If you are one of the thousands of students who want to study in a foreign college or university, you know that learning a language is not a joke. Despite the different institutions that provide language services, learning in the classroom does not compare to real life. Memorizing a few words and studying just to pass a level is not a good way to learn a language, by doing this we can forget everything immediately.

we will tell you why an immersive environment, even if only for a few months, can be of great help before taking an international exam such as the TOEFL, GMAT or SAT. In addition, it will serve as prior experience before going to study abroad.

You let go of your fears.

This is perhaps the most important reason for you in terms of learning in an immersive environment. When you learn a language in a classroom, you do it little by little. You memorize vocabulary, words, do some conversation exercises, maybe write some paragraphs, etc. In an immersive environment, you HAVE to speak the language, or suffer from isolation, otherwise how would you communicate?

Most likely, wherever you go you will not find people who speak your native language (or perhaps speak it very little). At first, you may feel a bit shy, but after a short time, you will lose your inhibitions and will be less afraid of making grammatical or other mistakes. When you lose this fear, you open yourself to a true conversation practice, in which you learn as you go.

You learn the way children learn: naturally.

In terms of learning, this is also an important point. The best and fastest way to learn a language is to do it as a child would. You don’t have to memorize flashcards, and you don’t complete homework pages. You just listen, absorb and speak. Being an immersive environment helps language learners to learn a target language naturally, as if it were a child.

You become familiar with the way the language is spoken in “real life”.

Sometimes what institutions teach us is not enough. Out there is another world. You will learn how people relate, play games and tell jokes in there. You will also learn about the idiomatic ways of speaking of the locals. This way, they won’t take you by surprise and you’ll be a little more prepared when you’re in a meeting with your new friends. You will not learn many things from an English book.

You learn aspects of the language that cannot be replicated in a class.

Of course, we are not ruling out the effectiveness of learning a language in a classroom. In classrooms, you learn about grammar rules and uses of a language. Take that for granted. Also consider how much you can learn before you start living in your new home.

You will be surprised how much you will learn (pronunciation, different accents, intonation, body expressions for certain situations, etc). Not all language students, of course, will have the opportunity to spend some time in an immersive environment before starting their final studies at a university. If you can’t fly around the world to learn a new language, you can always create an immersive environment. Get together with native people. Another great option is to simply watch shows in another language. Whatever you do, try to replicate the immersive environment as best you can. You will be amazed at the results when you take your international exam. Good luck!