跟著 Mike 老師學英文是一個很棒的體驗！他的課程生動有趣，並且貼近個人需求，真的幫助我提升了口說和寫作的自信心，也成為我申請學校過程中的一大助力！接下來，我將分享我在各個階段向 Mike 老師學習的經驗。

雅思準備期（IELTS preparation phase）：

我第一次遇到 Mike 老師是在一個雅思團體班的口說課上，那時他是唯一的英文母語者老師。當時我是雅思新手，對於考試規則與應試技巧沒什麼概念，更不用說上一次學習英文已經是10幾年前的事情了。然而，雖然是外籍老師，Mike 充滿耐心及鼓勵的教學風格讓我印象深刻。他總是非常認真地聽學生的英文口說，有時甚至會同步記錄，在上課時教導很實用的英文口說技巧，適時的矯正錯誤，並且會在課後提供每位學生詳細的評估與回饋。他的教學並不是像台灣仿間的外師只是提供與外國人聊天的機會，而是在這樣的前提下，更加運用他的專業知識，用英文教導學生口說技巧。有了他的詳細且全面的口說修正建議，我很快的了解並調整自己英文口說的缺點，並能夠重拾說英文的信心。

團體課結束，自學了一陣子後我考了人生第一次雅思。然而，口說成績差了學校門檻0.5分。那時候我第一個想法就是找 Mike 加強英文口說。我與他聯繫，並且加入了他的1對1雅思家教班（IELTS 1-to-1 tutoring），針對口說與寫作的部分密集且扎實訓練。經過1.5個月(12堂課)後，我的口說成績在短時間內由6分進步至6.5分，終於雅思二戰中獲得理想的成績。

學校申請期（University application preparation phase）：

雖然雅思成績已經達標，但我深感 Mike 的教學方式與我受用無窮，且深知考好雅思並不代表擁有足以應付學校申請、國外生活與學校上課所需的英文能力，於是我繼續上 Mike 老師有關學校申請的課程（Application Services）的課程。課程中我學習了讀書計畫寫作、履歷表修改，以及面試技巧等內容。其中，履歷表修改真的讓我受益良多，它讓我在眾多申請者中表現突出，並讓我輕鬆取得與教授面試的機會。除此之外，面試技巧也對我很有幫助。我與申請的兩所學校的指導教授進行了面試，其中一場報告了我的研究計畫。這兩場面試都進行得很順利，兩所學校的教授都稱讚我的英語口說能力，並對我的表現印象深刻。真的！還有什麼比跟著專精於學校申請並熟悉其中不成文規則的英文母語者學習，更能讓你的申請事半功倍呢？

學術英文奠基期（Academic English learning phase）：

在申請學校的同時，我持續上 Mike 老師的學術英文（English for Academic Purposes）與進階英文口說（Advanced Speaking and Conversation）等課程以精進自己的英文實力，讓我熟悉在學術界及學校上課時所會使用到的英文技巧。特別是學術英文的課程，它在我申請獎學金的時候很快派上用場。由於在學術英文課堂上和作業中都有寫作練習與 Mike 老師的批改與回饋，我在撰寫獎學金申請書面資料的時候相當得心應手、毫不費力。此外，學習參加研討會所需的英文口說技巧也是相當實用的課程內容，讓我對未來的課堂活動更有自信！

總結與心得（Summary）：

在我持續向 Mike 老師學習英文的過程中，我收到了兩所申請學校的錄取通知（共申請兩所，錄取率 100%），其中一所更是我研究領域中排名前五的頂尖學校！我真的很感謝 Mike 在我們的教與學當中投入了這麼多精力，如果沒有他我的學校申請不會這麼成功！在 Mike 專業且耐心的指導下，我相信我的留學生活將會非常順利，因為我已經深入英語學習環境，並提前掌握了必要的技能！

Amber
2025/3/8 於台北

Learning English with Mike has been a fantastic experience! His courses are engaging, personalized, and have really helped me gain confidence in my speaking and writing skills. I first met Mike in an IELTS group class in September 2023, where he was one of the speaking training teachers and the only native English speaker. At that time, I was impressed by his patient and encouraging teaching style. He always listens carefully to the students, provides useful and practical advice, makes corrections appropriately in class, and forms a list of feedback after class. With his detailed and comprehensive recommendations, students can easily notice and adjust their shortcomings in English speaking.

After the group class, I gave it a try and took my first IELTS test. However, there was a 0.5 band score gap in my speaking section compared to the threshold of my ideal school. At that moment, Mike immediately came to my mind. I wrote to him to ask if I could attend his IELTS 1-to-1 tutoring, and he kindly agreed. After 1.5 months and 12 classes in both speaking and writing, with intensive and effective training, my English skills improved significantly, and my IELTS speaking band score increased from 6.0 to 6.5 in a short time. I finally achieved my ideal score on my second attempt.

However, my English learning journey with Mike did not stop there. I deeply understood that simply meeting the IELTS score threshold does not mean that my English ability is capable of coping with everything when applying for schools, as well as studying abroad. Therefore, I attended his Application Services not only for SOP and personal statement writing and CV revision but, most importantly, for interview skills. I would like to highlight the CV revision section, as it really helped me stand out to my potential supervisors and facilitated the initial opportunity to connect with them. Moreover, the interview skills he taught were quite useful. I had two interviews with potential supervisors from different schools, and in one of them, I presented my research proposal. Both professors praised my English-speaking ability, and they were all impressed by my performance.

Concurrently, I started my English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and Advanced Speaking and Conversation (ASC) courses with Mike, as I wanted to prepare and make myself more familiar with the English skills that would be used in academic settings and classes. Particularly, the EAP course helped me gain essential knowledge and skills in writing academic essays, which soon came in handy when I was preparing for my scholarship application. It made the process more effortless and efficient, as I had adequate practice in class and through homework, which was carefully and professionally marked by Mike.

As I continued learning English with Mike, I received two letters of acceptance from the schools I applied to (100% acceptance rate!), including one PhD program ranked in the top 5 worldwide in my field of study. I really appreciate the effort that Mike put into our teaching and learning, and I would not have been so successful in applying to schools without him. With Mike’s professional and patient guidance, I believe my life studying abroad will be incredibly smooth, as I have delved into the English learning environment and equipped myself with the necessary skills in advance.

Amber
March 7, 2025, Taipei