As of 2014, six million students took online courses in subjects ranging across the board. That’s only counting the United States, and we know that millions upon millions of students learn an unlimited spectrum of subjects on sites like Udemy and various other online learning platforms. We’re lucky enough to live in a world where an incredible amount of learning is done online and worldwide, and languages are among the most accessible. But is online learning right for you? Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of online learning to help with such a decision.

Staying MobileThe most obvious plus is that learning online can, with very few exceptions, be done from anywhere. While some schools or universities may require you to be on campus even for online classes, the vast majority of online learning is done independently. This means that you can learn on the go, utilizing audio lectures and lessons with portable speaker systems and headsets, whether you’re in the car or the gym. And while you might think that completing a class from your computer would be easy, you can expect a comfortable level of challenge - you’re still learning a new language, after all.

On Your Own Terms
There can be exceptions to this, but the dominant majority of online language learning can be done on your own schedule. One of the greatest perks is the ability to make your own timetable. Rather than having to report to class and keep attendance, you can work on your lessons whenever your busy schedule allows! This is incredibly useful to those of us that might be working while also going to school. The added flexibility makes it so that rather than constantly stressing deadlines, a student can take what workload they can to suit their life.

Stay Motivated
One of the drawbacks to consider is the lack of a structured classroom. Depending on your style of learning, this may be a pretty sizeable con, as some students require a rigid structure to retain learning. If you’re not one of those students, then fantastic! You can keep on learning on your own terms. On the same theme as missing a classroom, you might also be missing an instructor. A risk with online classes is that the professor can feel distant, amorphous, or just nonexistent. Research the class you intend to take to ensure that you’re comfortable learning in this manner.

All in all, online learning is one of the fastest growing styles in the world. A massive number of universities and other such online learning tools utilize online classes or connections. Do your research into each class to make sure that you’re using the right platform to best learn English, or any other subject.
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Author Bio: Karoline left her corporate job to spend more time with her family and indulge in her passions of writing and travel. She now works as a freelance writer, offering advice and tips on a range of topics.

Let’s face it, higher education is extremely expensive over the world and for that, anything that could bring in an extra income is always welcome. Studying in the U.S, in particular, can get really hectic without some reliable sources of pocket money due to the high cost of living in the country. Unless you are an American by law, however, acquiring a job in the country isn’t the easiest thing to do. However, luckily for students, there are always scholarship opportunities and availabilities which students can gain from. Even though, not so easy to get, universities place very strict rules or criteria for students applying for such scholarships. Nonetheless, there have always been other means of scholarships provided by private companies in order to motivate and help students reach their goals. One example is with a Florida Rental company which provides students with a vacation scholarship, to help ease their tuition fees.

There are many hurdles that international students have to contend with first before landing a job in the U.S, particularly due to the limiting nature of a student visa (F1 Visa). The country’s Department of Homeland Security is extremely strict on foreign students who try to go around the rules and seek employment where they shouldn’t. Such students risk getting prosecuted in a court of law, deported back to their home countries, and/or their student visas being canceled. That is the last thing that you would wish for, right?

But even in the midst of all the said challenges, is it possible to work and study at the same time in the U.S if you are a foreign student? The good news is that as limited as your chances could be, it is not entirely impossible. You can liaise with your Designated School Official (D.S.O) to apply for and acquire a social security number (SSN) which is mandatory for any student seeking employment in the U.S. If you haven’t interacted with your D.S.O yet, don’t feel intimidated to contact his/her office now because it is his/her job to make your life as an international student as stress-free as possible. Also, in order for you to have all the necessary documents available and correct, f you are coming from a non-English speaking country, it is advisable to hire a translation company, to help you with the translation as they are very sensitive and minor mistakes can cost you really much. That done, you will be legally allowed to try your luck in the following four employment opportunities.

The 4 Employment Opportunities That International Students Can Pursue in the U.S

1. On-Campus Opportunities

The Department of Homeland Security permits international students to work as dorm attendants, cafeteria attendants, bookstore assistants, and library assistants. You are free to start work immediately after you are admitted to your school, even before you start attending classes. The only limitation to this opportunity is that you cannot work for more than 20 hours in a week within the course of your semester, although this ban is automatically lifted during school holidays. If you take up multiple jobs, then you will have to split up your 20 hours between all the jobs.

2. Off-Campus opportunities

There are two types of off-campus employment in the U.S, i) “Educationally affiliated” off-campus employment Universities often enter into contracts with research institutes in a bid to jointly collect data and conduct extensive research. If your university enters into such a contract, then you are legally eligible for employment within that research project. This opportunity is usually a preserve of post-graduate students.

In another instance, your institution may enter into educational partnerships with other universities or open satellite campuses to support its established curriculum. You are free to seek employment in such off-campus institutions.

ii) “Hardship Circumstances” off-campus employment

If you face sudden economic hardships into your second academic year (first years don’t qualify here), your school’s D.S.O can recommend you for off-campus employment. The hardships could be as a result of the increased cost of living or tuition fees, sudden reduction or total discontinuation of your financial support, emergency medical needs, or any other legitimate cause.

You, however, must prove beyond any reasonable doubt that you didn’t have any direct contribution towards the said severe hardship. If, for example, you messed up in your on- campus employment, the financial crisis that would precipitate from your termination cannot qualify you for an off-campus employment opportunity. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers reserve the right to approve or decline your application. If approved, you will be limited to working for 20 hours off-campus every week.

3. Temporary OPT

Undergraduate students world over are required to partake practical training before or after completing their coursework. In this realization, the U.S Department of Homeland Security allows foreign students from recognized American universities and colleges to find Optional Practical Training (OPT) jobs that are relevant to their university major.

If interested and have completed your first year of study, you can liaise with your school’s DSO to apply for such a job. However, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers reserve the right to approve or decline your application so applying doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be approved for the job.
If you apply for these jobs before completing your degree, you will only be allowed to work for a
maximum of 20 hours in a week when your session is active and full-time when on recess. If you have completed your course, you are allowed to work full-time for a maximum period of 12 months.

​4. Internship or Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

Just like OTP, students across the world are entitled to an internship in order to equip them with hands-on skills in readiness for the job market. The Department of Homeland Security fulfills this necessity for foreign students by giving them CPT authorization. Your DSO will help you with the application process after completing your first undergraduate year.

You are eligible for either CPT or OTP employment, but not both. The advantage of taking up CPT employment over OTP is that your working hours are unlimited.
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Whichever form of employment you find when studying in the U.S, it is imperative that you play by the book to avoid getting into trouble with authorities. If you ever need help in the process of applying for student visa to the U.S, you can contact a travel company to do it for you.


Author Bio: Laura is a marketing specialist at SEOforX. She helps her company advertise its products and services and she has a thorough knowledge on developing marketing approaches for products and brands. Besides being a marketing specialist she has a special interest in financial technology. She finds Fintech fascinating and writes about how the new technology is being used to improve activities in the finance sector.

Making the decision to study abroad and away from your own country is a tough one and it can be very stressful. Living and studying in the United Stated will be something completely new to you if you are from any other part of the world and there are certainly a lot of things you won’t know before you actually start living there.

In most cases, movies are painting an ideal picture of what it is like to study abroad and most students are expecting a lot more than they will actually get. While some things might be similar, there will always be things one should know about applying to a college in the United States. Here are some important things to keep in mind.

1. Universities vs. Colleges
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The very first thing you should know about studying in the United States is that universities are called colleges. In most countries around the world, the term college is being used to explain a type of education less valid than that of universities.

In the US, colleges and universities are the same thing and this is something you should know from the beginning in order to avoid any confusion when picking the course of your choice.

2. The price of textbooks

You have probably seen a movie or two, or even a post on Reddit, where an American student is complaining about all the money they will have to invest into buying their textbooks for a semester. These are in fact the most expensive thing you will need to pay for during your college years.
In order to make this a little simpler and more affordable for you, you should make sure to always ask the professor if you will need to study from a certain textbook or not. In many cases, you might end up never needing the textbook and wasting your money for no reason.

3. Keep notes in your classes

Attending your classes and especially keeping notes is the number one thing that will help you succeed in your studies in the US. Textbooks aren’t always needed and most of the time they are too heavy to carry around with you.

By keeping notes throughout the semester you will be able to know exactly what to study when exam time rolls around. Sharing your notes with other people in your class could even help you make some new friends and find people to study with when you come across a difficult subject.
This way of studying will be a lot easier and you won’t have to struggle with memorizing everything from scratch since you will have already gone through everything once through your notes. An online
platform for translators such as The Word Point can help you get a better understanding of how to keep notes the right way and excel in your studies, especially if English in not your native language.

4. Finding the right studies

One of the best things about the American educational system is that you don’t have to compromise with studying something you are not enjoying. If you find that you don’t like the course you applied for, you can always change the courses and even the college you are attending.
It’s not rare for many students to have more than one major and you can even change your major as many times as you wish if you realize it’s not the right one for you. Lastly, you can also use your college credits in order to swap colleges and not have to pay anything for it.

5. You should have your ID at all times

Carrying your ID with you is always important. Being an international student, you should always have your ID and/or passport with you in order to prove your country of origin and your credentials.
On top of this, you will have to show your ID when buying drinks in any bar, as most have a strict 21 and up policy!

6. Managing your expenses

You have probably heard that US colleges are some of the most expensive in the world. While this applies for some, it is not the general rule. In fact, your college expenses will cover a lot more than just your education. You will be able to have medical insurance, accommodation in the dorms and other important benefits.

7. Networking is important

Making friends and meeting new people will really help you feel less lonely and allow you to create contacts with people who could help you evolve professionally in the future.
Since you will be a foreigner, networking is really important, especially if you wish to live and work in the US after your studies have been completed.

8. Participating in classes

The best way for your professors to notice you is by you participating in their classes as much as you can. While you might feel shy and nervous, don’t hold back from replying to their questions.
Even if English is not your native tongue, you should still try asking questions and answering to your professors so that you can practice and get to know them too.

9. There is no special dress code

You really don’t need to worry about showing up to class in a certain uniform or any sort of proper clothing. Most students will just roll into class in sweatpants or leggings and their warmest, most comfortable hoodie.

10. College clubs play an important role

College clubs in the US turn strangers into good friends and they can play a very important role in your networking and friendships. The good thing is that there are many different clubs you can join based on your interests and skills and you can learn a new skill while going through you studies.

11. Ask for help if you need it

Studying abroad will be difficult for you and you might not be able to fully understand your textbooks or you might have issues with understanding what you need to do for a certain assignment. Asking for help from your professors and peers should always be your priority if you come across a difficulty.
You will definitely not come across as annoying. In fact, your professors will be happy to see that their international students truly care about their subject and about learning.

12. Your driver’s license is probably valid

Even though you should make sure to check the laws that apply in the state you will be living in, it is most likely that your driver’s license will be perfectly valid. This way you will be able to get a car, especially if you plan on staying in the country for a while.

13. Always be on time in class

While some countries might be more lenient when it comes to arriving to class, in America most professors will expect you to be there on time, every single time. Arriving on time, even a few minutes before your professor does will help you create a good impression.

14. Interacting with local students

If it’s your first time in the States, you should keep in mind that many of your fellow students who are Americans have probably never left the country. For your first few weeks there, you will sort of be a new attraction and people are bound to ask you a million questions.
While it might get a little annoying if it happens all the time, you can use it as an opportunity to socialize, make new friends and network with people from your campus.

15. Have a vocabulary list

If English isn’t your native tongue, you might have some difficulty understanding complex words and phrases. The good thing is that it is all a matter of practice, and you will be able to fully understand everything in a short amount of time.

The best thing you can do in order to help yourself in this situation is to always carry a notebook with you, where you will write down all the words you are unfamiliar with. You can even use an app on your phone such as Evernote and make audio recordings of the words you hear in order to practice them again later.

Studying in the US will be both stressful and fun

Above all else, you need to keep in mind that people will be very understanding about the fact that you will most likely not be familiar with the “American way” of doing things. Ask for help when you need it and make as many friends as you can. At the end of the day, your studies will one day end, so you should make sure to enjoy yourself as much as possible and not worry about the little things.

Which of these things about studying in the United States did you not know about at all?


Author Bio: Pauline speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish and Italian and currently she works as a translator at translation service TheWordPoint. She travelled the world to immerse herself in the new cultures and learn languages. Today she is proud to be a voting member of the American Translators Association and an active participant of the Leadership Council of its Portuguese Language Division.

Any language learner knows that the only thing that they really need to succeed is time. Lots of and lots of free time that they can dedicate to accomplishing their learning goals. Most of us have pretty busy schedules that don’t allow to allocate sufficient time needed to master a foreign language.

But what if you could learn a language without cutting time for your usual daily activities? It’s certainly possible if you apply creativity and planning! The big secret is to embed language learning activities into your daily schedule without interrupting or interfering with them.

There are many ways to do that, and if you want to know what they are, check out the rest of the article. You’ll see that learning a language on a busy schedule isn’t magic, but a matter of time.

1. Listen to Podcasts
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Podcasts, whether designed specifically for language learning or entertainment, are a popular way to learn a language. For example, they provide the much-needed practice of listening skills, help to build vocabulary by introducing new words, and become familiar with different styles of speech. Besides, not everyone has an opportunity to listen to native speakers.
They also have one major advantage for busy language learners: the convenience. One can listen to a podcast anytime, anywhere! For example, you can listen to podcasts:

• While commuting
• While eating
• While cooking
• While running errands that don’t require a lot of attention
• While waiting.

Moreover, podcasts can provide some additional motivation to learn if you listen to those
that include your interests.

2. Hack Your Gadgets to Use a Foreign Language

Many everyday objects that you come into contact with can be great helpers with language learning as well. For example, switch your computer, tablet, smart TV, gaming system, or smartphone to the language you’re learning and you’ll expose your brain to a lot of new words and phrases every day. As the result, you can enrich your vocabulary without doing anything that would take some time off your schedule.

3. Use Smartphone Apps

Apps are another powerful way to embed language learning into your daily routine because you can open them in a couple of clicks and start learning whenever you can. Given the abundance of language learning apps out there, you’ll have to trouble finding one that suits you.
To take advantage of this convenient method, go to an online app store supported by your system (Google Play, App Store etc.), and try searching for keywords like “language learning” or “NAME OF THE LANGUAGE learning.” You’ll discover a plethora of options, so read their descriptions and try some to see what they can give you.

And, of course, try to use them once you have a chance. Language lessons cover grammar, vocabulary, and many other important areas, and are typically short (3-5 minutes), so the only things required are your desire and consistency.

4. Write When You Have Free Time

Writing in a foreign language reinforces your vocabulary and helps to practice your grammar skills, so finding a way to incorporate this activity into your routine is a must. Throughout the day, you have lots of opportunities to practice writing. Commuting is one of them. If you have to commute to get to work/college, use this time to write.

You don’t have to have a prepared topic to practice. You can write about how your day has been like so far, choose some topics from lessons you took on your smartphone, or just write about something that interests you. Then, save that text and analyze it for grammar, punctuation, word selection, idea flow, and other characteristics later. A second look may reveal the mistakes you didn’t notice the first time.

One more thing: you don’t have to have a pen and paper to write! Feel free to use your smartphone’s word processor or a note taking app. They’ll make it easier to check grammar and spelling on your computer, which can be done effectively with Ginger Software.

4. Try to Write Down New Words

It’s a known fact that writing things down improves learning. According to Dr. Helen Macpherson of Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University who recently gave an interview to Huffington Post, when people write by hand, they have to coordinate verbal and fine movement systems.

​"And when we learn new information, for example at school or in a university lecture, we don’t write verbatim, which means we have to create our own summaries and concepts,” explains Dr. Macpherson.

When you’re a student, writing can simply seem like an impossible task. Throughout our school years, we were always taught that the only reason for us to write was to get a grade and we always tried to get it over with as soon as possible. If you’re now a college student, you might be thinking that not many things have changed. 

Depending on what you’re studying, there are many reasons why writing could still be difficult for you. You might feel like it is simply not important or even not that useful in what you do. The reality is that writing as a skill, can help you even make a stable income at some point in your life. Here are some reasons why students tend to think that writing is a hard task to accomplish.

Coming up with creative ideas
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One of the most common difficulties for students is finding what to write about. Even if the topic is set and all they have to do is the writing, this task can still be intimidating for some people. Writing is a task that requires for the person to be a little creative and to be able to express their thoughts on paper with ease. 
For many students, expressing themselves and their thoughts isn’t always the easiest of tasks and that can bring quite a lot of problems in time where they have to write without putting too much thought into it. Even if you are great at arts and crafts, writing can still be tough for you if you are a little introverted or maybe even too much of an extrovert! 
The best way to overcome this is to start reading more. Reading anything from books to short stories can really help you expand your creativity as well as your vocabulary. Learning new words and understanding how to use them in a sentence can help you express yourself better and become more creative. The more you read the easier writing will seem to you. 

Doing research

Another thing that most - if not all students dread when it comes to writing, is doing the research to support what they wrote. If you have to write about a more particular topic, such as a historic or a medical one, you will have to cite all the sources you used and write down things about studies and relevant information. 
When it comes to writing papers, everyone would find writing difficult as it is so much more than just simply being creative and expressing your ideas and opinions. This kind of writing is more demanding as 
it is as you will have to have extra knowledge in order to pull such an essay through correctly. The best thing you can do about this is ask your professors for directions and try following them as closely as possible. The more you do this during your college years, the easier it will become. 

Staying focused for a while 
A common problem for young people and especially young students is focusing their attention on one thing for a long period of time. The way this generation was raised always included cell phones, video games and other kinds of fun activities, which in many cases seemed much more interesting and entertaining that finishing homework assignments. As a result, most people are now getting easily distracted and that can’t be helpful in tasks like writing. 
The best way to go about this is to keep all distractions away. Find one room to study in where your electronics, including your phone, are not present. Have your necessary notebooks and pens there but keep everything else away. You can even try and study in your local library or college’s library and see if that can help you concentrate a little bit better. 

If you’re having problems concentrating the best thing you can do is keep distractions away. If you procrastinate often and without a reason, you will come to find that even the simplest of writing tasks will seem like difficult and never-ending tasks. Make sure you keep your priorities straight and you manage to stay focused in order to make things easier for yourself. 

Finding the time to write

Writing can usually take quite a bit of time. A student’s life is usually very busy and most will feel exhausted at the end of every day. That is absolutely normal and expectable if you take into consideration how many assignments and classes students have to follow. 
Writing can seem very difficult if you have a million other things to do. You will simply find it impossible to write if your head it tired and if it’s the third assignment you had to do that day. While that is understandable, there is also a solution to it. 
You should leave writing for whenever you know you will have a little bit of extra time and nothing else to do. You will need to be rested and focused in order to better write your thoughts and produce a better outcome. If you leave your writing assignment for the last minute, you will only manage to become nervous and not write up to your expectations.

Writing doesn’t have to be difficult

Even if most students find writing to be quite a difficult task, it can actually be quite enjoyable. If you write about a topic you enjoy, you are bound to find it less difficult and more fun to do. While college and school assignments don’t always have to be fun, they can be less difficult if you pass them up as something you actually like doing. 
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By keeping distractions away and being more focused on what you write, you can finish your writing tasks in less time, That can help you feel more relaxed and allow you to see writing from a different perspective. Lastly, the more time you spend reading and expanding your knowledge on how other people write, the easier it will be for you to write something yourself, even if that is a boring college paper. 


Author’s bio: Jerry is a professional writer and he loves to help students. He has spent the majority of his career in the writing industry, gaining experiences in areas such as editing and writing. Currently, Jerry is a blogger and a Head of CD at WOWGrade.com. Jerry also enjoys reading books and traveling. 

ELS has just opened a new flagship center in Manhattan, New York, New York where students from around the world can come to learn English and immerse themselves in American culture.
 
“It’s inspiring,” Frank Prieto Pinto, an ELS student from Colombia, said of the classrooms in ELS/New York – Manhattan. “When I was living in my county I saw pictures, I saw movies, and now I feel like I’m in the movies,” he said, gesturing to the wall-sized mural of Times Square behind him. Pinto, who is a professor of Strategic Thinking and Management Skills at EAN University in Bogotá, stressed the importance of having a positive learning space. “As a student in this moment, I need a good place to study, and the classrooms are so beautiful.”
 
The new space boasts a lounge and cafe as well as collaborative spaces for students to learn and socialize.
 
“... I am confident that this [space]—together with our great staff and great program—will ensure that all of the students at this center will have a priceless and memorable experience,” said Reiji Terasaka, Chief Operating Officer at ELS.
 
About ELS Educational Services ELS Educational Services, Inc. offers more than 55 years of success in assisting international students—more than 1.2 million to date—achieve their personal and professional goals through English preparation and university study skills. ELS assists international students to identify and gain entry to higher education institutions around the world, including in Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia and the United States.
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​For more information:  ELS Language Centers