Alumni Stories

After studying in the English Language Institute, Karen said “All the classes that I took in the ELI had very few students, so that helped me to focus on improving my English skills such as writing, speaking, and listening. As well, the small classes allowed my teachers to challenge me and be aware of my process as a student.”

After studying in the English Language Institute, Xinyuan stated that “My favorite part about the English Language Institute was reading an English novel in Reading class and doing an interview in speaking class.” Also, “The small class experiences let us interact more with the instructors.”

After studying at ELI, Facundo stated that “ My favorite part about it is the diversity, the experienced professors, and improving my English. Also, ELI helped me reach my goal of becoming a full undergraduate student by teaching me new studying techniques, not only English skills.” As an undergraduate student, Facundo studied abroad in China-Japan and joined the North Central College Soccer Team.

After studying in the English Language Institute, Danae said “I really love the place; I love that it is such a nice town. It’s close to downtown Chicago, to the train station and campus looks pretty any time of the year. It feels like home.” As an undergraduate student, Danae was part of the North Central College Swimming Team.

After studying in the English Language Institute, Kazune said that “There were two main things that were my favorite part of the ELI. The first one was how they show me tips to improve my grammar. The second one was they help me to understand what do we have to know in order to success undergrad life.” After finishing his studies in Business Management, Kazune successfully got a job on Optional Practical Training (OPT). 

Mateo started his journey at North Central College as a conditionally admitted English Language Institute (ELI) student. After one term in the ELI, he began his undergraduate degree and played on the Men's Volleyball team while doing his degree. After finishing his undergraduate degree at North Central, Mateo decided to complete his graduate degree at North Central, too. He was the Graduate Assistant of the English Language Institute while he completed his graduate degree. After studying in the English Language Institute, Mateo stated that “My favorite part of the ELI was that I felt that I was not just a number, but instead I felt that my teachers were investing their time into making sure I was learning. Also, I was able to observe undergraduate classes while being in ELI classes, that gave me a better perspective into what I wanted to study for my undergraduate degree.”