Some work towards regular small deadlines, while others will bring everything together in time for the final deadline. Both individuals will reach the deadline, just with quite different paths taken along the way.</p>
<p>Instead of trying to understand why a colleague works the way that they do, we should aim to accept that they do work in this way and look for ways to collaborate. Often, there can be very simple workarounds that allow for productive collaboration. The best place to start is with an honest conversation to discuss your differences, taking care to not attack their methods but simply work towards a solution.</p>
<h3>Challenge 2: Diverse personalities</h3>
<p>There can be many reasons for clashing with someone at work. Often professional clashes can be caused by differing personalities and views. An unfortunate reality is that you will at some point work with people with whom you do not connect with on a social level. In a professional environment these people cannot be avoided, and it can disrupt our working lives.</p>
<p>The solution to this issue is two-fold. The first part can be the hardest, and it is simply acceptance. We must accept that there are people out there who we will not be friends with, but with whom we have to remain professional in order to work effectively as a team. The second part is also tough but can also be an interesting exercise. Think about yourself and assess how you present yourself in a working environment. It may well be that one or more of your colleagues feels a similar way about you. As pessimistic as this sounds, it is important to understand that you can’t be friends with everyone, and that maintaining a strong professional persona is the key to an effective working environment.</p>
<h3>Challenge 3: Making mistakes</h3>
<p>In any workplace it is unlikely that everything will go to plan all the time. Clashes between colleagues can happen in the moments when things go wrong, as some may seek to assign blame. Instead of approaching situations in such a way, a more pragmatic approach is more effective. Short-term we should aim to solve the issue at hand and, long-term, aim to ensure that such issues do not arise again.</p>
<p>Obviously, the solution to preventing these issues in the future is not blaming your colleagues. Instead, you should first recognize your strengths and weaknesses in the workplace and which of your colleagues can help you with your weaknesses. Be careful not to put yourself in a box with an oversimplified definition, but instead look at the way you work and how you like things to be done. The next step is to consider your colleagues in a similar way to see how they can support you, and how you can do the same for them. It is very important to be sensitive in these situations, as others may not be quite so aware of what you might perceive to be one of their weaknesses. Aim to accommodate others and reach a middle ground, so you can catch any future mistakes in good time.</p>
<h3>Final thoughts</h3>
<p>So, how do we bring this all together? Essentially, whenever you feel that you are clashing with someone at work, there are three factors to consider:</p>
<p>How do their methods vary from your own?<br>
Is their personality compatible with yours?<br>
Has a shared project had any setbacks?</p>
<p>When you take these into account and consider how they affect the other person, it is easier to understand your colleagues and the way that they work. Discuss how you can adapt to each other to help things move more easily and work together to improve your working lives. The most important thing is to never allow these situations to make you angry. Often, it simply isn’t worth it.</p>

EF Academy alumni are more than used to cultural interaction, but offices can pose a very different set of challenges compared to school

Clashes and collaboration in the workplace - EF Academy Blog

Clashes and collaboration in the workplace ‹ EF Academy Blog

Clashes and collaboration in the workplace

Clashes collaboration workplace

<p>As we near the end of the academic year, many of you will be thinking about what to do next. For those going to university the summer is the time to consider where you are heading and what you want to achieve in your first year. For those moving into their next year of school or just considering what to do next in life it might be time to consider some more long-term goals. Everyone is telling you to focus on reaching your goals, but how do you actually set your goals? Once they’re set how should you prioritize them without having them dominate your every thought?</p>
<h3>Set your goals</h3>
<p>The first step towards reaching your goals is to think about your immediate priorities. Consider what it is that you want to experience in the near future and what motivates you. After that it’s time to start thinking about how to get there. Work backwards from your end goal and think about the main requirements you’ll need to complete to take to get from A to B. Each requirement will become a step on your journey to your goal. You don’t have to have every individual step planned out, but being aware of the requirements will help. Try not to get caught up in the planning. Part of the journey will be discovering the small details along the way. Start off big and work your way down.</p>
<h3>Take action</h3>
<p>Starting on the journey to achieve your goals can be daunting, so rather than seeing them as far off concepts it’s important to make them a part of your life. First, think of small steps you can take in your everyday life that will make reaching your goals easier. This might be something as simple as listing your tasks for the day every morning. Once you have a strong base mentality in place, you can start on the bigger things. Break up your ‘requirements’ into smaller achievable tasks and work through them one by one. For example, I don’t just sit down and start writing these articles hoping that I stumble across a great idea. I start with a theme, then write down three main areas I want to cover. I mark out my main points under each heading, and keep breaking things down until I have my argument. Goal setting works the same way. Start with your goal, then build until you have a clear journey.</p>
<h3>Prioritize your goals</h3>
<p>When we think about where we want to be in life and what we want to achieve it’s very easy to get caught up. Focusing on your big goals is important and we all like to be ambitious, but don’t forget to slow down every so often. It’s also important to take the time every so often to step back and assess the situation. Reaching your goals can feel really great, but occasionally you might need to remind yourself what you are pursuing. If your priorities have shifted it might be time to look at things again and change your route. There’s nothing wrong with realizing you want something different, but take the time to really think about why you want to change.</p>
<p>The best piece of advice I have ever received was to start planning my university thesis in the first week of my final year of university. By the time my deadline arrived 8 months later I was one of the most relaxed people in my cohort. I’m not a genius but I worked towards my end goal bit by bit over the course of the year. In order to start writing early I needed to start research early, and in order to start research early I needed to work out what I wanted to focus on. When I worked back to it, all I had to do in the first week was decide on a theme. Once you work your way back to the basics you’ll find your starting point. Stay calm and focused and you’ll be there in no time.</p>

As you leave school everyone is telling you to focus on reaching your goals, but how do you actually set your goals and prioritize them effectively?

Reaching your goals without losing your way - EF Academy Blog

Reaching your goals without losing your way ‹ EF Academy Blog

Reaching your goals without losing your way

Reaching your goals

<p>Finding the right university for you can be tricky, and at this time of year it’s important to assess what kind of place you want to be applying to next year. We can all list some famous institutions, but how do you know they’ll suit you? There are a variety of factors to take into account when finding a university, and it can be a lot to process in a relatively short time before you start applying. Below are a few areas you can focus on when looking for the place that will help you to succeed.</p>
<h3>Quality</h3>
<p>It might seem obvious but looking for a high quality education is a priority, but how do you guarantee that? Something to keep in mind would be research-based universities, such as the <a href="https://russellgroup.ac.uk/">Russell Group</a> in the UK. Universities that focus on research are largely well-funded, and focus on hiring academics at the top of their field that are working on cutting-edge projects. Their work will often involve multiple academics, and there may even be the opportunity for you to assist directly in their research. Academics are very focused on their work, so often studies will be more independent, but a good university will help you find the balance between tutored and independent work.</p>
<h3>Location</h3>
<p>This is an interesting one, and entirely personal. Universities come in many different shapes and sizes, from campuses in the countryside, to universities whose buildings are broken up through a major city. Think about how close you want to be to a city is a good place to start, and whether you want a campus where you and your friends’ studies will take place in close proximity. When you are finding a university, consider where they are not only in the city or town, but also their location nationally. You will want to go home at some point, so travel connections are important to take into account. Prioritize what you value, then list your options accordingly.</p>
<h3>Gut Feeling</h3>
<p>This one is a bit more difficult to account for, but it’s one of the most important. It’s a harder point to come to terms with, as it requires you to visit the university before you apply to take a tour and get a feel for the environment. No matter how many lists you make and maps you draw, nothing accounts for the feeling of belonging when standing in the middle of a university campus where you are just <em><strong>meant</strong> </em>to be. Luckily, it’s not a one in a million feeling, so you’re likely to find a few universities that feel right, but it can make the difference between two seemingly equal choices. Try to visit the places you think you are sure of before you make your decisions, it can really make a difference.</p>
<h3>Prospects</h3>
<p>Although it might seem very far away when you’re starting a course that’ll last 3 or more years, graduate employability is a big factor to take into account. All universities have statistics that they’ll show you to suggest that 99% of their graduates are employed in the year following graduation. The key thing to look for should be the quality of that employment. It’s also worth looking at grad schemes, and how well your chosen university’s graduates do in getting into masters programs. It’s a lot to take on board before you’ve even started, but it can go a long way once you’re there.</p>
<p>The easiest way to get started with all of this is to make a list of priorities. Where do you want to be? How independent would you like your studies to be? Answer a few basic questions about yourself and you can go a long way. There’s something out there for everyone, and universities will showcase every statistic they can to encourage you to apply. Review your options, take a few visits, and you can’t go wrong.</p>

There are a variety of factors to consider when finding a university, and it can be a lot to process in a relatively short time before you start applying

Finding a university that’s right for you - EF Academy Blog

Finding a university that’s right for you ‹ EF Academy Blog

Finding a university that’s right for you

Finding a university

<p><em><a href="https://www.efacademy.org/new-york/">EF Academy New York</a> alum Tomiris Medetbekova majored in Strategic Design and Management at The New School’s Parsons School of Design in New York. In March we met to talk about her time at school and university, and to get some tips on getting those all-important internships.</em></p>
<h3>What brought you to EF Academy?</h3>
<p>I have been travelling all over the world since the age of seven and I love exploring places and meeting new people. Every summer I went to a different boarding school in the UK and met lots of different people from all over the world. I loved that experience and it meant that my childhood was so different from the other kids who stayed at home. I got such a broad view of different people and cultures from across the world and I loved it. I had my sights set on going to live abroad for a long time. I had never been to the US before coming to EF Academy but I attended an event and just knew it was the right place for me to be.</p>
<h3>Do you think EF Academy changed you?</h3>
<p>Back home I lived a very sheltered life. I went to school, I played tennis, I studied and not much else. I went to small private schools so I wasn’t exposed to much. Then, when I came to EF I was surrounded by different cultures and it was so much fun to see this new environment, experience new things and views of life. EF prepared me a lot for university and being independent. People usually experience that independence for the first time when they first start university but when I started I was prepared because of EF Academy. I had seen New York before and got used to being able to go to the city on weekends and then come back and have our own little community. When I came to college I was able to focus and study. Once you get to university everything counts, from day one you should be looking at what your major is about and what you are doing to build your resume to apply for the internships you will want to do. The more experience you have, the more secure you will be after university.</p>
<h3>What have you been working on at university?</h3>
<p>For my senior project I am working with Ethereum which is a blockchain company that has their own digital currency. Me and my partner are creating a business strategy for them. Not many people know about the company so we’re working on the strategy to look at how VR and AR can be used to help people understand blockchain better. People can read about it 10 or 20 times a day and not understand what it is. An easier approach would be for people to see it and interact with it. We’re looking at creating that experience to teach people what Ethereum is and what blockchain is. We could have just done a report but me and my partner decided to take advantage of this school and all the tools that we have and actually design something different and useful.</p>
<h3>Have you done any internships?</h3>
<p>I started at 16 in Milan, I was a buyers assistant for Versace. My job was to basically fold clothes and clean tables and listen to what was going on. It was long, hard work and I’ll admit my love for fashion took a bit of a hit. I didn’t stop though, I did another internship with a fashion firm which was more marketing based. Those internships helped to build my resume and I was doing fashion and marketing which I liked. Shortly after someone sent me a message on LinkedIn to invite me to his start up. It was a tech startup and it was great to see how people use their internship opportunities to perform and show their skills in leadership, communication and networking. I saw how they were acting and after that I did everything I could to be as dynamic as possible and learn lots of different things. I found it’s important to also gain certificates from different places to prove I could do these things.</p>
<h3>Do you have any tips for applying?</h3>
<p>People need to be as universal as possible, especially in New York City. Go see places and meet people and do as much as you can, don’t just study. Apply for more than 80 positions. Don’t apply for 10 and sit and wait. Some might reply but if you want to work in Fortune 500 companies you should apply for all of them. Apply for an internship, wait 4 days, send a follow up message, then do this again maximum 3 times after that. Then, after that do something crazy like a written note of your cover letter directly to a person in that office. You have to keep pushing for those jobs that you really want. Research not only the company but the hiring manager. Find their email if its public and contact them directly and say that you would like a few minutes of their time to show how much you want the position. Give them a date and a time for a coffee or lunch near their office and prepare thoughtful and unique questions that are actually interesting and set you apart.</p>
<h3>Do you have any tips for students joining EF or moving on now?</h3>
<p>When you apply for universities, focus on getting hard skills at undergraduate, then do your business or art degree at grad school to make yourself as attractive for jobs as possible. I’m doing a business degree now but I’m going to work then go into Computer Science or data science at grad school because tech is so important right now.</p>

In March I met Tomiris to talk about her time at school and university, and to get some tips on getting those all-important internships.

Topics

Ed Davies

All posts from Ed Davies