OLSA International is a popular Spanish school in Medellín and OLSA opened second location in Medellín recently.
OLSA International is not just another Spanish academy in the Medellin metropolis; dishing out fill-in-the-blank worksheets while you listen to a lecture in Spanish.
OLSA’s first school location is in the Estadio/Laureles neighborhood that opened seven years ago. And it’s newest location is in the Manila/El Poblado neighborhood.
OLSA International is an actual educational facility, who´s director, Shane Keeley (author of this article), has been in education for more than 25 years, both in the United States and internationally.
In this article, we will explore OLSA’s philosophy of education, the features of this popular academy, and see why students have chosen to make OLSA International the top-rated Spanish academy in Medellin (according to Google Reviews).
What is OLSA International´s philosophy of education?
“If someone were to come in and ask to learn how to ride a bicycle, many schools, because of their structure (not because they are bad schools), will present the student with a manual about bike-riding along with several biking magazines to study over the course of two years (standards-based learning).
At OLSA, we take the student outside, have them sit on the bike seat and start peddling (practice-based learning). For us, it´s a difference between language theory and real-world use of language.” Shane explained. Students at OLSA practice speaking Spanish, from the very first class. This helps the muscles in their mouths, their lips, and their tongue form the Spanish words correctly and helps their ears and brains chain words together, understanding where the spaces are between words. “It´s the most efficient way to learn a skill. It´s the way we learned English” (or our native language).
One of OLSA’s two schools
What are the features of OLSA International?
The concept behind OLSA International is to offer foreigners, and locals, a safe and honest place to experience language and culture. We have several programs that complete this goal.
Conversational Spanish/English Classes – classes focused on actually speaking Spanish/English, not just about Spanish/English theory. These classes always use native teachers and are the backbone of everything OLSA.
Certified Spanish Courses – courses, certified through the Colombian government, that qualify for a Colombian student visa. These courses follow the Common European Framework for Languages and include our Conversational Spanish Classes – the only Spanish academy in Medellin to do so.
Immersion Weeks Packages – a one-stop-shopping package which includes OLSA´s Conversational Spanish Classes + Salsa Dance Classes (both on campus and consecutive in times) + Day-Excursion (10 to choose from).
Free Weekly Language Exchange – one of OLSA´s primary focuses is the integration of foreigners with locals in the practice of oral conversation. OLSA´s language exchanges differ from other local language exchanges, as OLSA´s are more activity-focused and theme-based. Every week carries with it a different theme and activity, such as themes-from-a-hat, board games, team games, salsa night, etc. – all of which are geared towards conversation. Once a month they go all-out on a big event, such as Wild West night, Minute-To-Win-It night and Hawaiian Luau night.
Restaurant – Yes, OLSA International also has a restaurant. The restaurant´s quinine is real American pancakes and waffles (regular/blueberry/chocolate, chocolate chip) in the mornings, and in the afternoons/evenings are nachos and quesadillas (OLSA-style) along with their ever-changing list of tapas! OLSA´s restaurants have several large-screen TV´s, a bar, and are the hosting place for their events, but are also open to the public.
Locations – OLSA has two locations in Medellin in Estadio/Laureles and Manila/Poblado.
-
- Estadio/Laureles – Calle 49B #76A-5, Barrio Estadio – about 10-12 minutes’ walk from the Estadio metro station.
- Manila/Poblado – Carrera 43F #12-81, Barrio Manila – about 10-12 minutes’ walk from the El Pobaldo metro station. This is our newest location. This is the newest location where OLSA opened second Spanish School
Learning at OLSA International
How did OLSA International become a top-rated Spanish academy in Medellin (according to Google Reviews)?
Many businesses purport to be the best. With OLSA International, it´s not a superfluous statement. To answer this question, we turned to OLSA´s 600+ 5-star reviews and selected just a few student´s opinions.
Razwan Amjad´s Review: This is the third Spanish language school I have enrolled at in Medellin and is the best of the 3. When I enquired about the course the owner, Shane, gave me an hour of his time to go over everything on the course. I signed for a full year. Have now been attending for 6 weeks and have not been disappointed. The day begins with a 2 hour grammar class followed by a 75 minute conversation class. Have been very happy with my teachers, namely, Giovanny, Sara and Yesi. I would definitely recommend this school to anyone considering learning Spanish in Medellín.
Brianna Richardson´s Review: I cannot say enough about my experience here! This school is owned by an American who has a passion for Spanish language and culture.
I was doing some research on which school to attend because I was going to be spending a month in Colombia and I need to learn Spanish to communicate with my family. I contacted the school, and I received an immediate response with the protocol for COVID, (which is very safe in Colombia) as well as a very detailed summary of what classes he offers along with the pricing. He went out of his way to create a bundle for us, where we had private conversational classes, private dance classes, and excursions included on the weekends.
Shane cares about your experience and making sure you get what you are looking for! He will build you a package according to what your needs are. My teachers, Mitchell and Francisco were amazing! They are native Spanish speakers, who have degrees in teaching language to foreigners. You can’t beat that. Again, this school exceeded my expectations. I came home seeing the beautiful country of Colombia as well as learning as much as possible for an amazing price!
Learning Spanish at OLSA
The Bottom Line: OLSA International – OLSA Opened Second Spanish School in Medellin
OLSA International is a popular Spanish school in Medellín that offers student visas with certified grammar courses as well as conversational Spanish classes.
OLSA’s Spanish classes are less expensive than at the universities in Medellín. So, you can study Spanish for cheaper than at the universities and still obtain a Colombian student visa. Also, you can obtain student visas to study Spanish during the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition, the owner of OLSA is an experienced educator from the U.S. and the school offers customer service that meets the sometimes-demanding expectations of foreigners.
Full disclosure. OLSA International is a sponsor and partner of Medellin Guru.
Sign up for the Free Medellin Guru Newsletter – You can see all of the previous Medellin Guru weekly email newsletters and sign up here.
Recent Comments