Lin Lei, 24, a graduate student in civil engineering at Beijing Jiaotong University, said his language skills really clicked once he enrolled in a course offered by the New Oriental Education and Technology Group.

The class "was an unforgettable part" of Lin's college life, he said.

Lin was preparing for the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) in late 2008 when he registered for a 20-day GRE training course through New Oriental School. Six months later, he notched a combined score of 1,300 plus 4 points on the GRE in June 2009.

He has accepted an offer of a scholarship to study at the State University of New York at Buffalo and will leave for the United States in August

Q: Why did you choose New Oriental?

A: I had known of the school for a long time and I trusted the brand. After 20 days of studying, I have a better understanding of this young and vigorous educational group.

Q: What impressed you most about it?

A: I believe the most important thing, which is also the essential reason why New Oriental can survive in the fierce private education market and grow bigger today, is its student-oriented management.

Some of its practices are quite basic. For instance, if you cannot see the blackboard clearly, it's no problem. There are big TV screens to project the blackboards.

Cannot hear the teachers? Every teacher is equipped with a microphone.

In the last few days of the course, which coincided with the start of the Chinese New Year, Yu Minhong, president of the school, came to the class to encourage us. This touched me a lot and inspired me to study harder.

It was not only because Yu cared about his students, but also because of his serious attitude toward his career. His professional spirit moved me.

Q: What's the difference between studying English at New Oriental and at your university?

A: The teachers at New Oriental are so intelligent. They seem to know everything besides English. They propose interesting topics, which keeps students attentive.

No matter what they talk about to please us, they can always go back to English teaching in a natural manner.

In a relaxed environment I memorized the more unusual words typically used on the GRE.

The school's materials are focused and the teaching is wise and skillful. To be honest, I slept during most of the boring English classes at the university.

Q: Did any teaching methods surprise you?

A: No, but they employed many ways to immerse us in an English environment. The Powerpoint presentations employed nice pictures and music. Teachers brought popular American TV sitcoms to class and we watched them during breaks, which was fun.

Q: What do you think is the disadvantage of the New Oriental School's English classes?

A: Sometimes, the teachers tell jokes to attract attention. But telling jokes doesn't equal humor.

Timing is important and they have to keep a balance, which means controlling the amount of time spent on jokes or any form of funny things unrelated to English.

Q: What did you gain most from New Oriental?

A: Besides English abilities, the push to persevere and the never-give-up spirit is the most precious thing I gained.

That spirit has become part of me and will definitely help me in my future academic life.