|
|
|
Feedback USA
|
|
|
A higher proportion of students found the US to be more expensive than their home countries this year, according to the results of this issue’s Feedback survey on students studying English in the USA.
USA feedback at a glance
|
|
|
Total number of students: (female 69, male 39, unknown 1) 109
Average age in years: 26
Average length of programme in weeks: 16
Average number of students in class: 9
Average number of hours of language tuition per week: 19.6
% of students who found out about their course through an agent: 33
% of students who booked through an agent or adviser: 48
% of students who had been on another language programme: 31
% of students who would recommend their school: 96
|
| Respondents by world region of origin |
|
Top nationalities |
|
|
|
1. Asia 51%
2. W Europe 28%
3. Latin America 12%
4. C & E Europe 3%
Other 6%
|
|
1. Korean 17%
2. Japanese 16%
3. Spanish 9%
4. Taiwanese 8%
5. French 6%
6. Brazilian 4%
6. German 4%
6. Italian 4%
9. Saudi 3%
10. Thai 2%
|
| In my class there are... |
|
How easy is it to practise your language skills with native speakers? |
|
|
|
1. The right number of students (61%)
2. Too many students from one other country (15%)
3. Too many students who speak my language (10%)
4. Too many students (9%)
Unknown (5%) |
|
1. Quite easy (32%)
2. Quite hard (39%)
3. Very easy (19%)
4. Very hard (8%)
Unknown (2%) |
| How did you find your programme? |
|
Did you book your course through an agent or an educational adviser?
|
|
|
|
1. I found it on the internet (33%)
1. Recommended by an agent (33%)
3. Recommended by a friend/relative (28%)
4. I saw it advertised (1%)
Unknown 5% |
|
Yes (48%)
No (49%)
Unknown (3%)
|
Student reasons for school selection included:
|
|
“The number of students per class”
“Good location”
“Cheaper than many other schools”
“My agent recommended it to me”
“The school provides a Toefl waiver”
|
| Before looking for your course, did you know where you wanted to study? |
|
|
|
Country
Yes (80%)
No (11%)
Unknown (9%)
City/town
Yes (63%)
No (30%)
Unknown (7%)
|
|
School
Yes (36%)
No (57%)
Unknown (7%)
|
Student nationality
Just over half of all our student feedback respondents this year were from Asia. This was slightly higher than the 44 per cent accounted for by Asian students last year (see LTM, September 2008, pages 26-27). The number of Western Europeans was also up by seven percentage points this year to account for 28 per cent, while Latin Americans were up by four percentage points to 12 per cent. There was only one student from the Middle East and one from Africa this year, in comparison to last year when students from these regions made up eight per cent and seven per cent of all respondents. A closer look at individual nationalities reveals that Koreans remained in the number-one spot, although their share had slipped by three percentage points to 17 per cent this year. Japanese numbers were up considerably, pushing them from fourth position last year to second place with a share of 16 per cent this year. Interestingly, Chinese students, who were in second place last year with 11 per cent, were noticeably absent this year with only one Chinese student featuring among our feedback respondents.
Student motivation
Forty-five per cent of our students indicated that they were at university or college, with 42 per cent of all the students who took part in our survey aged between 20 and 25 years old. The age range of respondents spanned from 17 to 47 years old, averaging out at 26. Despite the fact that a high proportion of our feedback respondents were university students, 48 per cent of students were learning English for their current or future work. The number of students planning to continue their studies in the US dropped significantly on last year’s results, with only 24 per cent indicating that they were planning to go on to university or college in the USA, compared with 36 per cent last year.
Student enrolment
When we asked students how they first found out about their school, 36 per cent said they had found it on the Internet, while a further 36 per cent said an agent had recommended it to them. Despite a majority of students finding out about a school through personal recommendation or the Internet, 48 per cent of students said they booked their course through an agency; up from 44 per cent last year.
Standard of the schools
Satisfaction rates for the schools that took part in our survey were high, with 96 per cent of students saying they would recommend their school to others (three per cent did not reply). Class sizes ranged from three to 16, with the average number of students per class standing at nine. This appeared to be satisfactory for most students as only nine per cent indicated that there were too many students in their class. When asked about nationality mix, 10 per cent agreed with the statement that there were too many students who spoke their own language, and a further 15 per cent said there were too many students of another nationality in their class.
Living in the USA
At US$497, the average weekly cost of tuition and accommodation was down slightly on last year’s US$507. Nevertheless, a higher proportion – 64 per cent this year compared with 58 per cent last year – said they found the cost of living to be more expensive than in their home countries. When it came to conversing with US citizens, 19 per cent of respondents said that they found it very easy, while a further 32 per cent said it was quite easy.
Thank you to the following schools for participating in our survey: American Language Institute, San Diego, CA; Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN; Brandon College, San Francisco, CA; California State University Bakersfield, CA; California State University Long Beach, CA; Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA; Geos, San Francisco, CA; Geos, New York, NY; Rennert, New York, NY; St Giles, San Francisco, CA; South Bend English Institute, South Bend, IN.
|
|
|
Contact any advertiser in the this issue now
The following language schools, associations and accommodation providers advertised in the latest edition of Language Travel Magazine. If you would like more information on any of these advertisers, tick the relevant boxes, fill out your details and send.
|
|
|
|
|
