Case Study A - Maria Loring

Name: Maria Loring
Country: Spain
College: Galway Language Centre

Ireland was always going to be Maria’s destination of choice given the fact a friend of her father’s lives here, who was happy to let her stay for the duration of her studies.
She finds Galway City ‘very different’ to her home city of Malaga, in terms of the weather (not very surprising!) and the fact that it is smaller and easier to negotiate on foot.

The Galway Language Centre lays on an array of social and cultural activities for students but Maria is an independent type who prefers, once the school day is over, to go out and explore this charming town with her international mix of friends. She finds that conversing with her friends and classmates from Germany and France really helps with her English.

Not that she needs much help in that department, as having begun her studies at Intermediate level General English in December 2008, Maria has already progressed to the Advanced level. It is no wonder she describes the course as ‘very good’.

So how does Maria plan to use her English ability in the future? Well like many English language students in Ireland, she’s young and only starting college next year. But she is sure that her English will prove useful in many areas of her life, from academic study to travelling abroad and finding a good career.