College Admissions: Bridging the Language Gap

International students can be confronted with all sorts of obstacles when applying to colleges and universities in the United States.

These can include high costs and extreme distance from family and friends.

A problem that most students from non-English speaking countries in the United States encounter is a language barrier.

Many of these students feel that they have little or no chance of being admitted to an American school because of their poor English skills. But what happens if this barrier is removed from the application process?

Rob Hardin says it is the goal of a special road to higher education in the United States, namely conditional admission. Hardin is the assistant director of International Student Recruitment at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon.

He says that most colleges and universities in the United States want international students on their campuses.

"It adds significant value to a student from Beijing, a student from Hanoi, a London student in class with the student from Portland, Oregon," Hardin told VOA. "We think this will improve the Portland, Oregon experience."

He adds that many American schools now accept that some of the best students in the world do not speak perfect English. In the last decade, for example, more and more schools have begun conditional admission to help these students.

The way it works at the University of Oregon is very simple, Hardin says. International students apply in the same way as any other student. They offer recordings of their notes, information about their activities outside the school and other application material. They must also prove their scores on an aptitude test in English, such as the TOEFL.

Hardin notes that many American colleges and universities only accept candidates whose TOEFL scores reach a certain level. But conditional admission offers students the opportunity to request special attention. These schools then examine all other documents that these candidates have provided. Then, schools decide whether a candidate is better suited to teaching in English.

If the University of Oregon approves a student for conditional admission, he or she will be placed in a special English-language curriculum, Hardin said. First, the university tests students to determine which of the seven levels of instruction they need to enter. Then they start English lessons that are given by university professors.

Hardin says that many international students prefer English in their own country. It is usually more economical for one. And that means less time away from home and their families.

At the University of Oregon, students with conditional entry can begin their studies once they have completed the highest level of the language program. Hardin says that is true for most schools that offer conditional admission.

He also claims that these programs offer conditional admission more than just a traditional language box. He says that they help international students to get used to the American academic experience before they start their education. Moreover, students develop their language skills much faster while they live in an American university and use the resources.

"You have to figure out how to go to the supermarket and buy apples," Hardin said. "You take what you learn in the classroom and you can apply it immediately in your daily life."

Hardin adds that this type of non-traditional path is not limited to students with extremely low English language skills. He says that even non-native speakers often lack the level of English required to pass in an American college.

For students whose TOEFL scores are not high enough for traditional admission, some schools offer a so-called bridge program. At the University of Oregon, students in the bridge program must follow a maximum of six special English courses in addition to those in their study program.

Again, students do a test early in their study to determine the number of program classes that they need. The courses are intended to offer a little more language support, and they often relate to the general topics students already follow.

At the University of Oregon, Hardin adds, international students must follow their bridge course in their first year.

According to Hardin, the two bridging programs and the conditional admission are intended to make American higher education more inclusive. And they offer students a path that they might not have known before.

But he also notes that international students should not expect that all colleges and universities in the United States offer such programs. This is especially true in the best schools in the world. In these institutions the competition is fierce and strong students in English are accepted earlier.

"The places ... that get so many applications ... want to allow students who often have perfect grades, perfect SAT scores," Hardin said. "And I do not think they're interested in teaching English, it's not really what they've done, and many ... these settings ... do not miss 'applications.'

So he adds that a student who worries about his language skills may want to consider one of the hundreds of less well-known schools. Asking one of these schools to offer a conditional admission or a bridging program can fulfill their dreams about American higher education.