Special Programs and Activities
In order to learn English well, you should immerse yourself in the language and related activities. In addition to our courses, the Berkeley Summer English Language Institute offers several ways to do this.
Evening Programs
Students who register in the Summer English Language Institute are entitled to attend our evening workshops with no additional cost.
Conversation Group
You will meet for an hour in the evening twice a week to engage in conversation in an informal atmosphere. The conversation group is led by a qualified ESL instructor, who helps you improve your speaking abilities through different activities.
Extracurricular Activities

Each summer, we offer a variety of activities off campus. These activities allow you to interact with students from across the program and with instructors. Although the offerings change each summer, in the past we have offered:
- Napa Valley wine tours
- professional baseball games featuring the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants
- walking tours of nearby San Francisco
- visits to historic Glide Memorial Church
- visits to San Francisco and Oakland museums: The Legion of Honor, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Oakland Museum of California, and many more.
- escorted dinners to sample the wide array of California cuisine
- evenings out at world-famous Yoshi's Jazz Club
Extracurricular activities must be paid for by the student. The prices for these events varies, depending on ticket prices, etc. Transportation to events is sometimes offered at a reduced price.
