English, baby!

Coming to America

Date: Apr 20 2007

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

American colleges and universities want you! They want your brains and your ideas and, of course, your tuition dollars.

Right now there are over 500,000 foreign students studying in the U.S. A recent policy shift in Washington is hoping to attract more foreign students to the U.S.

Listen to John and me talk about student visas.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Dave

John

Dave: You had a student who worked here at English, baby!, right? From Taiwan, right?

John: Yeah. She actually graduated from a university here in town, in Portland, and then she was able to work for a year after graduation. I don’t remember the type of visa that is, do you?

Dave: Yeah, I think it’s, like, the F-1 Student Visa.

John: It’s the F-1 Student, and then it’s extended for a year for, like, practical training?

Dave: Right. You apply for this visa, and then you can come to school in the U.S. And I think, while you’re a student, you can work like 20 hours or less per week on campus.

John: Ah, I see.

Dave: Once you graduate, you can work for one year, getting paid.

John: But you can only work on campus when you’re a student?

Dave: I believe so, yeah.

John: Yeah.

Dave: But then there are other, there’s like a J Visa that students can apply for, and they can come here as an exchange student for six months or nine months.

John: Oh, for maybe like an English language program?

Dave: Right.

John: Just short term?

Dave: Right. Or some sort of fellowship, if they’re doing research. But they all cost 100 bucks…

John: Oh, really?

Dave: ...just to apply, which is kind of expensive because, if you don’t get the visa, if they deny you for some reason, you lose out on the 100 bucks.

John: Yeah.

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

It can be expensive to study in the U.S., but there are ways you can make it work. First, if you are a full-time student with an F-1 Student Visa, you can get paid work through your school. Better yet, if you’re a graduate student, you can get a job teaching your native language to American students. These teaching jobs waive the cost of your tuition AND give you a monthly stipend.

For more information on the different visas, see these sites:

F-1 Visa

M Visa

J and Q Visas