Ana G.

Ana G.
Home Country:
Colombia

Having a good English level is a must in almost everyone’s professional career, so I decided to come to the United States to improve my English performance. Since my brother lives in Philadelphia, this city was the best option for me, and I didn’t hesitate to choose the ELP because of the goodwill of the University of Pennsylvania and the good reviews I had found about the program.

From the very first day at the ELP I met very nice staff people that gave us a warm welcome and clear instructions and advice about our stay in the country, a lot of information that we, foreign students, usually don’t know and must know.

"It was a unique experience as I encountered people from different cultures... I had never found so many different people in one same place."

As for the academic aspect, I had the opportunity to take classes related to everyday language (my biggest weakness) and also academic skills, so I was able to have the perfect combination of what I needed! And something very special about the classes is that, beyond the language skills taught, they integrate a lot of cultural and social aspects and it motivates you to interact with all your classmates. And, of course, with great teachers, always giving the best of themselves and encouraging us to give the best of ourselves.

It was also a unique experience as I encountered people from different cultures, with whom I could meet in and outside the classroom, as the ELP had different social activities every week, which I loved! I had never found so many different people in one same place, and the best part is that no one spoke my native language!

One thing I didn’t expect from the program was the counseling for further studies. When I started looking for study options for my medical career, I met the people of UniConn, who helped me gather the right information, even though I had a very specific need. And finally, when it was time to take the next step of transferring to another U.S. school, the ELP staff was very helpful with their willingness to help me with the process.

I’m pretty sure there are many resources offered by the ELP that I didn’t use due to the short period of time that I spent there, but in the end, this great experience gave me a lot of confidence with the language, which was my biggest need, and helped me make one of the most important decisions for my professional career.

So, all I can say is that the ELP goes beyond a regular English program!