As the the United States continues to have an increase in international students at its colleges and universities, this increase has also continued at English language schools and English preparation programs. English language programs serve an important role in preparing students to study at U.S. universities, learn English, and an opportunity to experience the United States. We will take a look at two different types of English language programs and ways to research one that is right for you. Please take note that the term “ESL” is often used, which stands for English as a Second Language, and the term “IEP” stands for Intensive English Program.
For-profit ESL Schools- These are probably the most common types of programs for stand-alone ESL preparation, meaning that they are often not affiliated with a university and often exist in major metropolitan areas. The price range for these schools highly varies with major international companies being on the expensive end and small independently run schools being less expensive. When you research ESL schools they will often be the first to show up in a Google search because they often have a large marketing budget.
Pros:
- Many of these schools have rolling admission meaning that they accept students year-round.
- Offer short-term courses that can range as short as a week, which can be great if you want to experience the United States before committing.
- Often they have a very fun atmosphere with a lot of emphasis on activities, travel, and socializing, which is a good option if you are looking for a type of vacation English learning experience.
- They offer a variety of courses that can range from fundamentals of English, Business English, and TOEFL preparation.
- Not all, but many schools have articulation agreements with local colleges and universities. This is a great option if you choose to stay and study in the United States because it will make the admissions process easier, such as waiving a TOEFL test or being able to more easily research a college or university.
Cons:
- The learning atmosphere is not always particularly serious. As mentioned above socializing and activities are a major aspect of the ESL School experience and that often trumps serious English studies.
- Less qualified and low paid instructors. Language schools only need to hire instructors with a Bachelor’s degree in any subject and less than a year of teaching experience. That doesn’t mean that there are not some great instructors, but the minimum qualifications are significantly less than university based programs. In addition, the working conditions and pay rate for instructors is quite low, which can sometimes mean less quality instruction and high turnover of instructors.
- Some of these schools are what are referred to as “visa mills” meaning that they are a type of scam that will provide a visa, but little if any English instruction. Be careful with this because it can affect your immigration status. Please see previous article at International Student Voice Magazine.
Overall, for-profit ESL schools fill a need and a niche in English language learning. However, I cannot emphasize the importance of researching a school’s reputation before you attend one.
Non-profit University Based ESL Programs- These are programs that are affiliated with a college or university. Most of these programs have an emphasis on “Academic English,” meaning that they target being able to be successful in a university degree program. The curriculum will also focus on academic writing and speaking. However, this does not mean they they do not offer specialized courses such as Business English or Test Preparation, it really depends on each institution.
Pros:
- Highly qualified instructors. The minimum qualification to teach in these programs is usually a Master’s Degree in TESOL or Linguistics. However, it is also not uncommon to have instructors with Doctoral degrees. Furthermore, many of the instructors regularly publish and research English language acquisition and present at ESL conferences. Thus, it is highly likely that you will have an instructor that is very passionate about your learning.
- More serious learners. The overall, atmosphere is serious with a strong emphasis for learning. Homework and studying are absolutely necessary.
- Introduce you to university life. If you are undecided about entering a U.S. degree program this would be the best way to get a better understanding of what the campus culture is like.
- More reputable: There is more oversight in the quality of the program because many of them have been vouched for by accrediting bodies.
- Sometimes offer easier admissions into the university. This really depends on the campus that it is on because many of the programs at elite schools do not guarantee admission into their programs. So please do your research on this.
Cons:
- Sometimes they do not offer enough instruction on “informal English.” As mentioned above, university based programs focus more on academic English. While “informal English” may not help you with a research paper, it certainly is important for understanding everyday conversations with Americans.
- Strict application deadlines. Often you will not be able to join the program at any time during the year. So please pay attention to application dates.
- Too serious of an atmosphere. This can certainly be a con if you are looking to mostly experience the culture of the United States and do not want to spend your free time studying. Again, it depends on what you really want.
As an international educator with a specialization in ESL programs and with experience in both types of programs, I would say that if your goal is academic English then a university based program would be the best fit. However, if you are looking for something less serious, the for-profit English language schools would be a better fit. However, these are just generalizations and I cannot emphasize the need to research each program individually and not be afraid to ask questions to admission people and consult websites for reviews.
A few good resources for researching ESL language programs under the following links below: However, these sites do not necessarily vouch for the quality of these programs, which would require individual research.
https://educationusa.state.gov/
State Consortias such as http://www.studycalifornia.us/ or http://studynewyork.us/ Katherine Murrin is the American Language and Culture Institute Coordinator at Long Beach City College. She specializes in social media, marketing, writing about language and culture, international education, and traveling the world. She also really loves Long Beach. She can be reached at kmurrin@lbcc.edu.
How do you tell if oakleys are fake you may save a few minutes by turning it off, but that is not much of a difference. On some programs, it may suck how do cheap wholesale sunglasses you tell if oakleys are fake up more power than you thought. This how do you tell if oakleys are fake is something that is good to know when away, so you can turn off the music when you must get every minute out of your laptop battery life that you can.
ReplyDeleteVacuum Wine Pump Stopper Rubberized Purple FEATURES: The design is compliance with international standards, which available for most of wine bottle. Pumping out the air from the bottle by press how do you tell if oakleys are fake the stopper. Keep how do you tell if oakleys are fake wine to stay fresh up to 7 days. cheap sunglasses oakley k by 2013. The theater industry of the US is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 2.5% for 2012-2016. The industry is estimated to reach USD ~ billion by 2016.
As we cross the Ohio River, and into Ohio, William Least Heat-Moon (LHM) talks a little about the origins of Gallipolis where he stays on what I think is the last night of his Blue Highways journey. He relates a little of the history of Gallipolis, but as how do you tell if oakleys are fake I looked further into how do you tell if oakleys are fake it, it seems that the origin of how do you tell if oakleys are fake the town came about because of a bit of fraud committed by an unscrupulous French company on some French emigres. To see where Gallipolis came to be, despite the bad beginning, look at the map.
The idea of an instant credit card doesn't seem how do you tell if oakleys are fake so safe at first glance. After all, there is plenty of debt in the world, and much skepticism for new financial ventures that comes with it. Instant on sale oakleys credit cards are offers in which can tell you if you are approved in seconds- and are lenient on who may apply,
When choosing an online jewelry shop, choose one that lists contact information, including phone numbers where a real person can be reached. Without this, you will have no way to get in touch in case you have questions or problems with your order. Other than that, look for sites with good photos, descriptions, and prices.
But, the biggest impact will come from being able to openly use the banking system. Many marijuana oakley clearance businesses that operate, especially at the retail level, are often forced to use cash for operations. From a safety standpoint alone, this could reduce operating cost by not how do you tell if oakleys are fake having to operate and maintain extensive security profiles and infrastructure,
Hat shape and the color should be clothing, scarves, gloves, shoes and other objects. Long-shaped face: If a long or narrow face, you can choose ow much or in which form the corner of the frame. In addition, Wangzhuan, when the nose is to choose how do you tell if oakleys are fake glasses, move one of the factors taken into account how do you tell if oakleys are fake