University of Southern Maine (USM)
Intensive English Language Program (IELP), Fall 2015
Khen N., right, with classmate and friend Tho M. |
Khen: The thing that made me surprised most is class size here. (They are small compared to some other schools.)
Q: What is one of the
biggest differences between classes in a US college and classes in your home
country?
Khen: It is not
hard to find some differences between a US college and classes and those in my
home country- such as class size and learning and teaching style. However, the
largest difference, for me, is about the way teachers give a lecture and the
way students learn. While US students learn in an active way, their partners in
Viet Nam experience passive learning. Also, learning in the US focuses on
practice, but Vietnamese one focuses more on theory.
Q: What did you think
about living and studying in Portland, Maine?
Khen: In my
heart, Portland is a very beautiful city with fresh air and a peaceful pace. It
is a good place for keeping healthy and focusing on studying.
Khen: I think
that a goal is the most important thing that every student needs to determine because
it will help them know what they are doing and keep them moving forward.
And one more thing: when a student takes a class, he or she must
be involved in that class. This will be very helpful for their studying. For
example, when I was in grammar class, instead of just sitting and hearing my
teacher, I joined in these activities (such as discussing and doing homework in
groups) and asked my teacher to give an explanation for what I didn’t
understand. All of these things helped me improve my grammar a lot.
Consequently, I had successful results for grammar.
Khen: I loved the
outdoor activities like apple picking ( http://www.libbysonupicks.com/) and joining in the Husky Fest. (https://usm.maine.edu/tourism/husky-harvest)
Khen: One of my
favorite classes that I had taken when I studied at USM was the speaking class.
I really liked it because it gave me not only time to
practice my English speaking, but it also gave me a chance to make friends.
Khen: The difference
of language, I think, always is the largest challenge for students like me, and
this leads to shyness and fear of communicating. However, I feel lucky to have
been a student in the IELP program at USM because it helped me overcome this barrier.
Khen: Now I’m
living in Michigan. I feel grateful for what I studied when I was
at
USM. My English skills are better, and thanks to that, I was
accepted to a college here.
Khen N. with program classmate and program instructors and staff |
Khen: I love
caring for and helping others, so I think a job in nursing or social work suits
me.
Khen: I like
these words: “Never give up and try hard.”
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