Rivo Noelson, originally from Madagascar, studied at CELOP in the summer of 2006. He is a Fulbright student who will be earning a Master’s Degree in Management and Policy in Public Health from the University of Texas.
I consider CELOP as a language institute and at the same time an orientation institute for international students who want to study at a university here in the States for the first time. It is like an American cultural center; you meet with different people from different countries, you go on trips, you learn how to be comfortable in your city, and at the same time you take courses that are specific to your program. It is very interesting for people to learn the culture in this format. There are also options to focus on academic learning and you have the choice between programs; I like how your ideas are taken into consideration.
I have really improved my reading. I had the experience of reading fiction in English. I’m a scientist and I haven’t had the opportunity to do that very often. I also improved my writing ability and my oral presentations.
I think the quality of service is really good. I started to be in touch with CELOP while I was still living in Madagascar. I was able to talk to them about housing, meal and plans etc. I never had a doubt about the services that I was going to need here. Everything was taken care of. All of the equipment, the labs and everything I need is here. The staff and faculty are used to dealing with international students and therefore they provide the services that international students need. Even if it’s a new request, they work to meet it.
In addition, you don’t really feel lonely, because you’re surrounded by international people who are sometimes sharing the same contexts you’re coming from.
I love my teachers. I think they’re great. I’ve never been bored in my classes. My classes were always interesting, exciting, with a lot of variation, and they inspired creativity. My teachers always considered the needs and wants of the students. Teachers worked hard to make people, services and information available to students.
I would encourage students to study here. It makes everything easier to come here; everything that you need you can find here, and the environment is conducive to studying. Especially for those who are interested in the history and culture, Massachusetts is a very nice place to discover how American history started. The location reinforces the learning of the language.
I learned some strategies about how to read a wide range of texts in English. This was something that I wasn’t so confident about before I came. Many of theses strategies helped to prepare me to take the GRE. I know now that I can do well on the GRE and I have more confidence in my ability.
Rivo Noelson
