By CISL SF student Roman Barufke, Germany So, you’ve got a free afternoon with no homework and don’t know what to do? Well, there are a lot of opportunities in this wonderful city. Today, I am going to recommend a walk through the northern part of San Francisco, which starts at Washington Square, then goes...
Category: Living & Traveling in San Francisco
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Tips for enjoying an American baseball game
Have you been to an American baseball game? If you are studying English at CISL San Diego or San Francisco, you have access to discounted tickets! There are many traditions surrounding a baseball game, and some of them might be strange to a person attending a game for the first time. If you would like to...
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Cambridge CAE tips: Writing an Essay
For over 20 years, CISL has provided intensive classes to prepare our students for the Cambridge exams. We can’t think of a better place than California to study for (and take) the Cambridge tests! If you are taking the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English exam, you must write an essay for the first part of...
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Experiences from our Swiss student, Dario
Experiences from Dario Dario came from a small village in Switzerland to San Francisco in order to study English for more than three months at CISL. In the Swiss job market, it is very common to have a Cambridge Certificate, so Dario decided to take the Cambridge preparation course before taking the exam. It is...
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Interesting Facts about San Francisco’s Mission District
CISL San Francisco hosts free walking tours through many of the city’s neighborhoods, including the vibrant Mission District. Before visiting this incredible SF region, learn a little about this cultural hub: the area is full of history, art, culture, and great food! Interesting Facts about San Francisco’s Mission District The Mission gets its name from...
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Activity for English students in SF: Horseback riding on the beach
There are so many fun activities for English students in SF that sometimes, we have a difficult time choosing which activities to highlight on the CISL Blog. Alcatraz, Sausalito, Golden Gate Park, museums, festivals, cool shows in awesome theaters, canoeing, hiking . . . there is always something interesting happening in the City by the...
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Planning the perfect Memorial Day weekend getaway
A three-day weekend is the perfect excuse to get out of town! As much as we love San Francisco and San Diego (they are the best places to study English!) it is also great to escape the cities and explore some of the other parts of California. The following are some suggestions for our English...
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Cambridge CAE and FCE speaking test tip: How to deal with a shy speaking test partner
When preparing for your upcoming Cambridge CAE or FCE test, you should of course try to prepare for everything. Test format? Check. Comfortable talking about yourself, your hobbies, and your experiences? Check. Practice writing thesis statements and great topic sentences for the writing section? Check and check! There is one thing, however, that you may...
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Celebrating Alcatraz with English “jail” expressions
This month, CISL is celebrating one of the coolest tourist attractions in San Francisco: Alcatraz! In honor of this historic locale, we have a list of some common English expressions that are associated with crime and jail. How many of these do you know? English “jail” expressions “Ball and chain” Originally the name for the...
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A Day at Golden Gate Park
Of the 220 parks and green spaces that San Francisco boasts, Golden Gate Park is perhaps the most well-known: 13 million people visit each year! Music theaters, museums, botanical gardens, lakes, tennis courts, bird watching areas . . . there is something for everyone in San Francisco’s most famous park. Following are suggestions for a...