Students in the Academic English Pre-Matriculation Program (AEPP) participate in classes as well as structured out-of-class activities, in which they experience Chicago as a classroom. As they explore the city’s many diverse neighborhoods, students engage with local Chicagoans as they learn about the history, people, and cultural institutions of Chicago from various perspectives. For their final project, students select a unique Chicago topic to research, and their findings are compiled into Finding Chicago: Global Perspectives™, a not-for-tourists guide featuring topics ranging from navigating the city’s underground pedway system to the influence of the White Sox baseball team in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood.
Starting in 2019, the AEPP was separated into two tracks: Speaking and Writing. Speaking students create a Finding Chicago podcast, while Writing students, an extensive blog post.
Take a look at past issues of Finding Chicago: Global Perspectives™, created entirely by AEPP students.
Note: Click on an image to open a new tab
“In the Academic English Pre-Matriculation Program (AEPP), the most important takeaway for me was meeting my friends of the “Hyde Park Gang”. The Hyde Park Gang is a group of friends that we made during the AEPP. Although we are from different divisions, since that summer, we have met each other at least two times a week. We adopted that name because we all live close in Hyde Park, and we founded our group influenced by stories of gangs in Chicago. But do not take me wrong, the most dangerous characteristic of our gang is that we hope maybe to win a Nobel Prize in the future!”
“Although my English was “good,” I decided to join the Academic English Pre-Matriculation Program: Speaking anyway, simply because there is always room for improvement. Even if you think your English is good enough, you can still learn to speak and write more academically, or better your presentation skills. I feel like my flow has improved. More importantly, I think in English better. If you want to be a fluent speaker, you must learn to think in it.”
Socialize with us:
ELI Social Media Blog
Join our Listserv