Testimonials

Individuals:

The AA is the best place in the world for foreigners to study Arabic. I say that having studied Arabic during summer 2000 at Middlebury (supposedly the best place in the US to study), and am familiar with a variety of university Arabic programs as I studied in one of them many years ago. None of these other programs even begins to come close to what AA offers.

Dr. Tony Sullivan, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
I like study in Arab Academy because it has a good curriculum to learn Arabic language. So I can improve my language through website which it is explaining by two language, English and Arabic. The Academy has also many excellent teachers who have a special talent to make a process of learning become more excitedly.
Dr. Windratmo Suwarno, First Secretary of Indonesian Embassy in Cairo
I study Arabic for a hobby, and was delighted to discover that the Arabic Academy offers a serious study of Arabic in a scaffolded learning program which is fun! The teachers are highly qualified and enthusiastic, offering variety in a supportive learning environment. The in-country program is supported by online courses which offer cultural insights as part of the learning, and the one-on-one online speaking component is a great motivator! I keep returning for more.
Bridget Smith, Australia
The quality of teaching is very high and the education process can be continued online as the curriculum is the same. This is invaluable for students who are traveling or working abroad.
Goeffrey Weichselbaum
I learned more in 2 months at Arab Academy than I learned in one year at my university. Plus, I can converse easily in Arabic now, which is a goal I didn’t think I would reach until much later.
Antonio Losavio, University of California, Berkeley
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here, for rather than just focusing on teaching Colloquial Arabic, Arab Academy provided its students with an opportunity to utilize it in class. My biggest problem entering Arab Academy was my lack of confidence with speaking Arabic in front of others. Thanks to Arab Academy, my confidence has increased immensely
Kristine Hassan, United States
I greatly enjoyed the cultural visits program in the afternoons because it’s much better than visiting the places in a tourist group and it gives you more exposure to the Arabic language. I hope I can come back some time to continue my studies at Arab Academy.
Sonja Schmidt, Germany
This is the third summer in a row that I’ve spent a month studying Arabic at Arab Academy- that should tell you how much I love the place and the people, and how beneficial the instruction has been. The experience of living in the culture while studying the language exponentially increases interest and retention.
Debra Morris Smith, USA
The [Arab Academy] course was really useful in order to deal with everyday situations and teachers were really kind and patient with us.
Silvia Anna Rosa Irace, Italy

Institutions:

I am more than happy to provide feedback on our experience with the Arab Academy. The instructors in the program were some of the most professional instructors with whom I have worked. The instructional methodology that they used is up-to-date and superior.

I work with instructors from various Arab countries on a daily basis. The instructors from the Arab Academy were very knowledgeable and are very successful in imparting their knowledge in ways that makes students feel good about themselves. They use positive techniques rather than using intimidation to motivate students. The conversations increased learning of both language and culture without any hesitation of cultural differences.

As the program manager for the students who attended the immersion in Egypt, I conducted a survey upon our return. The response was an overwhelming positive learning experience by all the students. The major contributing factor was the instructors

from the Arab Academy. After the immersion experience, the students felt they were more than capable of participating in a multitude of conversations with Arabic speaking natives as well as understanding the culture.

One of the comments made by a student was the following: “I not only know how to communicate with Arabs, but I feel that I understand how they think. In most situations, I would have probably had a negative view of why Arabs think the way they do, but after having met and learned from the teachers from the Arab Academy, I feel I understand the way they think and respect them.”

In my experience, we do not always agree with people from other cultures, but if we are ever to achieve global peace, we must start through communication, understanding, and respect. The instructors from the Arab Academy are true advocates for our path towards that goal.

David Villarreal
Program Manager
Arabic Language Program
Defense Language Institute (DLI)
Ft. Huachuca, Arizona
(520) 538-4523

One of the comments made by a student was the following: “I not only know how to communicate with Arabs, but I feel that I understand how they think. In most situations, I would have probably had a negative view of why Arabs think the way they do, but after having met and learned from the teachers from the Arab Academy, I feel I understand the way they think and respect them.” In my experience, we do not always agree with people from other cultures, but if we are ever to achieve global peace, we must start through communication, understanding, and respect. The instructors from the Arab Academy are true advocates for our path towards that goal.

David Villarreal
Program Manager
Arabic Language Program
Defense Language Institute (DLI)
Ft. Huachuca, Arizona
(520) 538-4523

I supervised an immersion program during the month of May 2009 in Egypt. The institution that we worked with to provide instructors was the Arab Academy in Garden City. My experience with the Arab Academy was extremely positive. The Arab Academy’s teaching materials are sequentially organized from A to Z with equivalent drills for each lesson. They are very flexible, and they were able to create new materials to suit the skills of our students. The institute has an excellent learning atmosphere that makes learning fun for the students. Arabic was the only language used at the institute, which helps the students immensely to be fully immersed in the language and culture.

In terms of the staff, the Arab Academy has a well seasoned staff. The instructors were able to challenge the students and helped them move on to the next level. They did this by using different activities, task based instruction and content based instruction to shape the students’ knowledge and taught them sophisticated vocabulary, grammar and sentence structures by working on interviews and support opinion topics. I researched many institutions in Egypt and I dealt with various ones. I have found the Arab Academy to be the best institute in terms of professionalism, flexibility, materials, academic schedule, tasks, lesson plans and much more. I am grateful for the excellent work done by the Arab Academy and I look forward to continue working with them in future immersion programs.

Sincerely,
Amer Farraj
DLI-CE
US Air Force Academy

I have a very positive experience with Arab Academy. For six weeks in Egypt, my students had a great learning experience at Arab Academy. I attended the classes of most of its instructors and found them very professional. They are the best. They also use very developed and excellent materials.

I recommend this academy very highly. I visited many other academies in Egypt, including AUC (where I worked there for a while), and found that Arab Academy is number one in regard to instruction, curriculum, and caring and understanding of students’ needs. Call me if you have any more questions about Arab Academy.

Dr. Mamdouh el-Nady
Department of Foreign Languages
US Air Force Academy
2354 Fairchild Dr., Suite 4J6A
USAFA, CO 80840

Howard Community College (HCC)

The academic insights and the teaching philosophy of the Arab Academy are soundly based on cultivating creativity, promoting success, engaging minds, facing challenges, overcoming obstacles, motivating students, maintaining comfortable classroom atmosphere, clearly illustrating syllabi and expectations, and integrating technology in classroom. Embarked on a clear vision, the Arab Academy made a remarkable progress in building a first-rate Arabic Study Abroad Program to extend teaching beyond classroom walls. Further, the Arab Academy management, sta_ and teachers are dedicated, professional, proficient qualified and very pleasant people. Furthermore, the cultural components and daily interaction with native speakers are ingrained in the core of all their teaching programs. In my opinion, the Arabic Academy evaluation overall rate is thriving from excellent to outstanding.

Abdelrahim Salih, PhD. Anthropology
The Director of Egypt Study Abroad Program at HCC, Maryland
Professional Lecturer at the American University, Washington DC