Imagine a program that could help you to enter a university and furnish you with the information necessary to prosper once there.  This is especially significant for someone considering gaining an international experience and studying in a country away from home.  Why would attending such a program be important?  What types of courses do you think would be necessary?  What are some of the expectations that you would have of such a program?  Knowing the success rate of such a preparation would be important to help you in choosing the right one for you. By Joanne Cardolaccia

Picture, if you will, a young woman having one semester left before fulfilling the requirements of her bachelor’s degree.  What was she studying?  French.  Had she ever been to France?  No.  So, this was her big chance to put to practice all that she had learned in the immeasurable hours she spent doing verb drills, grammar study and reading everything from medieval to contemporary literature. And so she decides to pack her bags and take that next step to study at a university in France where her journey begins.

“Where are you going with ALL of that?” asked a customs officer in Paris, Charles de Gaulle airport. Innocently, she responded using the French she had practiced for so many years, “I’m going to study here for six months.” He responded, “And you need all of that?!”  She was very surprised by the confusion on the gentleman’s face and proceeded to exit the area.  A few weeks later she finds herself sitting in a classroom at the university surrounded by local French students where she had decided to pursue her studies.  One of the courses she had decided to enroll in was one in translation studies.  The work for this course was so rigorous that she usually spent hours just doing the assignments for this one class.  Whenever students were asked to translate texts from French to English, she felt much more comfortable with the task at hand.  On one particular day, the professor decided to ask her for her interpretation and input regarding her word choices for an assignment.  As she shared her answers with the class, she felt proud because instead of feeling like she had the worst pronunciation in the class, she suddenly had the best one!  However, this is only a natural feeling she was experiencing as she was the only non-native speaker of French in this class.  As she proceeded to share her answer, suddenly the professor stopped her to correct her pronunciation.  Wait a minute, she thought, “Am I not speaking English now?”  The professor’s native language was French and he was correcting the pronunciation of her native tongue?  What she came to realize was that he was speaking using a British accent and not an American one.  The embarrassment she felt that day was like none other as the French students in the class looked at her with the most puzzled looks on their faces.

I could share many more stories about perplexed looks and awkward moments she experienced because that young woman is actually me.  I certainly had countless positive experiences as well, but somehow I remember those moments happening as I interacted with the locals more and came to understand their culture over time.  I now wonder if I could have spared myself some of those uncomfortable situations if I had done things a little differently.  When I decided to complete my final semester in France, I never once considered if I was actually ready to live there.  I simply assumed that because I had studied the language and culture for so long that it was only logical that I was all set to study at a French university.  I did minimal preparation when I was back home because my college advisor was the one who actually did all of the work to enroll me at the university in France.  All I needed was every one of those suitcases I brought with me and to be present for class; or so I thought!

Many years later, I find myself working in the United States for a program that I believe to be invaluable. It’s a university preparation program designed for international students who would like to pursue their undergraduate or post-graduate studies in North America.  The application process to universities in my region of the world is so complex and time consuming that I could not imagine trying to navigate the many university websites from the comfort of my living room only to figure out that I am required to take an exam called the TOEFL and possibly the SAT, GRE, or GMAT- and that’s only the beginning.  What about application deadlines?  Essays?  GPA? Letters of recommendation?   This process is complicated, without even mentioning the steps needed to complete an application.  There are also vast differences in the educational systems between various countries, along with differences in teaching and learning styles.  How is it possible for students of different nationalities to understand the requirements necessary to be successful once accepted to a university and complete the degree?  That’s why I value the work that I do for this type of program.  A university preparation program is intended to furnish students with ALL of those skills and more.

The way in which this is accomplished is four-fold.  Firstly, the unique course offerings are designed to improve students’ level of English.  Students enroll in courses that range from pronunciation, advanced grammar, research writing skills, presentation skills, and literature.  Secondly, there is also some intense preparation for the entrance exams that I mentioned earlier.  Although the TOEFL is designed only for non-native speakers of English, the others pose quite a challenge even for the Americans who grew up hearing words like SAT and GMAT.  Thirdly, the experienced teaching staff is an exceptional group of people with knowledge to share and a true desire to help students succeed.  Finally, students are given the opportunity to work with an academic advisor to help students with everything from researching appropriate universities to completing the application process.  This personalized treatment helps guide students to succeed in their goals.  Additionally, students form a strong sense of community and global understanding.  They arrive from all corners of the world to discover that not only are they learning about American culture, but they find themselves immersed in a truly global classroom where cultures unite to share their life experiences and knowledge in English.   The community that is formed here is like none other.  On a daily basis, I am fortunate enough to witness the transformation and growth of students who arrive as individuals wondering if they can ever make it through the university application process to confident groups of students who have formed life-long bonds. As the applications are sent out, I find that they become each other’s biggest fans as they cheer on their classmates and encourage one another.  When the acceptance letters from North American universities begin arriving, it amazes me how this motivates the others into believing that it can really happen for them too.  Their program hasn’t even ended and yet they are achieving one of the goals that they set out to accomplish- their presence in a seat in an American university classroom.

I’d like to share one final story with you about one of my former students.  She is someone I’ll always remember not only because she was an exceptional student who spent countless hours on her applications, but also because of her passion for life.  After the start of her first semester, we decided to meet for lunch.  We reminisced about her time at the language school and interestingly she told me that she could not even imagine what a different experience she would have been having in graduate school if she had never completed the preparation program at my school.  She informed me that other international students at her university were having a difficult time adjusting to life in the United States and more importantly to the educational rigor expected of them in her master’s program.  Fortunately, she was not astonished by what her education was like because our program had prepared her well.  As an educator, there is no better feeling than to have a former student come back and tell you that what they learned with you and your colleagues has truly prepared them.  It’s the reason why we become educators in the first place.  Intriguingly, what did surprise my former student was how much she could actually enjoy her master’s program.  She found herself in the best place to achieve her future goals, learning from some marvelous professors and experts in her field and was enjoying every moment of her university experience in the United States.  If you are considering studying abroad, I would like to pass on one piece of advice to you.  Find a university preparation program that can give you the tools necessary to thrive so that you can walk through the doors of a university with the confidence that you can and will achieve much success (and possibly avoid some awkward moments).  

Joanne Cardolaccia is University Pathways Manager at EF University Preparation in Boston