The Benefits of Taking Pre-sessional Course
新春佳节，祝愿各位同学及家人都身体健康，平安快乐！
Wish you all good health, safety and happiness in the Spring Festival!
今天与大家分享一下我在去年夏天参加萨里大学语言班的经历。
Today, I would like to share with you my experience of attending the Pre-sessional course at the University of Surrey last summer.
语言班（Pre-sessional Course）想必对于还在挣扎在“屠鸭之路”上的同学并不陌生。雅思作为英语语言水平的测试工具和衡量标准是留学生在申请学校时候的硬性条件之一。雅思成绩不达标的同学可以通过参加语言班课程并通过考试来证明自己的英语水平并拿取学校录取通知书。
For those who are still struggling for their IELTS grades. The pre-sessional course might have already been taking into consideration. IELTS, as a test tool and measurement standard of English language level, is one of the hard conditions for international students to apply for their degree study at the university. For those students with grades that do not meet the requirement, they can prove their English level by taking the pre-sessional course and passing the examination and get the offer from the university.
然而，参加语言班能带给你的远不止英语水平提高那么简单，下面就来谈谈我个人认为的一些参加语言班的好处。
However, taking pre-sessional course can bring you more than just improving your English level. Let’s talk about some of the benefits I have got from taking pre-sessional course.
- 学术英语水平的提高
雅思测试虽然能够评估个人英语水平，然而雅思成绩的高低并不能完全展示学生的学术英语能力。参加语言班项目可以从各个方面提高日常和学术英语能力。
1. Improvement of Academic English
Although IELTS test can evaluate individual English level, the level of IELTS performance can not fully demonstrate students’ Academic English ability. Taking part in the pre-sessional course can improve daily and academic English ability from all aspects.
- 2.提前适应学校学习生活
英国一年制的硕士课程相比国内的学制具有一定的挑战性，对于之前没有海外留学经验的同学来说更是具有挑战。新学生往往需要花费数周时间来适应英国不同的授课和学习方法。语言班提供的适应期可以让学生在正课开始时准备充分，直接进入高效的学习。
2. Adapt to University Study in Advance
The one-year master’s program in the UK is more challenging than that in China, especially for those who have no previous experience in studying abroad. It often takes weeks for new students to adapt to different teaching and learning methods in the UK. The adaptation period provided by the pre-sessional course allows students to be fully prepared at the beginning of the main course and directly enter into efficient learning.
- 3.结交朋友
数周的语言班也是结交新朋友的好时候。语言班里也会有其他英语非母语国家的学生，我这语言班期间认识了很多来自其他国家的学生并和他们成为了好朋友。大家在提升英语水平的同时也建立了浓厚的友谊。
3. Make friends
Weeks of language classes are also a good time to make new friends. There will also be students from other non-native English speaking countries in the pre-sessional program. During the last summer, I met many students from other countries and became good friends with them. We have built a strong friendship while improving our English.
- 4.探索英国
语言班不仅仅有对于学术英语的学习，学校还安排了各种主题的讲座还有各类免费的活动像是外出游玩来帮助同学们了解英国文化及游览英国风景， 上一个夏天学校组织大家去了温莎，朴茨茅斯和布莱顿。
4. Explore the UK
During the pre-sessional course, students are not only learning academic English, the university also arranged lectures on various topics and many free activities, such as several trips to help students understand British culture and visit the British landscape. Last summer, the university organized trips to Windsor, Portsmouth and Brighton.
- 5. 享受英国的夏天
硕士课程的正课的学习往往在每年的十月份正式开始，在第二年的八月结束。学生们往往体验不到英国的夏天。而语言班正好在暑期开设，夏天是英国最好的季节。参加语言班就像是在英国度假。
5. Enjoy the Summer in England
Master’s study usually starts in October and ends in August of the next year. Students often don’t experience the summer in England which is the best season for the UK. The pre-sessional course happens to start in summer. For me, taking the pre-sessional course is like spending the summer holiday in the UK.
以上是我参加语言班的一些感受，希望对于正在申请的你们有帮助！
These are some of my feelings about taking part in the pre-sessional course. Hope it will help you with your application!
