What Foreign Students Need to Know About Learning English in the Usa

The English as a Second Language or ESL program is designed for international students who want to improve their level of English or learn English from scratch. ESL courses are offered by hundreds of educational institutions located throughout the United States of America. Academic writing may be quite challenging, therefore most students get help from WritingAPaper, so they can improve their grades.

There are two main types of English language learning programs in the United States:

* Intensive English Programs (IEPs) – a standard English course (20-30 hours per week) for students who want to learn English for personal, professional, or academic purposes. These programs do not provide an opportunity to get academic loans that universities accept.

* College American Language and Culture Programs – these programs provide an opportunity for a student to receive an academic credit, which is counted as part of a program at a university or college in the United States. To start studying in this program, students must provide an average level of English knowledge before enrolling in the program.

You can also find another name for English courses – ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), these programs correspond to ESL programs.

The selection of the right program for studying English in the United States depends on your goals.

Why do you want to learn English in the USA?

* English is necessary for further study at a college or university;

• To improve communication skills;

• You use English at work and you need to improve your business English level;

Once you determine your goal, it will be easier for you to choose a course.

Study program

You can start studying at most schools every Monday. Please note that schools offer certain dates for students with an elementary level of knowledge.

Duration of studying English courses: from 2 weeks to 36 weeks.

The program of most language schools in the United States focuses on improving the basic language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

In addition to the main programs, you can also find specialized programs for preparing for English language tests: Test of English as a Foreign Language( TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), and Test of Spoken English (TSE).

Accreditation of language schools in the United States

Before choosing an educational institution, a language school, in the United States, you need to make sure that the school has accreditation.

How to calculate the GPA and enroll in an American university

For a student to be accepted for a bachelor’s or master’s program, he must meet the entrance requirements of US universities. The most famous universities in the United States and the most ranked ones will require students to have a high academic score or an average Grade Point Average.

We would like to immediately draw your attention to the fact that most US universities will require you to enter a self-calculated score. Some universities will not require to independently calculate the GPA so they have a department that deals with such issues. It will be enough to simply send your current grades, a certificate, or a bachelor’s degree to these educational institutions.

How to calculate your GPA

For admission to universities abroad, it is important not only to know the language, but also the average score or GPA of your certificate.

You can calculate the GPA both independently and with the help of online tools

How do I calculate my GPA online?

The calculator from ForeignCredits allows you to calculate the GPA depending on the country of study.

How do I calculate my GPA?

GPA (Grade Point Average) is the average score of all the grades in your diploma/certificate during the study. A certain threshold of the average score is a prerequisite for admission to most foreign universities. Calculating the GPA using a simple formula will be useful when choosing an educational institution.

The method of calculating the GPA at a particular university is different and may vary. Many universities request a GPA for the last 3 years of study, some request a GPA in certain subjects. Therefore, the given formula is not applicable in all cases. But if you want to evaluate your chances of admission and determine the list of universities, then this method will suit you.

Example of GPA calculation

Let’s say you want to calculate the average score for 4 subjects. In the certificate or diploma, next to the assessment, you can find the number of hours devoted to each of the subjects. Here is an example of what 4 subjects in a diploma or certificate look like:

Physics (72) good

Chemistry (110) excellent

Math (150) excellent

Geometry (120) is satisfactory

To calculate the average score, it is necessary to multiply the number of hours spent on the subject by its assessment. As a rule, the GPA is calculated based on the 4-point rating system that is used in the United States and other countries. The average score is calculated as follows:

1. Multiply the score with the number of hours for each subject

72×3+110×4+150×4+120×2 = 1496

2. Find the sum of the hours spent on all the items

72 +110+150 +120 = 452

3. Divide the result of calculations of step 1 by the result of calculations of step 2

1496/452 = 3.31.

In this case, the GPA is 3.31.

If the GPA is low

If you understand that the GPA indicator is not the strength of your application, it is better to focus on other documents that you submit for admission. There is no need to panic, since the GPA is only part of your application, and it is considered taking into account your other indicators besides the average academic performance.

It is better to pay more attention to the motivation letter, in which you can explain the controversial points of the academic past and better reveal your strengths. Cover the low average score with your past achievements.

If the GPA score is below 2.5, you can no longer count on admission to the TOP universities in the United States.

But some universities will accept you if you first go to a preparatory program. The duration of the training program depends on your English and your average score, it can be from 1 to 3 semesters.

There are a lot of GPA calculators on the web, available in paid and free versions and are almost no different. Usually, a simple method is used for calculating. Also, the average score calculator can be found on many official websites of universities.

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