Preparing to study in the United States

Students all over the world invest large amounts of time and money in preparing to study in the United States.  Much of this preparation involves learning more English.

It would certainly make more sense if students could do all this learning once they have already arrived in the USA, but unfortunately, it’s not always practical to do so.  Before being accepted into most American colleges and universities, it is necessary to take a standardized English-proficiency exam.

SEE ALSO: Things you Probably Won’t Hear in English Language Class

The most popular English proficiency exams are TOEFL and IELTS, which can be taken in certified testing centers around the world.  These tests measure your ability to function as a college student, both inside and outside the classroom.

The TEOFL is strictly American and certainly the most commonly recognized by schools in the United States, but the IELTS is sometimes accepted too, depending on the particular institution.  You might expect universities to only care about reading and writing skills, but that is not the case; both the IELTS and the TOEFL have speaking sections.

Nowadays, educators realize that there’s more to education than writing essays and passing written exams; graduates will eventually need to go out into the real world and deal with people, which usually involves spoken communication.  It is for this reason that proficiency exams have incorporated speaking sections.

What does all of this mean for me?

The conclusion here is that you will have to improve your speaking skills, part of which involves perfecting your pronunciation.  While TEOFL and IELTS examiners don’t necessarily expect native-like pronunciation, they do want to be able to understand you without having to strain themselves.  It’s also important to remember that better pronunciation will affect their judgement on a subconscious level; the more natural you sound, the more fluent and competent you will appear to the examiner.  All of this might seem like a lot of trouble, but try to remember that better pronunciation can only help you, not only in the examination center, but also in your career and life.

How can I improve my pronunciation?

Improving your pronunciation outside the English-speaking world can be quite a challenge.  Even English classes can reinforce bad habits; after all, the students in English classes aren’t native speakers, and this can also be true of the teacher! However, even an American instructor would not make much of a difference; modern ESL instructors are trained to speak as little as possible in the classroom (they want the students to do the speaking), so don’t depend on classes.

It’s important to hear native English on a regular basis because it reinforces good pronunciation habits.

If you plan to study in the United States, you should study American English pronunciation.  First of all, bombard yourself with as much American English as possible.  This can be done by watching movies and listening to American radio online.

Also, it helps to devote time to more formal study.

This can be done with some sort of pronunciation guide, such as a textbook or software.  The advantage of software is that it generally has an audio component, which is practically essential when dealing with pronunciation.  Software can also be more interactive and have superior visual aids.  Whatever you choose, it’s important not to begin studying only a few weeks before taking an exam.  Studying 10 minutes a day for 6 months is better than 10 hours a day for 3 weeks!

Now you can easily improve your American English pronunciation skills.  All you need to do is START your Guided Tour of Saundz software and start with the lessons!