TOPIK Preparation

Class has helped a lot with the character set and pronunciation, some vocabulary.
I am in a foundation class, 4 Saturdays.
I am repeating it again. I am in the 3rd foundation class, 2nd day of 4.
The challenge is that the instructor explains things in Korean.
This is well-intentioned but, I do not speak Korean and even with 100% grasp of the vocabulary in this class, I am clueless regarding any explanation the instructor gives, because, well, I do not speak Korean.
This makes it very difficult when we get to a section on grammar or complicated pronunciation etc.

I were there for just a week and with homestay accommodation. First, I found the process to assess your Korean level good. The teacher was nice and profesional, the classes were well prepared and the method is effective. The accommodation was a bit far away from the school, but it was worth it. You need to study a lot, but that is what I was there for. They plan activities to get to know other students and to experience the Korean culture. I'm already planning to come back and stay longer.

I really, really enjoyed the program. The teachers were very nice, walking us through every subject carefully, making sure we understand everything. It was a great experience to study with Korean teachers too, giving me an opportunity to work on my listening and speaking skills, which I had always struggled with. As someone who only ever had private lessons twice a week, being able to use this vocabulary and grammar for over 20 hours a week was groundbreaking for me.

The location was very convenient, gangnam has a lot of things to do and see, and it’s right next to the gangnam station, which connects to basically anywhere in seoul. The facilities were very clean and nice as well, there was never any problem.

The only thing I had a problem with, and the reason for my four star review, is my homestay. My host was amazing, she was nice, a great cook, and I had a spacious room. But from what I’ve heard, other people got completely different experiences. While I was eating the same frozen meal for breakfast and dinner, they got variety, bigger portions, even fruit, which is very expensive in korea. I wouldn’t complain at all if it weren’t for the difference. We’re paying the same price, how is it fair that they get different conditions to me?

That I need to buy my own laundry detergent and go out to restaurants more often, whereas they get homemade, authentic, Korean food? I genuinely enjoyed my stay, and it was one of the best experiences of my life, but that small detail kept bothering me. Overall, I would definitely recommend this to any Korean learner, but in my opinion, it’s much more effective if you’re not a complete beginner. There’s a foundation program, but many people can’t keep up with the pace and have to take it for longer than required. I’d say if you know the alphabet and the very basics of the language, this can help you move up a level at record speed.

I really enjoyed my stay at Lexis Korea. When you first arrived to the Lexis, you will take the speaking interview so they can decided on your level. I was really afraid of it but the teacher was so nice so I was worrying unnecessarily. The classes were well managed and organized. I especially liked my morning classes because the teacher was kind and nice. She explained the grammars and topics really well, so it was easily to understand it. My classmates were friendly and I made few really good friends. This experience helped me to grow as a person and I improved my language skills.
I was studying in the Seoul campus which is located in the middle of the Gangnam. The subways is just few minutes by walk and you can find everything what you need, just few steps from the school.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Lexis Korea. I had a good teacher, very friendly fellow students, and wonderful hosts for my homestay. The course was challenging, and I had to do lots of homework/study to keep up, but that was really my original intent anyway. The whole experience not only improved my knowledge of Korean, but also gave me new insights into Korean culture and society. Finally, I liked being in Gangnam and being so close to Gangnam Station at Lexis because I could conveniently use the excellent public transportation system to get around the city.

PS: As a much older student, I enjoyed interacting with others at Lexis who were much younger.

Trainer was very kind, knowledgeable and capable. I enjoyed my time with her and learned a lot.

School was good but it’s too much work compare to what I wanted.
The worst was the accommodation. I was in a mini-studio and the AC wasn’t working under 28 degres celsius. So I move to another mini-studio but this time, there was moulds all over the wall and on the bed sheet… very discussing. And more, I did have a water break and the manager said that he would repair it AFTER my depart. Real awful experience because of the accommodations.

I had a great experience at Lexis. It was well organized and all the teachers and admin staff were friendly and helpful.
I think in all of South Korea Lexis could find good teachers who also speak English. This would help at the beginner level. I also think there should be a bigger focus on verbal skills in class at beginner level, and less focus on grammar and written exercises.
The class environment was a little too academic. More games and speaking opportunities would be better to make the learning more fun. I avoided university 10 week summer programs because I didn't want an academic experience. what I'm saying is - more fun, less slogging!

Would have liked more info about choice of host family for instance that I could stay together with a friend.

Friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. The classes are very intensive, but you leave learning something

I had a great time learning Korean at Lexis Korea. Teachers were very patient and helpful. There were a lot of opportunities to ask questions from the teachers and work on activities with other students. Location of the school is great. The learning is quite fast-paced at times but I personally enjoyed that. However, I did do some previous Korean study before attending so I could see how it may be overwhelming for those who haven't.

My overall experience of Lexis Korea was great and I would come again. Only one thing which was a bit sad was the evaluation process. In order to join the correct classes which suits your Korean language, every pupil had to briefly talk with a teacher at the beginning of his/her studies. This is actually great! However, I quite wonder how a teacher can be able to evaluate the Korean level of a student after having talked about 2 sentences with him/her...

Apparently there are also differences in the level up process itself: While some wrote an email to get levelled up resp. to join a more appropriate class, others had to talk to different staff members or do a test. This creates frustration among the students since they are talking to each other.

The school was clean and tidy with extremely helpful members of staff at the front desk. If you had any quires or needed any help they would do the upmost to help you. All if the teachers I had were really patient and kind, which is really useful when learning a new language. The classes were fast paced, but if you were stuck the teachers would help you to the best of their abilities. Every week they had activities on a Friday, which got you out and about and seeing lots of interesting tourist destinations. Lastly, the location was easily accessible by the subway, which meant here ever you wanted to go it was easy a to get there after classes. There are lots of restaurants, connivance stores and cafes close by so whenever you got hungry you could just pop downstairs and get something. Most importantly there is a really good pharmacy with the staff speaking English at the bottom of the building, which I used multiple times and was extremely useful.

I stayed in the mini-studios. Personally, I found them extremely small but this was how it was described so I cannot fault them for that. However, in my particular room I couldn't get any hot water, and sometimes the water would not run clear, this lead to me stay in a hotel for half of my time in Korea.

My course was challenging for me but very fun. I was very excited to take a class one on one in an immersive concept. It really forced me to try and think and understand concepts in Korean. One thing I really struggle with in Korean is sounding natural and this is really helpful. I hope I can come back and take another course someday!

My teacher was incredible, and I could see someone learning Korean very quickly and intensively with this program. However, I would have liked more cultural experiences/lessons included as well. The coursework was very heavy, so this is not a program for someone who wants an easygoing course. This would be a good preparation program for someone trying to obtain fluency in Korean.

The classes were good although very repetitive in format and the teachers were very nice but not very helpful for the total beginners. The location of Sejong University is good at is it on line 7 which makes it easy to go anywhere. The facilities were basic but fine. The activities with Lexis were great and our culture class teacher Miss. Hong Heejeong was especially amazing. The housing in the mini studio wasn't great, there was no central heating, the sink water ran onto the floor which made it constantly humid, there were roaches in the hallways and in the kitchen which made me reluctant to cook.

I had an amazing time at Lexis Seoul! I had great teachers who taught us korean, and I felt like I was learning really fast! I liked that we had different themes (one new theme every monday): I was never bored and really happy to learn useful things :)
The other students at Lexis were all eager to learn, everyone for different reasons,but it was really nice to meet new people and learn about their culture as well as the korean one.
I stayed at the student residence, in the bedroom for 2 people. It was really nice: we had everything we needed and had a quite big room for ourselves :)
The only bad thing I could say is that I didn't booked for longer haha
If you are hesitating to go there, do it! You'll love it ;)

I had a great experience at Lexis, I was challenged in my language learning but also learnt a lot in the short time I was there.
The teachers seemed to have quite high expectations towards me which could sometimes be a bit hard, and I was constantly told that I could not make mistakes which caused some stress, but I still feel like the course was effective

For me, personally, the person who made this experience perfect was my teacher. She put a lot of effort in preparing for each class, and other students were jealous we had her as a teacher. If you get Lee Hojin as your teacher, count yourself as extremely lucky! Not every teacher is as great as she is.

The facilities are great, the location is amazing - right in the middle of Gangnam with a lot of eating and shopping possibilities. Each Friday (and sometimes every other Thursday) Lexis offers some activities. The best one was Taekwondo, but kpop dance was also great. I would skip "egg bread" day tho.

The housing location was great, right next to Lexis. However, the bathroom was not that great. The shower was moldy and it leaked all over the floor. We had to buy our own pegs to hang up our towels, as there is very little storage in the bathroom. It was hard for the towels to dry as well.

The heating apparatus on the wall was also insanely difficult to understand, but after a few hot and restless nights I finally got some sort of explanation from the information desk at Lexis.

The language barrier is tough at times, but the people at Lexis really try to understand you and help you - if they can't, they will call someone who maybe can!

I did not participate in the housing program. However I found the school to be a wonderful facility with kind and helpful teachers. Admittedly, some of the teachers’ English skills sometimes made learning specific grammar points mildly difficult, but they always helped with examples in Korean. I think the initiative behind the meetup between Korean and western students was a very fun and valuable experience, however I only wish that the second time that I attended there were more Korean students in attendance as well, which is understandably in part, outside of the schools control. I only wish I could have attended for longer, and if I find myself in Seoul again, I will likely attend again.

all good but cleanness of toilet need to treat and treat again.haha

classes were clean and nice,our teachers were sincere and sincere to every student.

i loved the family. Seoul is as good as I'll want to go again. I've had a shortage of food sometimes because i am a Muslim

I made very nice friends would love to go again

The classes were intense and fast-paced, being accurate to their description. I enjoyed the speed because then with my limited time of 3 weeks, I could really get as much improvement as possible. Also, the class structure was innovative and efficient due to how there were weekly exams and how anyone can start and end at any week. The written and verbal quizzes encouraged consistent review of concepts, grammar, and vocabulary which was extremely motivational and beneficial. I really enjoyed how positive and encouraging the teachers are. I like how there was a good mix of writing, speaking, and listening. I like how students are encouraged to interact during class through language skill activities. A negative aspect is that sometimes when some students in a class are much slower, they hinder the improvement of others in partner activities. My teachers were extremely nice and very attentive to our questions. They were great at presenting the information in a fun and engaging way. Something that was difficult sometimes however was when they did not understand what we were trying to ask them in English. The facilities were clean and convenient, especially the Student Lounge. The activity calendar was a nice touch, but I do wish that there were more activities throughout the week. I would have liked to do more cultural activities and meet-up activities throughout the week rather than having them only on certain days. Also, I was looking forward to a cooking activity, which was said to be once a month, but it did not occur. I think the interaction between international students is very valuable so would have liked to see more of this outside of classes through a greater frequency of activities. My homestay family was incredible and an essential component of my wonderful experience in Seoul this summer. I stayed with a grandma, and she was one of the best parts of the experience, because I was integrated into the culture so much more easily, she helped improve my Korean even more daily, she was a huge source of support (in particular, helped me through a time of great need), she introduced me to food and ideas that I otherwise wouldn't have known, and more. The apartment was nice to stay in as well, and the location was great. I highly encourage the homestay option, but I do think it is quite expensive. Overall, I feel lucky to be placed in the homestay family I was in.

The classes were fun and challenging. This was my first time studying Korean. The teachers were very nice and the building was in a good location.

Parent addition to review: As Michael's parent, I was not happy that the host family did not hold him accountable to the curfew. Michael loved staying out late and wondering around Korea with his new school friends, but I did not think that was appropriate for a 16 year old boy away from home for the first time. I would have preferred the host family require him to be home for dinners and curfew.

The classes were great. I liked how they were fully in Korean. At times however, I did feel like I could have been placed in a higher level, because I felt slowed down by other classmates. The teachers were very friendly and helping. The location was great, because it was near the subway station. Didn't participate in activities during my stay. The housing was good. Clean and big room. Only a small problem occurred, because I got the wrong room number. The Phone number i got didn't answer when I called. But they gave me the right room number when I called the emergency number.

Hello! I and the truth very much was pleasant to study in Lexis Korea! At lessons everything was clear and interesting, there was no framework, and the teacher constantly joked and lightened us the mood without forgetting about a lesson. Right after lessons we had not a big lunch break and excursions which were organized very well. Generally it were sights or the museums, but as something weakening were to - the kpop dances on which we not only learned new choreography, but also could reveal themselves on the other hand.
The location of school is very convenient, nearby there are a lot of inexpensive restaurants at which it is possible to eat tasty, it is a lot of shops and in several steps of the subway.
I lived in 30 minutes by the subway from school and at first me this scarecrow, but host family helped me to understand and spent in the first day of study. Also, if something wasn't clear to me, then I could ask easily a host family , and they well explained everything to me. Conditions of accommodation were excellent.

I enjoyed everything about Lexis. The teachers are fun and refreshing, the staff are very friendly and eager to help. Everything has been like a dream. With the exception of missing my flight because of an error with the pick up service and having to pay again for another flight and hotel. Other than that I would strongly recommend Lexis :)

Overall they were really good, I did the beginners course and the teacher taught in English but used a lot of Korean in class. I heard all the other teachers only teach in Korean so I'm not so sure how I would've liked that being in such a low level class but overall I had a great experience. The location in Gangnam was really nice and my mini studio was right across from a 24/7 mini-mart so that was super convenient. One problem with the studio was it was quite hot, I don't think they ever turned on the AC while I was there even though they said they'd turn it on once it got hot enough but in my opinion it made it to the 70's/80's and no AC which was annoying. It did come with two fans though so I just left those on 24/7 and put them right in front of me and I was fine. However, the WiFi was also super spotty and some days it'd break-up a lot so for future reference they should try to pick places with solid WiFi. Only issue with the teachers/staff was that they mixed up my dead name in the beginning so for future reference it should be more clear which name you're suppose to use on their sheets or something, otherwise they were fine.

Classes were cozy, efficient and comfortable.
Teachers were very structured and they know what they're doing.
Location at a very beautiful district.
Facilities were excellent.
Activities are the best.
Only wished to have the full time course to focus on speaking/listening more.
Multinational friends are the best.

The school was great, personally it helped me a lot that everything was 90% Korean talking wise.

I learned a lot but that also remind me i need to learn even more. I hope to come back to Korea again soon.

Thank you!

As for my home stay, it was great! My host parents were very nice and caring, i could talk to them anytime.

They wanted to help me grow in socializing and talking Korean. They made me feel at home and I didn’t feel uncomfortable.

I loved it so much!

I enjoyed my time there, all of the teachers were very nice and the host family was very welcoming. The class moved at a good pace and the location was not too far from my host family.

hey I'm Kawtar from morocco ,16 years old ,
omg it was so good , the classes were good the teachers are so niceeeee I had three teachers lol one of my beginner class one of intermediate class and one of activities and to be honest they were sooo kind , my host family were good too but in reality I don't want to return to their house next time I want to try new hostfamily anyway and the activities were sooo good I did manyyyyy friends, I like everything and I miss Korea so muuchhh but I didn't miss the weather its so hot for sure 100% I'll come next year.

My opinion, Lexis has the best teachers in Korea. training method of the lexis school is so good.

Overall it was a great experience. Most of my teachers were great and very helpful. I loved my host family and they were very welcoming. I did have a problem with one of the teachers at the school, she was very discouraging and was angry that I was in her class for some reason even though I was trying my best with studying and was doing well with my homework. I talked to the front desk and switched my evening class to a different (easier) class with a different teacher who was exceptional and although the class was way too easy (i had learned the material years ago) the class experience was so much better that i ended up learning more. The housing location was a little far from the school (about an hour going each way) but nevertheless I liked it, there was a lot to do in that neighborhood. The school facilities were very nice and updated. The activities were repetitive but worth trying out at least once. The highlight would probably be my host family as they were very helpful in my language acquisition.

Enthusiastic teaching and a good atmosphere among the students helped make my experience a happy one. The location was good for me too.

I have nothing to complain about. I had a great time and would have liked to stay a lot longer.
The teacher was amazing and helped a lot. The school was easy to find also. I learned so much in such a short time.

Location is close to the station. Teachers all fine as well. I would like to come next time if I have time.

The moment I arrived it was very overwhelming since I didn't know ANY Korean, but everyone took good care of me so I felt at home very quickly. My mini studio was DEFINITELY very mini but since I was mostly at school or at cafes I didn't spend too much time there anyway. The classes and teachers we're great and I still miss those. The teacher definitely made every class worth going to.

Lexis Korea was amazing with regards to teaching Korean and Korean culture. Our teachers was like our friends. I liked everything about Lexis. The accommodation was really small but it wasn't so important because all you need is a bed for sleeping and the location is really good for reach everywhere. I really would recommend Lexis because of their excellent teaching. Thanks for everything

The location is very convenient, the teachers were really nice and taught well. My Korean skills improved a lot even though I was there for short time. I didn't avail of their housing options so I don't know much about it. The activities were okay. Some was helpful and fun and some was just okay. But the general experience was really great.

My trip to Seoul was wonderful! I really enjoyed studying at Lexis Korea. The teachers were really nice and taught me well. My level of Korean has improved there. Hope to return to Lexis Korea again.

I like the teachers and the location of school. Near the school there are many thing to see around and it was not to expensive for students and the school was easy to find too.

My experience at Lexis was incredible. I was placed in just the right section, though there were some others that had to get moved around after their first week because our class was too easy. My teachers were so wonderful, and I still have contact with them - They pester me to keep practicing by sending them sentences to correct! This is particularly wonderful because I used to use a paid service for help from native speakers.

I was a little disappointed by the school's activities - I was told there would be weekly excursions and a couple of the weeks were just activities at the school. However we did go to Lotte World and Bukchon Hanok Village, and that was really fun.

I was paired with an incredible couple just about 20/30 minutes away from the school. I had to take the subway, and I was very glad to have a friend to help me figure it out. I was told that I would be less than 15 minutes away from the school though, and this was not the case. However it was very easy to get to once I had my routine down. If you have a host family they're supposed to take you the first day, and if you live in the other accommodations they are very close to the school.

I would so recommend this to people who want to authentically learn Korean because it is an immersive and positive environment. I was shy at first but soon I really wanted to show off to my teachers by speaking as much as possible. The front desk greets you every day as you come off the elevator to the 11th floor.

My advice - try not to go during July/August. That's when I happened to go, and the classes were packed! As soon as I left, they started to empty out. If you can go not during the typical summer break, really try to do that, as it'll be worth it to be in really intimate classes.