American College Immersion Program

Women ages 16 to 20 are eligible to apply
About the Program

The Smith College American College Immersion Program (ACIP) helps international students—for whom English is not a first language—succeed in an American college or university.

Smith College has contracted with the International Language Institute of Massachusetts to bring English language instruction to the Smith campus. During the four-week program, students receive 15 hours of language instruction weekly and will have the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in life on an American Campus.

To ensure the program is equally rigorous for all ability levels, students are divided into groups of 10, each group with its own instructors. Language instruction is accompanied by intensive work in reading and writing comprehension. Strong writing skills in particular are required for success in American colleges and universities. ACIP writing classes are taught by Smith faculty and staff.
Immersion into American Culture

With the help of Smith College faculty, ACIP students have opportunities to immerse themselves in American culture through off-campus excursions, classroom activities and conversations with community members. From museums to farmers' markets, students will explore similarities and differences across cultures.

In addition to expanding their English language skills, young women in ACIP make new friends, get a taste of college life and get to know an American college town. ACIP participants will live together in a campus house along with interns (Smith undergraduate students), who serve as supervisors, advisers and teaching assistants, and the residential director (a Smith staff person), who is in charge of all aspects of students' residential life.
Northampton, MA

A city just under 30,000 and consistently ranked as one of the best college towns in the United States, Northampton supports a vibrant downtown with shops, restaurants, and galleries. From "Arts Night Out" to grabbing ice cream with friends at Herrells, you and your friends will have no shortage of fun things to do. Two hours (by car) west of Boston and Logan International Airport, Northampton is also just three hours northeast of New York City, and 45 minutes north of Bradley International Airport in Connecticut.
Excursions
A Weekend in Boston, Massachusetts

The trip will include tours of:

    The Museum of Science (long respected as a leader in science education)
    The Museum of Fine Arts (one of the largest museums in the United States)
    Faneuil Hall Marketplace (Boston shopping and dining at its best)
    The city (on land and water via "The Duck Tour")
    A college campus (Boston University, Harvard University or Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

A Trip to Tanglewood

Students will enjoy a performance at Tanglewood, a world-renowned music festival located in Lenox, Massachusetts.
Visits to Colleges Near Smith

Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, Hampshire College and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. With Smith, these institutions make up the Five Colleges, Inc., a consortium that initiates and maintains cooperative academic and cultural programs. All five colleges are within a 12-mile radius of one another.
College Prep: Methods and Philosophy

    Experiential learning in small, interactive classes
    Highly qualified and caring instructors
    A focus on successful oral and written communication for academic purposes
    An integrated skills curriculum:

    Speaking: Building confidence in presenting information in an academic setting

    Reading: Learning strategies for improved reading, skimming, and scanning of college texts

    Writing: Developing essay skills, including thesis statements, organization, punctuation, and citation

    Listening: Increasing ability to understand college lectures, leading to better note-taking skills
    Orientation in U.S. cultural differences academic expectations

How to Apply

Applications will be accepted and decisions will be made on a rolling basis.
Interested in further coursework at Smith?

Smith's Visiting Year Programs welcomes competitive applicants to continue studying at Smith for a year or semester taking regular coursework. The stated deadline is July 1, but ACIP students are given till July 22 to apply.
PROGRAM COST

Full payment for English Language Learning Program$5,195.00 (includes deposit)

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The Education System in the USA

Introduction

In the USA, children start school when they are five or six years old. Depending on the state, schooling is compulsory until the age of 16 or 18. Children younger than five can go to a nursery school or preschool.

At the age of five or six, the children attend elementary school (also known as grade school or grammar school), which last six years. The fist year at elementary school is called kindergarten.

After elementary school, students attend middle school (also known as junior high school) for three years. Then they continue at high school. In some states, students have to stay in school until they are 18 years old. In other states they may leave school at 16 or 17 with parental permission.

Age	School
< 5	nursery school / preschool
5-11	elementary school
11-14	middle school / junior high school
14-18	high school / senior high school

When students in the USA say what year they are in, they usually use ordinal numbers, e. g. ‘tenth grade’. (In the UK students would use cardinal numbers, e. g. ‘year ten’.)

Classes

At elementary school pupils primarily learn how to read, write and count. There are about 20 to 30 pupils in one class.

At junior and senior high school, mandatory subjects are English, maths, biology, chemistry, physics, physical education and history. Schools also offer optional courses from which the students can choose, e. g. art, modern languages, computers. Physical education is a very important subject in the United States – many students participate in sports programs.

Gifted and talented students can take advanced courses in their schools or attend additional courses at community colleges in the afternoons or during the holidays. Often such courses are later acknowledged by universities, and can facilitate early graduation.

Grading Scale

In the USA (as in other English speaking countries) letter grades are used in reports.

• A > 90 % (excellent)
• B > 80 % (very good)
• C > 70 % (improvement needed)
• D > 60 % (close fail)
• E > 50 % (fail)
• F < 50 % (fail)

In general, only grades A to C are a 'pass' – a plus (+) or minus (-) might be added (e. g. A-, B+).

Different Kinds of Schools

Most students in the USA are enrolled in public schools. These are financed through taxes, so parents do not have to pay for their children's education. About 10 % of US students attend private schools, where parents have to pay a yearly fee.

Another option is homeschooling: approximately 1-2 % of parents in the USA educate their children at home. Some reasons for homeschooling are religious views, special needs (e. g. handicapped children), or problems in traditional schools (bullying, drugs etc.). However, there is also opposition to homeschooling claiming that the students have difficulties socializing with others, that homeschooling (often carried out by the parents) is of a poor academic quality and that (especially concerning religion) extremist views might be encouraged.

School Uniforms

It is not common for students in the USA to wear school uniforms, but many schools have dress codes telling students what kind of clothing is or is not allowed in school. Some schools (especially private schools) have started to require their students to wear school uniforms in order to improve school discipline and avoid 'fashion cliques'.

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The American Education System

The American Education System

 

 

International students who come to the United States may wonder about their American classmates' prior education. Due to its local variations, the American education system appears confusing. In addition, the structure and procedures at American universities differ somewhat from other systems, such as the British model. This is a brief overview of the American school and university systems.

To begin, because the country has a federal system of government that has historically valued local governance, no country-level education system or curriculum exists in the United States. The federal government does not operate public schools. Each of the fifty states has its own Department of Education that sets guidelines for the schools of that state. Public schools also receive funding from the individual state, and also from local property taxes. Public colleges and universities receive funding from the state in which they are located. Each state's legislative body decides how many tax dollars will be given to public colleges and universities. Students in grades 1-12 do not pay tuition. College and university students do pay tuition, but many earn scholarships or receive loans.

Much of the control of American public schools lies in the hands of each local school district. Each school district is governed by a school board; a small committee of people elected by the local community or appointed by the local government. The school board sets general policies for the school district and insures that state guidelines are met.

Generally, school districts are divided into elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. Elementary schools are composed of students in kindergarten and grades 1-5. Most children attend kindergarten when they are five-years-old. Children begin 1st grade at age six. Middle school is composed of students in grades 6-8 and high school contains grades 9-12.

High school students are required to take a wide variety of courses in English, mathematics, science, and social science. They may also be required to take foreign language or physical education, and they may elect to take music, art, or theatre courses. Many high schools also offer vocational training courses. A course can be one semester or two semesters in length. The academic year generally begins in mid August and ends in early June.

In the United States, education is compulsory for all students until ages sixteen to eighteen depending on the individual state. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 87.1% of people over the age of 25 were high school graduates. Most high school students graduate at the age of seventeen or eighteen-years-old. A student graduates after he or she has successfully passed all of the required courses. Grades are given to students for each course at the end of each semester. The grading scale is A (excellent), B (above average), C (average), D (below average), and F (failing). A student who fails a required course must repeat the course.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 66.2% of 2012 high school graduates were enrolled in college in October 2012. Students have the option of attending a two-year community college (also known as a junior college) before applying to a four-year university. Admission to community college is easier, tuition is lower, and class sizes are often smaller than in a university. Community college students can earn an Associate's degree and transfer up to two years of course credits to a university.

Admission to a University

Although admission policies vary from one university to the next, most determine admission based on several criteria, including a student's high school course of study, high school Grade Point Average (GPA), participation in extracurricular activities, SAT or ACT exam scores, a written essay, and possibly a personal interview:

• The university admissions office considers whether a student has taken courses in high school that have prepared him/her for more difficult coursework. A student's high school GPA is also considered. A GPA is a quantitative figure representing a student's accumulated grades. Each letter grade is assigned a number of points: A = 4 points, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1 and F = 0 points. A GPA is calculated by adding all of the points earned for each course grade and dividing the total points by the total number of courses taken. For example, a GPA of 3.0 is a "B" average for all of the courses taken.
• University admissions officers like to see applications from high school students who have participated in extracurricular activities, such as scholastic clubs, athletic teams, student government, and philanthropic clubs. Voluntary participation in these kinds of activities is an indication that students have learned valuable life lessons, such as teamwork, leadership, or civic responsibility.
• Most students in the United States take the SAT Reasoning Text (formerly known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test) or the ACT (formerly known as American College Testing) during their final year of high school. Each university sets a minimum SAT or ACT score that a student must achieve in order to gain admission. These are standardized quantitative examinations. The SAT tests critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills. The ACT tests English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning, and includes an optional writing test.
• Universities often require students to write an essay as part of the application process. Each admissions office determines the length and content of the essay. The applicant also may be required to have a personal interview with a representative from the admissions office.

At the University:

University students pursuing a Bachelor's degree are called "undergraduates," whereas students pursuing a Master's or Doctoral degree are called "graduate students." American undergraduate students will say they are "going to school" or "going to college," which means they are attending university. A common question one student asks another is, "What is your major?" This means, "What is your major field of study?"

Most universities give undergraduate students a liberal education, which means students are required to take courses across several disciplines before they specialize in a major field of study. Graduate and professional (such as medicine or law) programs are specialized.

At the university level, most courses are only one semester long. Each course is assigned a number of credit hours. Credit hours are usually based on how much time is spent in class each week. Most courses are 3 credits. However, some courses may be 1, 2, 4 or 5 credits. All degree programs require students to complete a minimum number of credit hours before graduation. Most Bachelor's degree programs in the United States do not require students to write a final thesis.

Selection for admission to a graduate program is based on several criteria. These include completion of a Bachelor's degree, the student's undergraduate coursework, and their GPA. Students are also expected to write an essay as part of their application or submit a writing sample. Most Master's programs require students to have a minimum score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which tests verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills.

Students continue to take courses at the graduate level. A final thesis is required for most Master's programs. Doctoral students take courses until they have earned enough credit hours to attempt their qualifying examinations, which are usually taken over several days and often include both a written and oral component. After doctoral students pass their qualifying exams, they are advanced to candidacy and can begin writing their dissertation. Before the degree is given, the completed dissertation must be orally defended before the candidate's faculty committee.

Because degree requirements can be very complex and vary from one university and department to another, all students should check with their university and department advisors to make sure they are meeting their educational requirements.

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Early Childhood Education

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Early childhood education is essential to the healthy growth and development of children. Considered as education from birth to eight, early education provides the foundation for all learning.

Early childhood education (especially education from 0-3 in some countries, 0-5 in others) is largely privatized making it near impossible to obtain universal access but it is essential. Studies have shown that 80 percent of the brain develops prior to the age of 3. Youth that are enrolled in early childhood education programs are more likely to continue their education (enrolling in primary school), and are less likely to drop out of school or repeat a grade later.

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To Fix U.S. Public Education, Take a Lesson From Countries That Top Student Rankings

Photograph by Link Image/Gallery Stock

One lesson that winners in all fields learn is that it’s often easier to get to the top than to stay there. In addition to talent, grit, and risk-taking, getting to the top often involves good timing, luck, and even the possible misfortune of others.

There’s no security at the top. Leaders face intense and relentless competition; good luck and fortuitous timing are one-time advantages.

This lesson came to mind when I read a recent news report on America’s mediocre performance in the latest round of international student testing: the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) tests.

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Released in December, a new PISA assessment is given every three years, evaluating the performance of 510,000 15-year-old students in 65 “countries and economies” in math, reading, and science, including 6,000 students from 161 randomly selected schools in the United States (PDF).

Not surprisingly, key Asian countries and economies ranked high in all three categories. In math, for example, students from Shanghai, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea topped the list. In science, Shanghai, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, and Finland earned the top five spots.

U.S. students, on the other hand, didn’t impress. They ranked “on par” with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average in reading and science (17th and 21st, respectively) and below the OECD average in math (26th), positioned with countries such as Lithuania and the Slovak Republic.

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One of U.S. students’ biggest weaknesses in math—a subject of particular concern to me—is the “mathematization of a real-world situation.” This means they have difficulty applying mathematical principles and tools to analyze and solve concrete problems and situations.

Also disconcerting is the spread between the number of U.S. students who performed very well on the tests vs. those who scored very poorly. Only 9 percent of American students scored at or near the top in math, while three times that number (26 percent) scored at or near the bottom. The story is similar in science, where just 7 percent of the U.S. students scored at the highest levels, while 18 percent scored at the lowest.

What do these tests tell us?

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First, they confirm what we already know: A lot of American schools are failing America’s children—failing to teach them the basics, failing to prepare them to use the basics in the “real world,” and failing to encourage them to aim for the top.

The tests also confirm that throwing money at the problem isn’t the solution. The U.S. spends more money per capita—when federal, state and local funding are added up—than most other countries. That doesn’t translate into better performance.

The PISA tests also tell us what is working. Top-performing countries, such as those in Asia, place far greater emphasis on selecting and training teachers, set clear achievement targets for them, and provide them with a significant amount of classroom autonomy, the OECD said. We can learn from their example, much as U.S. charter schools have.

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There’s also a lot that the PISA tests don’t tell us. For example, comparing students in Shanghai and Taipei (wealthy areas in China and Taiwan) with a national sample of U.S. students—which includes students from the rural south and America’s inner cities, as well as high-income suburbs—provides a misleading comparison.

Nor do the tests also measure ingenuity and creativity, the hallmarks of American progress, wherein U.S. students traditionally have excelled.

In short, the tests are cause for concern, not panic. It wasn’t just public education that put America on top; a lot more was at play. Still, if we hope to stay ahead, fixing public education is a must, and PISA has given us a few ideas we can try.

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School Expectations Are Too Low in the United States

Education leaders urged parents to become more involved and help close achievement gaps.

Today's parent advocates do not limit themselves to coaching soccer teams and organizing bake sales as a way to get involved in their students' schools. But parents, educators and policymakers alike need to do more to "walk the walk" in working to close achievement gaps and improve education in the United States, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told an audience of parent leaders Monday.

While other countries have made strides in student performance on international tests in reading, math and science, American students have stagnated, and in some cases regressed, while achievement gaps in the country remain "staggeringly large," Duncan said at an education summit for parent leaders hosted by the National Assessment Governing Board.

Comparing American students to those in South Korea – a country that ranks among the highest in the world in terms of academic achievement – Duncan said part of the problem is a culture in the United States that perpetuates low expectations in schools. Parents in the United States do not demand the same kind of educational excellence as those in other countries, he said.

[OPINION: Arne Duncan's Search for More Teachers]

"As you think about how to use your voice, your time, and your energy, I want to pose one simple question to you: Does a child in South Korea deserve a better education than your child?" Duncan said. "If you answer is no – that no child in America deserves any less than a world-class education – then your work is cut out for you."

Part of the reason students in other countries outpace American students on these exams, Duncan said, is simply because they are more serious about education, not just in their cultures, but in their policies.

The former head of the Chicago public school system, Duncan told parents that there is a sense of complacency regarding education in the United States, but also a lack Duncan said, but also a lack of action by politicians.

"Both South Korean and U.S. citizens believe that the caliber of teacher matters tremendously, and the great teachers make a huge difference in children's lives," Duncan said. "The difference is: they act on their belief. We don't. We talk the talk, and they walk the walk."

[READ: Education Department Loosens NCLB Waiver Requirements]

While teachers in America often come from the bottom of the academic barrel and are disproportionately teaching students from disadvantaged backgrounds, Duncan said, teachers in South Korea are selected from the top of the class and are rewarded for working with low-income students.

Still, when people see statistics showing that by age 24, students from high income backgrounds earn bachelor's degrees at almost seven times the rate of those from low income families, they often blame poor academic achievement on the students' race, their family background or their cultures – not the school or school leaders, said Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust.

"Our question back to them is if you're right, why are low income students and students of color performing so much higher in some schools?" Haycock said.

Haycock gave examples of schools across the country – such as Halle Hewetson Elementary in Las Vegas, George Hall Elementary in Mobile, Ala., and Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School in Elmont, N.Y. – with high numbers of minority and low-income students and histories of poor performance that were able to turn around due to changes in leadership, teachers, staff training and parent involvement.

Now, students in those schools are outperforming students throughout the state.

Not only does the quality of the teachers matter for low income and minority students to improve academically, said Charles Payne of the University of Chicago. Students from those backgrounds also benefit more from more rigorous standards, but are the least likely to gain access to them – and it's up to parents to work with schools to push for those higher expectations, he said.

But because people are often "skittish" about bringing up issues of race, Payne encouraged parents to "ask a lot of questions," about how race relates to education and work to build trust between parents, teachers and students.

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