As a former American public school teacher, I can say that the U.S. public education system is not perfect. However, despite our public education problems, the United States and other English-speaking nations are still the best in the world for colleges and universities.
In his book, The Post-American World, Newsweek columnist Fareed Zakaria claims higher education is still, 'America's best industry.' The Times Higher Education World University Rankings published every year by Reuters confirms Zakaria's claim: 51% of the top 100 universities in the world are located in the United States. Looking closer at this statistic shows that 74% of the top universities are located in English speaking countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
Countries with well-established, effective English language instruction and immersion programs like South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan have a distinct advantage in preparing students to be accepted in some of the world's best colleges and universities. However, all of these universities require students to score well on an English fluency exam such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or the International English Language Testing System exam (IELTS).
TOEFL is the most recognized English proficiency exam in the world. The test is administered by the Educational Testing Service and accepted by over 8,500 colleges and universities around the globe. The IELTS exam is the most popular English proficiency exam in the United Kingdom and Australia, and is recognized by 3,000 American academic institutions.
English proficiency assessment is one step of many in a long and difficult process toward attending a college or university abroad. For example, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee is ranked #70 globally by Reuters. Undergraduate admission to Vanderbilt requires that students:
1)Take placement exams such as the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), or American College Testing exam (ACT)
2)Complete a personal essay written in English
3)Take TOEFL or IELTS (for international students only)
Vanderbilt recommends students apply only if they have a minimum score of 100 on the Internet-based TOEFL test, 230 on the computer-based TOEFL test, or 6.5 on the IELTS. Although different colleges and universities may recommend different scores for their applicants, the process of applying is relatively similar. International students applying for graduate and professional degrees are still expected to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores in addition to the placement exam of their field.
Studying a foreign language is difficult and may often feel unrewarding. Though, once a student becomes fluent in a foreign language such as English, the opportunities open to him or her become numerous.