AU TESOL Home >International Students

I plan to return to my country and teach Kindergarten through 12th grade students. Do I need to enroll in the MAT:ESOL Program? No. The MAT:ESOL Program is designed to meet particular standards required to teach in public schools in the United States. The TESOL course work for the MA in TESOL and the MAT:ESOL program is essentially the same and our courses are intentionally designed so that you can tailor your learning to best prepare you for the students you intend to teach. Our faculty does its best to keep abreast of curricular developments in K-12 programs throughout the world, and we work with you to make sure that what you learn in the AU TESOL Program will prepare you for where you will be teaching when you leave our program.

I'm an international student - can I enroll in the Master's International Program (MIP)? No, the Master's International Program is a joint program with Peace Corps, a U.S. government agency. Therefore, all Master's International students must be U.S. citizens (sorry!).

After I finish my program, can I stay and teach in the United States? It is possible to apply for "Practical Training", which under certain circumstances allows you to stay in the U.S. for up to one year after your graduation date to gain non-academic professional experience. Again, for the official details on Practical Training, go to the International Student Services site.

What are some common problems that International Students have when applying? The biggest problem is probably changing addresses. When you apply, you should be sure that the address you put on the application will be one where you can easily receive mail for at least one year. Another problem is missing official documents (transcripts, TOEFL scores, financial documents). Also, sometimes students don't have a good idea of how much an education in a private U.S. university costs. Some students go through the whole application process, receive admission, and then discover that they don't have the financial means to come. One final tip: a dependable email address that you can check regularly can smooth the admission process a great deal.

What will I need to do to be successful in my courses?
- You need to be able to read several lengthy articles or chapters on a topic, be able to synthesize what you've read, and be able to say what it means to you.

- You need to participate in class, both to show your professor what you've learned and to help your fellow students - especially if you're working in groups.

- You need to know your way around a university library, to be able to do on-line searches, and find articles on your topics of interest by authors recognized in your field.

- You need to be able to write in an academic style, use appropriate citation techniques, collect and analyze data (whether if be literary or linguistic) and interpret it in a persuasive manner. Being able to write well is part of being a TESOL professional. To assist in this, the AU TESOL Program offers an AU TESOL Style Sheet, available in McKinley 156, which details how to cite references for all graduate student research papers.

-You need to be able to interact regularly with fellow students and professors. You may find you have to learn to become a little more direct. Americans, tending to be explicit about things, often fail to anticipate your difficulties if you don't tell them. Remember, there's far less shame in admitting you need help than in having someone discover that you needed help but didn't ask for it.

- You need to have a sense of humor, and like yourself well enough that you can forgive yourself your mistakes - you're going to make them.

- Finally, as an international student competing with domestic students while working through the "veil" of a second language, you will probably often have to devote a little more time to your assignments than your domestic counterparts. On one hand that might seem unfair; on another, a double standard where we would expect less from international students because they're "foreign" would be even more unfair.

Other Links of Interest

Interested in housing resources? Go to http://www.american.edu/ocl/housing/index1.html

International Student House* is a non-profit organization that operates a residence near Dupont Circle (ten minutes from the AU campus; Metro accessible) for international students, scholars, and interns. ISH provides students with short or long-term accommodation, and also plans various social and cultural events. For more information and fees, visit the ISH website at www.ishdc.org.
*NOT AFFILIATED WITH AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

International and Multilingual Students: Academic Support Resources. International and multilingual students can find support for their
studies through a variety of campus resources, ranging from academic tutoring to assistance with cultural adjustment. For more information,
go to the Academic Support Center’s Web page: www.american.edu/ocl/asc/intnat_students.html

For additional information regarding the profession of TESOL, click on our TESOL Links page.

Still have a question?? Feel free to email us at tesol@american.edu, or contact International Student Services at iss@american.edu.

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TESOL Program
Language and Foreign Studies
American University
Washington, DC 20016-8045