Acceptance Letter from Abroad Doesn't Mean Anything

Study abroad needs to be justified, and should start with students’ achievements and actual abilities.

Recently, University of San Francisco School of Management’s Associate Dean, Dayle Smith, put in a letter of resignation, coming as a shock to Chinese students studying abroad. According to reports, Smith’s resignation is in light of a “considerable increase” in foreign students. [Another] letter [by Business School Dean, Mike Webber] states: “But given that so many of these students have weak English skills and are disproportionately from one country, we are going to be faced with some unique pedagogical and cultural challenges.” Students being admitted despite lacking adequate English language skills arose from “conditional admission” policies.

This casts new doubts on the “conditional” admissions policy. A “conditional offer” implies that student’s English level has not reached admissions requirements, and can be given to students who have not yet graduated their fourth year of college. It’s common sense to know that if a student’s English listening, speaking, reading and writing abilities are poor, they will have no way to adapt to an entirely English-language education. Therefore, with “conditional admissions” in mind, it should be evaluated whether students have had previous language study abroad and whether they meet requirements for attending classes; a plan should also be made in the event that the student is incapable of overcoming the language barrier (language study while abroad is actually very costly). But parents looking to send their children abroad do not look very deeply into this, taking the attitude of “what’s done is done.” Some believe their child’s “conditional” admission is the same as “accepted,” while others simply feel “lucky” that their child was admitted despite weak language skills. Of course, there are also those who consider letting their child study abroad, not for education, but with the goal of emigration.

Regarding study abroad, many students and parents are very concerned about being admitted to receive a college education and education abroad, and are not as concerned with what kind of education they will be receiving. In China, being admitted to a university is seen as going hand in hand with being awarded a diploma; in other countries, however, being admitted to a university doesn’t necessarily mean anything. If the student does not study and work hard, they are likely to drop out midway through their studies.

In reality, studying abroad needs to be justified, and should start with students’ achievements and abilities. An acceptance letter from a foreign institution does not imply anything; students should thoroughly examine what their reasons for going abroad actually are and use their personal situation to create a plan for the future. Otherwise, it’s possible to spend a fortune and achieve little.