The ELI Student of the Month series is designed to honor students who demonstrates outstanding commitment and enthusiasm in ELI courses. 

Meet Sijin Ren, the November 2019 ELI Student of the Month. Sijin was nominated by Kathrine Colpaert for her work in ELI 534 - Discussion and Oral Argumentation. Professor Colpaert describes Sijin as a “joy to have in class,” and a student who brings incredible depth and perspective to class discussions.
 

Name: Sijin Ren

Home Country: China

Degree Program and Area of Research: PhD program in Neuroscience, research focus is on epilepsy

What inspired you to take a class at the English Language Institute? I enjoyed every ELI workshop I attended, so I decided to further develop my interactive speaking skills by taking ELI 534, Discussion and Oral Argumentation.

What have you enjoyed the most about your class? Why? I really liked that we receive extensive practice using the communicative skills we just learned during class, because I feel the most efficient (and fun) way to learn a language is thorough guided practice. In addition, those in-class discussions provided opportunities to learn from not only the instructor but also my classmates.

What do you hope to do after graduating from Michigan? My career goal is to teach mathematics in medical school.

What advice would you give to other international students at U-M? I would highly recommend every international student to explore the language resources provided by the ELI, such self-study e-resources, workshops, speaking/writing clinics, courses, etc. I have benefited a lot from them and I believe non-native speakers at different levels of proficiency can all find something that fits their needs.