Evelyne came to TALK San Francisco on Notre Dame de Namur University campus in 2012 from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  She had planned on studying in the US after receiving a conditional letter of acceptance from Notre Dame de Namur University’s Master’s in Business Administration program.

Before becoming a NDNU master’s student, she studied English as a foreign language at TALK-SF.  We sat down with Evelyne to ask her about her transition into life in the US.  This is what she had to say…

Former TALK-SF student Evelyne Mbandi about her Notre Dame de Namur University experience

1. What advice do you have for students who would like to complete a master’s program in the US?
   My first, last and only piece of advice for those who would like to complete a master’s program in the US is, be sure to be ready!!! You certainly will ask me, “why?” Well, because it is very challenging, especially when your first language is not English. So, please make sure that you are ready to face challenges and to go through tough moments; this is how you build your future.
2. How did your experience at TALK help to prepare you for your MBA program?
   My experience at TALK helped me by exposing me to business vocabulary which has been very important for the MBA program. I started at TALK-SF at Notre Dame de Namur University over a year ago. As time was passing, I got to know the director and teachers and I informed them of my plans for the future. I completed Level 8, and in Level 9 my classes where focused not only on general English according to the books, but also on business vocabulary, power point presentations, project papers, etc. according to what I needed to know to prepare me to be a graduate student. I will always be grateful to this school for getting me ready to confront life as a graduate student in the U.S.
3. What’s your favorite class?  Why?
   My favorite class is Organizational and Management Theory with Professor R.J Hernbroth. I really like this class because of the way the professor gives his lectures, which makes me comfortable. Also, my classmates are very active in sharing their personal experiences and in keeping the atmosphere very motivating. I learn from each and every lecture and I really like the idea of producing what we have learned from the lecture in papers as homework for the next lecture. It keeps me up-to-date with the evolution of the course and it makes things hard to forget.

4. Is it easy to make American friends in your program?  Will you share an experience with us?
   It is easy to make American friends because American people are very friendly. I will share my experience on my first day of school at Notre Dame de Namur University with you. I was in a statistics class, which is mostly for undergraduate students but I am taking it as a prerequisite for my MBA program, and I didn’t have the book. The professor asked the students who didn’t have a book to sit closer to the ones who had one.  This is how I found myself sitting in the first row next to a very friendly girl who had a book. We used her book for the purpose of the course, and then I asked her where she bought it. She gave me all the information I needed about how to get the book and gave me her name, email address and cell phone number as well. That was the beginning of a friendship between her and me, and today we still sit at the same table in class and in the tutorial center when doing homework.
5. What do you love about the San Francisco Bay Area?
   After being here for over a year now, I have to admit that I’ve gotten used to living in the Bay Area. The thing I like the most is the view that certain places have to offer such as, Santa Cruz, Half moon Bay or Napa Valley. I would definitely suggest to anyone to visit these places as they are a delight for the eyes and for the heart.