<p>Hi, do colleges take it into account when applicants are not native English speakers and that the language spoken in their households is a different one? </p>
<p>I moved to the States in elementary school and I'm U.S. citizen (no international). English is my third language. I scored in the 98th percentile in the SAT but it has been somewhat harder.</p>
<p>Each college/university will have information right on its website about which students need to take the TOEFL (or another exam) in order to demonstrate their level of English proficiency. Usually students who have spent a certain number of years in schools where English is the medium of instruction are exempt from this requirement. However, some will require a proficiency exam for anyone for whom English is a second (or third) language.</p>
<p>You also may be able to use this experience as an essay topic if the places that you apply to require essays.</p>
<p>Good luck with everything!</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I’m not considering the TOEFL. I got 99th percentile in CR and 97th in writing, so I mean that should be proof enough that I know how to speak English. I was just wondering if there is a box to check if you’re not a native speaker and whether adcoms will consider it.</p>
<p>^Yes, you’ll be asked about the language you speak at home and your “first language” when you’re filling out the common application.</p>
<p>I know many people who learned English as a second language but still speak the language perfectly, scoring extremely well on standardized tests, so I’m not sure how impressive the adcom would consider this to be :)</p>
<p>I was just wondering. Thanks!</p>
<p>Frankly I think it unwise for you to suggest on your application that your English reading and writing skills are compromised in some way. Your intent clearly is to show to admissions that despite English not being your first language you do very well in English, and that this is proof in some way of your capability. In practice some colleges may in fact react differently when noting that English is not your first language and insist that you submit TOEFL scores.</p>
<p>I encourage you to position your language skills in some other way – perhaps by providing evidence (as through language AP scores) that you are multi-lingual.</p>