Why are international student exempt from foreign language requirements?

Applying to College
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“First, what do you think is English for an International Student? Second, you know that International student not only have to take ACT SAT and stuff, but also the TOEFL exam… never heard of that?”
I have already addressed this once. Yes, I know English is a fundamental language to learn to come study here. That is for the same reason that Chinese mandarin is a fundamental for me to study in Shanghai. Second, the ACT and SAT are typically very easy for foreigners. I have no idea why, but most say the tests are easy. Yes, I have heard of the TOEFL exam as well, but you are comparing a fundamental and universally known language to Americans being forced to learning another language just for the sake of satisfying general ed requirements.

“'I’m speaking as an Italian guy (who is studying NOW in US), and I’m sorry but you guys would not survive even one week in the european school systems”

Good for you? I’m Italian American, myself, and last I heard, Italy is currently ranked on the lower end of the totem pole in European nations. Also, speak for yourself. Aside from overcoming language barriers, I do not see how surviving a European or Asian university would be any different than surviving an American university. I understand that you need to stand on your soap box in order to make yourself feel like you are better than the American student, but I have done very well in all of the toughest courses that my institution has to offer. So when I say that it is stupid for foreign language courses to be mandatory for American students while not having it mandatory for international stupids, then I believe it’s a perfectly valid statement that holds weight.

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I actually thought you’d never top your “What’s the point of scholarships?” thread, but I think you’ve done it.

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I’ve never used Calc in the 30 years since HS, but I often use rudimentary French in business…Physics? nada. The only useful thing I learned Chem was not to mix bleach and amonia.

It is what it is. Not all of it will be useful in your future. It’s just about learning something. Otherwise, most people would learn enough to survive by 8th grade (which is when some countries drop kids from their real education programs).

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On a side note, what is with soo many parents posting on this forum? I know it’s rude to ask, but how old are you? My parents are in their range from mid 40’s to early 50’s and they hardly ever use the internet with the exception of work.

mathmom, you explained what the benefits of being bilingual is. The problem is, the knowledge you obtain from a classroom environment does not stick with you long enough in order for it to become useful. By the time you run into a time you will need it, it will no longer be in your head. Unless you plan on using that language to speak to others who also speak it regularly, then you will end up forgetting what you have learned. That is the problem with learning a foreign language that you will not need. If you are banking on the “you never know when you will need it” mentality, then you have bigger problems to worry about, such as figuring out what you will do career-wise.

Like I said, I would definitely take a foreign language course for mandarin if it was offered. The problem is, there aren’t enough people who teach mandarin as there are people in China teaching English. So if you are living in the east coast where orientals are in such short supply, then that pretty much limits your choices. I know mandarin will be beneficial to me because I already plan on working abroad and having family who live in that culture. However, it would be pointless for me to learn Greek or Hebrew since I have no plans for living or doing business in that part of the world.

The key for spreading “multiculturalism” and diversity is to not force it upon others. People will appreciate learning about other cultures within their own initiative if they are not forced by the school system to learn it, and that is the flaw with our current system. That would be like arguing that tail-gating, honking, and cursing out the driver in front of you will make him go faster. All it will do is provoke him to go even slower.

tl;dr I am not arguing that foreign languages are useless. However, forcing others to learn one that will not be of importance to them even with their lives planned out will hurt them more than help them. It makes it more of a clutch as well for American kids to learning a secondary language than it is for foreign students learning English. I wish I could make that point more clear.

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I am your parents’ age range. I am completely literate in Internet. why are you online? My kid is out with his friends;)

I think we understand what you mean, but you just have to do it for the same reason I had to take Calc.

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Only people whose first language is English (especially Americans) have the entitlement to expect all others to know English. Sure it is learned at a higher rate globally than any other language, but is it really such a pain for you to take an unwanted course and then forget about it as soon as graduation comes? Do you really expect everyone to come to your beck and call in your life?

The point of high school is to give you a taste of everything so you have the qualifications to pursue anything in college. Why do you think heart-set English majors still have to take physics and pre-calc in high school? It’s because the heart of a high schooler has a tendency to fluctuate, so someone shouldn’t be forced out of STEM because they didn’t like geometry freshman year. The same applies to you not liking Spanish. What if you want to change majors to something more international, or maybe in health care (where knowing Spanish is a huge plus). What if you want to travel to Barcelona one day?
Do you realize that being bilingual (especially in Spanish, the second most spoken language in the US!) is a huge job-getter? Unlike what you seem to think not everyone knows English.

And even if you never run into Spanish again in your life, why is it such an impediment on your daily life? It’s not as though this is someone attacking you, or even the American educational system as you seem to think: other children at high schools ALL OVER THE WORLD have a second language requirement. Honestly what puts you on such a high horse? Are you really so above experiencing cultures other than your own that OTHERS are expected to come to YOU instead of you meeting them half way?

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What does the age of anyone of anyone have to do with their responses to your silly posts? You continue to demonstrate your lack of maturity and judgment.

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"Our K-12 education system is being compared to countries where the parents spend a large portion of their household income to supplement w after school private cram sessions/tutoring (Singapore, SKorea, China), or to countries whose racially homogeneous populations are the size of a US suburb.

OTOH, the quality of our higher education is the envy of the world…"

Honestly, I believe that this is the point where our opinions converge. I still think there is room for our institutions to improve, however. The problem is, we put way too much emphasis on schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, the universities where less than 2% of our entire population attends, and less on universities that are possible for the average American to attend. Those are the universities that are even more strict with foreign languages, which once again, gives international students an advantage since they spend their whole lives bilingual while American students need to spend even more number of years with one foreign language in high school. Eventually, being on campus in one of those universities is going to feel like you’re in Shanghai.

Even though I agree with what you have said, I still believe that there are faults with our current education system that can help put more emphasis on mathematics and science.

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UPDATE: you called people who can’t pay fully for college “bums” on another post. I think I’m rounding out a nice image of who you are as a person.

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OP - Seriously taking 2 or 3 years of a foreign language in US highschool is not enough to travel overseas. But learning English as a second language by international students to attend US colleges is a tremendous task that requires a lot of personal efforts out side of school. So, adcoms don’t make it easy for international students. International students in countries in which English is the official language also have to have at least a foreign language, and sometimes two foreign languages are required.

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@thewizekid plenty of old timers use the Internet. I had my first e-mail address 22 years ago.

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“Only people whose first language is English (especially Americans) have the entitlement to expect all others to know English. Sure it is learned at a higher rate globally than any other language, but is it really such a pain for you to take an unwanted course and then forget about it as soon as graduation comes? Do you really expect everyone to come to your beck and call in your life?”
If you plan on working in your home country your entire life, then they should be allowed to carry that mentality. You are assuming that everyone in high school is going to work overseas. Besides, I already explained why English is the predominant language. Everyone learns it because it is the language that provides the greatest opportunities financially. For Americans to learning a secondary language is not the same for a non-English native speaker learning English. When will everyone realize that everything is not soo linear and that different situations call for different actions? For some people, being bilingual is a necessity while for others, it is nothing more than a speedbump and setback.

“The point of high school is to give you a taste of everything so you have the qualifications to pursue anything in college. Why do you think heart-set English majors still have to take physics and pre-calc in high school? It’s because the heart of a high schooler has a tendency to fluctuate, so someone shouldn’t be forced out of STEM because they didn’t like geometry freshman year. The same applies to you not liking Spanish. What if you want to change majors to something more international, or maybe in health care (where knowing Spanish is a huge plus). What if you want to travel to Barcelona one day?”

Again, not everyone is uncertain. Some people change their minds, that is true. However, there are those whose hearts are set and are dedicated to following their hopes and dreams. The chances are, if I didn’t have plans for traveling to Barcelona someday, then I will most likely forget 95% of what I have learned in high school spanish by the time that day comes.

“Do you realize that being bilingual (especially in Spanish, the second most spoken language in the US!) is a huge job-getter? Unlike what you seem to think not everyone knows English.”

It’s more like a smokescreen for making your application look pretty. It might give you a minor edge if you are fighting tooth-and-claw with another applicant. However, employers care more about skill proficiency and experience over foreign languages (unless you work in a foreign firm, of course, but I already addressed that argument several times previously).

“And even if you never run into Spanish again in your life, why is it such an impediment on your daily life? It’s not as though this is someone attacking you, or even the American educational system as you seem to think: other children at high schools ALL OVER THE WORLD have a second language requirement. Honestly what puts you on such a high horse? Are you really so above experiencing cultures other than your own that OTHERS are expected to come to YOU instead of you meeting them half way?”

Like I said, I was already born into knowing the predominant language. For me to learn a secondary language is not like a foreign non-English native speaker learning English. The only advantage I would get is more career opportunities in countries that communicate in the said language. Otherwise, it is a clutch and it only forces me to waste more money on tuition for a skill that I will most certainly forget later in life. I don’t know how else to explain it.

33

what is meant by “a clutch”?

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MODERATOR’S NOTE:
I believe that the original question as posed has been definitively answered and at this point, the discussion is simply going around in circles. Closing.

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