Contributed by Matthew Chen, student at ILSC-Vancouver.
Time goes really fast. Suddenly, I’ve already graduated from ILSC!
I still remember that it was a lovely day, August 9th, 2013, my first day in ILSC, and it was my first day in Vancouver.
There are new places, new people, new environment, and fairly new cultures. Everything was so strange for me. I have started my study-life at ILSC.
My original English level at ILSC was I3, and my program at ILSC was the University Pathway Program because I want to go to Canadian college.
However, if I wanted to pass this program, I had to finish A2. At that time, my English level was only I3. “It is extremely tough” I thought. After I went to the class, my mind was changed. The teachers were so patient.
Step by step, my English was improving slightly. Every day, I keep doing these steps, and finally I passed I3 in September, I4 in October, A1 in November, and A2 in December.
Many friends of mine think my experience is so remarkable, but I want to tell you, [in the beginning] my English was too horrible to communicate, and I could not communicate with the officer when I arrived at the Canadian airport.
It does not matter what your English level is, it is only a measurement for an English leaner, but your attitude and your determination are what matter. Do not be sad if your level is low. If you believe in yourself that you can do it, your dream will come true.
As a graduate, here are some tips I have to help other students succeed:
1. Do not be late or skip any classes, not only will your attendance be affected, you will lose your chance to learn English.
2. Try to find an English-English dictionary to look up every vocabulary, it helps improve your reading skills effectively.
3. Do not be afraid of asking questions to your teacher. The more questions you ask, the much happier they will be.
4. Try to take some notes when you are having classes. Every time your teacher will write down some good vocabularies for reading and writing, these words are really helpful and useful.
5. Find more friends. ILSC is an international language school, it means that many students come from different countries. It is really good opportunity to learn different cultures and also good for improving your spoken English.
6. Try to get jobs from ILSC. There are two jobs available for students: the walking tour guide and language patrol. You can make more friends and improve your English.
