Mariana Polanco-Ramirez, 19, from Cali, Colombia, now lives in Barcelona, Spain. She certified her English at a C1 level with MET in 2021 and 2023 and currently studies business administration at the Universidad de Manizales. Polanco-Ramirez has a blossoming career in B2B sales consulting. Read on to hear about why she chose MET and how it’s had a positive impact on her life.
From childhood, Polanco-Ramirez knew that learning about other cultures and languages was going to be important to her. Her father is Japanese and Korean, so aside from learning English, she also took lessons from him to connect with her heritage. Polanco-Ramirez says there were many factors that helped her learn English effectively.
“I was exposed to cartoons without subtitles or dubbing since I was about three years old. After that, I started listening to English pop music, shadowing English texts, and having interactions with people from Australia and New Zealand, U.S., and Canada. I also had an English tutor that helped me with speaking…and attended a lot of cultural exchanges, especially here in Barcelona where so many people travel,” Polanco-Ramirez said.
Upon traveling internationally to Europe for the first time at thirteen, Polanco-Ramirez discovered that travel and language were exciting to her. This trip is what ultimately inspired her to emigrate after getting her degree.
Polanco-Ramirez decided it was time to certify her English skills when she was ready to apply for jobs. After weighing her options, she decided MET was right for her due to the affordability of the test, accessibility of test centers near her, and the availability of preparation materials. Her first certification in 2021 helped her secure a position as a bilingual customer service agent at Nintendo. The Japanese multinational video game company was impressed with her high-level English skills and knew she would be a great asset to the team.
“If I could describe MET in three words it would be career, progression, and path. Learning and certifying my English is very important to me because I would like to continue working for multinational companies. There are a few of these companies settled in my home city such as Colgate, Nestle, Goodyear, and Palmolive,” Polanco-Ramirez said.
To prepare for MET, Polanco-Ramirez used the free resources available on our website and found the information on our Youtube channel helpful for gaining confidence in the test format. Additionally, she purchased the official MET preparation book about three months prior to her exam date.
When asked what she would like to say to those thinking about taking MET, Polanco-Ramirez has two pieces of advice. First, they should take the time to prepare properly and use the free resources available to them.
Her second piece of advice is specifically for Spanish-speakers. “My advice to those thinking about taking MET, especially Spanish-speakers, is to just do it,” she said. “I highly recommend learning English, as breaking this language barrier will allow you to access many job opportunities worldwide.”
To learn more about Mariana Polanco-Ramirez, visit her website.
To learn more about MET, visit our website.