Change for International Students

The number of international students being enrolled in U.S. colleges even in graduate schools is declining (McCormack). One reason behind this dramatic trend is the evaluation of students according to their scores on standardized exams for admission by colleges. High scores on English sections of these standardized exams, which are not made for international students except for Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOFEL), are one of the main requirements for admission. Non-native English speakers, even those who are just learning how to speak English, are the victims of these exams; they have to compete with native English speakers for admission to colleges. The declining number of international students enrolling in colleges and Universities should be improved by exempting non native English speakers from the English sections of the standardized exams in exchange for extra pre-English classes in college. Besides increasing the number of admitted international students, the extra English classes will also improve the students’ English skill, and also promotes international students to be enrolled in U.S. Universities and colleges.
After reading the introduction, a question might come to the mind of the reader; what is it, if there is any, the significance of increasing the admission of international students in U.S. Colleges and Universities? The significance is not just one, nor is it from only one point of view which benefits only one side of the community. For colleges, when the number of international students being admitted increases, the over all number for enrolled students together with the diversity, a good quality for colleges to have (Rowney, Taras), also increases. From the perspectives of the international students, when their number of enrollment in colleges increases, it means that more dedicated, perhaps skillful international students have the opportunity to explore their capabilities and to shape their future according to their will, without being pulled down by an unfavorable education system that limits them by such factors as the English sections of standardized exams.
Colleges use scores on such standardized exams as the SAT and ACT as one of their main criteria to appraise students. These exams are designed to allow students to show their skill in English and Math subjects. As tools for determining if one is ready for college, the exams are made in a high standard. These exams have proved that they are good tools to evaluate students, but only to those who are native speakers of English. Native English speakers have been learning English all their lives, while most international students learn English in their countries as a foreign language, taking only 45 to 60 minutes of class a day. SAT9 (a kind of SAT which is given in California) scores released in 2001 by the Department of Education in California show a large gap in the scores of “ELL students” (non fluent English speakers) and fluent English speakers; in a grade 11 SAT9 English exam, the average score by ELL students was 11, while it was 42 for fluent English speaker students (Mora). If these are the facts, then how is it fair to expect the same level of English from those who have had the chance to practice it through out their lives and those who only had 45 to 60 minutes of English classes to work on their language skills?
Universities and the Department of Education should design a program, in which international students can take classes like ESL and be exempted from the standardized exam’s English sections. The program designed should have a summer or regular English classes in order to allow international students to meet the English level the university requires. International students who meet other qualifications and are willing to take the proposed English classes should be admitted to the university. The plan is the best way to increase the number of international students to be enrolled in universities, because it gives a chance to those who are dedicated and are willing to work hard. Also, because it only gives a chance to those who are willing to work hard by taking extra classes the plan can serve as a screen for colleges to admit only those who are hard workers.
An argument to the proposal might come from those who believe that a student has to be good in English no matter what, and that he/she should not be enrolled otherwise. But, this is not fair for international students. In most non English speaking countries, English is taught only in a class as a foreign language, therefore it is hard for international students to be in a same level in English as those who grew up speaking and taking classes in English. An English exam for international students is more like a Spanish exam for fluent English speakers who learned Spanish only by taking Spanish classes in high school. Would any one say it is fair if the University of Houston makes it a requirement to take SAT in Spanish and starts admitting only those with a high score? The answer is no, and it is the same for international students in this situation.
The proposal, by any circumstance, is not based on the idea that international students can never be in the same English level as those who were born here in U.S, it just gives international students a chance to learn and improve while attending college. The classes which international students would have to take are supposed to be designed to help them develop their English to the point where they can perform in Basic English and other classes at a college level. Therefore, international students will eventually, with the help of the program designed, develop their English and catch up to native English speakers.
Who should pay for the expenses to run this proposal? Since both international students and colleges are benefiting from the proposal, both should participate in paying for the expenses required to run it. The classes should be paid for by the international students just like any other regular classes. The colleges on the other hand should pay the fund for a specific office which runs the proposal. This way both parties, colleges and international students, share the little burden that comes with a great benefit they can gain from the proposal.
As college students, we are one step closer to where we want our future to lay. We know what it means to be in college, and what it means to get a higher level education. To survive in world like ours, in which the living system is mainly based on education, one needs to get educated to some level, depending on what he/she needs to full fill during the lifetime. Systems, which can be corrected just by the willingness of the community and a little effort should not be obstacles and be given the chance to tackle down those with big dreams to accomplish. But, the education system is doing just that, which is why we, who have the capability to make changes, should stand for one and work to make implementing the proposal possible. The proposal, if put into practice will allow more international students to be enrolled in colleges they like, colleges would be more diverse, and the number of enrolled students in universities would increase.