Study Overseas

I remember the first time I heard the phrase intensive English, at a party where a friend of mine said that someone she knew had recently landed a job "teaching intensive English". I remember thinking at the time, "Gosh, that sounds interesting. I wonder what that is." Little did I guess that I would eventually make a career teaching in and directing intensive English programs (IEP's). Today I live and work in a very IEP-rich state - the state of Illinois - in which among our 48 Study Illinois colleges and universities there are 21 that operate excellent intensive English programs.

Students often ask me the meaning of that phrase: intensive English. What is it? And what makes an English or ESL program an intensive English program?

This is a very good question, because it is possible to study English in many different settings and situations, including non-intensively. Clearly, students can enroll in English courses at all 48 Study Illinois colleges, not to mention at every one of the thousands of institutions across the United States. However, if they are planning future study in a certificate or degree or academic program, the choice of an IEP may be one of the wisest preparatory choices they make.

For me, intensive study has at least a couple of meanings. Intensive is a synonym for strong, and it probably makes you think of strength. You are on the right track here. I like to explain to students that the strength of their program will show up in two ways: First, it will show up in terms of quality.

Intensive English is, lacking a better word, an industry, with highly trained and committed professionals working in it. We like to think, although we argue this with professionals in other countries, that we invented intensive English here in the United States just after World War II. In any case, we do it well, and are now responsible for preparing generations of international students for academic programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The second thing intensive may bring to mind is hard work. I do not try to lead students away from this impression. Becoming proficient in English suitable for college or university courses is tough. It is a full-time job. And the good thing about intensive English programs is that they not only set up students for future success, they also equip them with language-learning skills that will be useful even after they complete their IEP study.

One more thing about that "full-time job" I mentioned. IEP students need to understand that visa regulations governing their entrance to the U.S. require them to actually attend, participate, follow rules, and maintain their legal status as non-immigrant students. These regulations, like the study program itself, are also strong. Luckily, most IEP's meet high professional standards, and at best they all have staff whose job it is to help students both succeed and stay out of trouble - whether their programs require 17, 18, 20 or more, hours of English each week.

Studying intensive English, like all learning, requires time, a lot of time. Our programs are good, our instructors are good, but we do our best work when we have engaged and motivated students, who open themselves to the value of their IEP as more than a stepping stone.

There are many different kinds of IEP's - some that integrate skill courses such as reading and writing; some that tease out courses in speaking, or listening, or study skills; some that teach grammar directly, and some that do not. Programs may claim a unique philosophy, but they all work, and send forward a strong, well-rounded language user.

We are very proud of our fine intensive English programs in Illinois, which is by the way the 9th most popular destination state for students of English; and along with Texas, the only one located in what travel agents refer to as "the flyover" - that large area between the west coast and east coast. I prefer to call this area "the heartland" of the United States. Please don't fly over! Come to the heartland to study English in one of our great intensive English programs in Illinois, which you can read about here in the pages of Studying in America.

Author:
Russell Clark,
Director,
English Language Academy,
DePaul University