Boston University Responds to the Recent Executive Order

February 2nd, 2017 in Academic, Admissions, Alumni, Programs, Student Life 0 comments

The Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP) has been a part of Boston University for over 40 years. In that time, CELOP has welcomed thousands of students from around the world who wanted to improve their English and strive towards a degree program or advance in their professional career.

The president of Boston University, Robert Brown, recently published a letter addressing the recent Executive Order that impacts entry into the United States by individuals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

To quote President Brown:

“The new administration’s executive order to temporarily ban people from seven Muslim nations from entering the United States is fundamentally inconsistent with the values that are the bedrock of higher education, and indeed, of our pluralistic, welcoming society.”

We advise students to read this announcement by BU’s International Student and Scholar’s Office (ISSO) about the Executive Order. If you are a student or scholar from one of the above countries and currently in the United States in any non-immigrant status, (e.g., B, F, J, H, O, TN, etc.) the ISSO would advise against travel outside the United States.

CELOP fully supports President Brown and upholds the University’s long-standing commitment to international education and to the promotion of global understanding and goodwill.

CELOP will continue to welcome, educate, and support students from around the world.

If you have any questions or concerns about applying to CELOP, please email us at celop@bu.edu

Boston University students express their concerns about the Executive Order.

CELOP College and University Fair

November 1st, 2016 in Academic, Admissions 2 comments

On Wednesday, October 19th, CELOP hosted its tenth College and University Fair. The fair takes place every year and gives students the opportunity to speak with admissions representatives from universities around Boston and the Northeast.

Representatives from 13 Massachusetts and Rhode Island schools answered students’ questions about their graduate and undergraduate programs. Many CELOP students were interested in schools right in Boston and they also had a chance to find out about programs at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, Springfield College, and Western New England University. Over 100 students attended the fair. A student from Chile said, "The fair was very helpful and I learned more about the degree programs I'm interested in."

All CELOP students have access to our Academic Advisor who helps students with the university application process. The College and University Fair is one way we provide students with the opportunity to learn more about applying to universities in the U.S.

Summer Students at CELOP

May 29th, 2016 in Academic, Admissions, Student Life 0 comments

This May, CELOP admitted hundreds of students to our summer 1 programs.

We asked students during summer check-in how they heard about CELOP and their future plans. Watch the video below to meet students from Venezuela, Thailand, China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia and how they learned about CELOP.

"The people here (at CELOP) are really friendly and very kind. It's very nice to be here!"

CELOP Students Accepted to Degree Programs

April 26th, 2016 in Academic, Admissions, Programs 0 comments

Every semester, CELOP celebrates students who have been admitted to universities across the country. This spring semester, 65 CELOP students were accepted to degree programs beginning in the fall, including 51 for undergraduate programs and 14 for graduate programs.

Students were accepted into programs such as business, biomedical engineering, cyber security, law, education, and finance at universities including Boston University, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, University of Southern California, University of California Irvine, and many more.

Congratulations to all accepted students!

CELOP Associate Director Colin Large congratulated all the students who were accepted to degree programs.

Congratulations to all the students and
we wish you all the best in pursuing your degree!

Larissa Pontes: from CELOP to MET to iGEM

April 11th, 2016 in Academic, Alumni, Programs 0 comments

Larissa Queiroz Pontes is a biotechnology undergraduate from Brazil’s Federal University of Ceará. She studied at CELOP in 2013 in order to improve her English and prepare for academic study at Boston University's Metropolitan College. We caught up with her recently and here's what she said.

Q: How was your CELOP experience?

I had a delightful experience at CELOP studying English for my TOEFL test and I was in contact with so many other cultures and made great friends. I learned a lot and improved my English. I improved my vocabulary and my listening, and obviously my speaking got stronger.

Q: How did your experience at CELOP help you achieve your goals?

I had to take TOEFL to get into BU Metropolitan College to take my academic courses, and I succeeded because of CELOP. When I studied at Metropolitan College, people could understand me and I understood them well.

Q: What would you say to a future CELOP student?

Enjoy your time at CELOP, go to meetings, fit in to conversation groups. Get into the American culture.

Currently Larissa is part of a team of students from her university, including other former CELOP students Daniel Carlos and Marcus Rafael, that will come to Boston this October to compete in iGEM, an annual world wide synthetic biology competition. Their team (pictured below) is planning to genetically modify micro-algae so that they produce a protein that is lethal to Aedes aegypti larvae, the species responsible for transmitting yellow fever and other serious diseases. Larissa explains "The curious thing about this protein is that it is toxic just to the mosquito larvae, not for humans or any other species."

Participation in the iGEM competition requires their own funding. Anybody interested in supporting their team can make a donation to their crowdfunding campaign.

We wish Larissa and her team the very best in the competition, and the best in all of her future endeavors!

Daughter of CELOP Alumnus

March 10th, 2016 in Academic, Admissions, Alumni, Programs, Student Life 0 comments

Eva Haoa is the daughter of Nicolas Haoa, an alumnus of CELOP who studied here 35 years ago. We recently posted an interview of the father-daughter duo on our CELOP YouTube channel.

We caught up with Eva Haoa in week 6 of her 12-week Spring program, right before the spring break and asked her a few questions:

Q: What do you like the most about being at CELOP?
Eva: The teachers. They are very kind.  I learn a lot because of them.

Q: Your father gave you advice to make friends from all over the world. Have you done that?
Eva: Yes! I have made friends from Colombia and Venezuela. And I met one friend from China too. It is good because I speak English with her.

Q: Where are you going for spring break?
Eva: I will stay here in Boston.  There is a lot to do in Boston!

Eva plans to continue studying at CELOP this summer semester.

Right: Eva poses for a photo with her friend Shuning Yin from China.  Eva joined Student Life Coordinator Shelley Bertolino and 14 other CELOP students to volunteer at the local Cradles to Crayons organization.

Below: Eva has a conversation with John Kopec, her father’s teacher at CELOP 35 years ago. She was surprised to learn that her father was placed in the same level as her. John tells Eva about the day Nicolas and his classmates celebrated John’s birthday. As seen in the old photos in the video, they got him a birthday cake, and took a class photo outside the CAS building.

CELOP Launches New Summer Programs

February 18th, 2016 in Academic, Admissions, Programs, Student Life 0 comments

CELOP launched two exciting new programs this week, designed to prepare students for success in their academic and professional careers: the University Readiness Program and the English for Engineering Program.

The 3-week University Readiness program is designed to help students adapt to life in the U.S. and to develop skills for academic and social interactions. There are three start dates in August to choose from so that students can enroll in the program that ends right before their university or college coursework begins.

The English for Engineering program is a 4-week program that develops the English language skills of aspiring engineers, and prepares them to enter the engineering job market. This program starts on July 25th and ends on August 19th.

Alan Broomhead, Managing Director of CELOP, explained the reason for launching these two new programs:

"Many international students are coming to the U.S. to study for degrees in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields, and need to be able to communicate their ideas clearly in English. And many international students find that even though they have attained a good score on the TOEFL, they are not fully prepared for the demands of degree-level studies here in the U.S. Our new programs address these students' needs."

You can learn more about each program by visiting their webpages:

University Readiness

English for Engineering

CELOP Alumnus Marcos Dos Santos Silva

January 12th, 2016 in Academic, Admissions, Alumni, Programs 0 comments

For 40 years, Boston University has helped thousands of international students improve their English, prepared them for academic study at a U.S. university, and helped them apply and get accepted to a degree program.

Read about the experience of one of our former students, Marcos Dos Santos Silva from Brazil, who studied at CELOP in 2013.
 

Marcos volunteering at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

How was your CELOP experience?

When I arrived in the U.S., everything was new for me. It was my first time traveling internationally. I had excellent teachers at CELOP and I am forever thankful to them. They helped me a lot, and not just with English, but with information, tips, and things related to my future studies. My time at CELOP was really good and I will be forever thankful to my teachers, advisor, and Boston University.

How did your experience at CELOP help you achieve your goals?

When I came to CELOP, I didn't speak English well. But after studying a lot, and with my teachers helping me, now I am able to communicate well with anybody. After CELOP, I went to Metropolitan College at Boston University to study two semesters of Biology and I also volunteered at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. CELOP was really important in helping me achieve these goals.

What would you say to a future CELOP student?

I have one word for you: Enjoy! Time goes fast, and for me, two semesters went really quickly. Go to all your classes, do all your homework, travel, make friends, and enjoy. CELOP is amazing!
 

CELOP Students Celebrate Academic Success

December 17th, 2015 in Academic, Admissions 0 comments

At the end of every semester, CELOP celebrates students who have been admitted to universities across the country.

During the Fall 2015 semester-end pizza party, Colin Large, CELOP’s Associate Director, read out the names and universities of 17 students from six countries who have been successful in their applications to universities from Massachusetts to Arizona. The graduate and undergraduate degrees they will pursue include Biomedical Engineering, Financial Economics, and Education. You can see the complete list of successful students below.

Some of the students accepted to universities together with
CELOP Associate Director Colin Large.

After the party, Alanoud Alsubhi spoke about her decision to come to CELOP and the factors that have helped her succeed.

"I chose CELOP because it's on the Boston University campus. I studied at CELOP for three semesters. The first two semesters I took English for Academic Purposes but then I switched to English for Science & Technology. I really loved it because I'm interested in science and we read interesting articles that helped me think more broadly. My teachers really helped me improve my English skills and also helped me with my college application essay. Judy, the Academic Advisor, also helped me with my application. Thank you so much!"

Alanoud Alsubhi from Saudi Arabia.

Congratulations to all the students and we wish you all the best in pursuing your degree!

Author of “A Fort of Nine Towers” visits BU CELOP

November 24th, 2015 in Academic, Programs, Student Life 0 comments

Qais Akbar Omar, an Afghan-American writer and alumnus of Boston University, came to CELOP on November 10th to give a talk about his book: A Fort of Nine Towers. The book takes its name from the home Omar grew up in as a child. In his talk at CELOP, Omar showed photos of Kabul and his family as he elaborated on the story told in the book. Expressions of delight and surprise filled the room as they connected each photo with a character or place in his story.

Qais Akbar Omar signs books and engages students in conversation.

Students were clearly captivated by his talk. "The book he wrote was fabulous. I really enjoyed it," said Khalid, from Saudi Arabia. "Before I read the book, the only thing I knew about Afghanistan was from the news, and the only thing they mention in the news is the war. So when I read the book, I learned Afghanistan, many years ago, they were living a safe life." When asked about what it was like to meet the author of a book he had read, Khalid said, "I really want to thank Qais. I've never felt like this in my whole life."

Classmates echoed this sentiment. "It is very inspiring, funny, and sweet," said Janice, a student from China. "I didn't know a lot about Afghanistan because I'm from China. I read the book and when I Googled Afghanistan, I learned a lot. It let me know more about what matters in the world, and peace is more important."

Qais Akbar Omar gives a book talk to CELOP students.

Cheryl Pavlik, one of the teachers who assigned this book in her class for pleasure reading, shared her thoughts about the book and Qais' talk. "This is an incredible opportunity for all of these students, I mean, for me too: to read a memoir that is so personal, and so hair-raising in places, and then meet the person who went through those experiences, is quite incredible. I think for everyone, this will be something they remember. It really does tell you a lot about the depths to which human beings can fall, and the heights to which they can soar."

If you would like to read the book, you can find it here.

Qais Akbar Omar poses in a group photo with CELOP students.