Resources for International Students

Resources for International Students

 

 

 

I will be teaching next year and I am still not confident about my language skills. What can I do?

 

The Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning offers special help for international teaching fellows (TFs) at Harvard. Depending on their needs, TFs who want to improve their oral communication skills in English can take a semester-long course or receive coaching in small-group sessions and one-on-one consultations. If you are concerned about your oral communication skills, visit the Bok Center early in your Harvard career; don’t wait until you begin to teach. You may make an appointments with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. at any time during the year. Throughout the semester, the Bok Center also offers workshops for international TFs that focus on language, culture and pedagogy. Check the Bok Center website for upcoming workshops.

The Bok Center’s Oral Communication Skills Course for International Teaching Fellows focuses on helping you develop the oral communication skills necessary for success as a graduate student and teaching fellow. Through intensive speaking activities and assignments, as well as microteaching presentations, students will work on improving their oral English comprehensibility and accuracy; pronunciation, fluency and vocabulary development; and organizational and other pedagogical strategies. Whatever students need to work on most will inform their practice and feedback. Class size is limited to 8 students and the deadline for applications is Friday, December 17.

Click here to learn more about the course or to apply for a place in the course.

The Harvard Writing Project also consults with TFs on such issues as designing writing assignments to improve undergraduate writing, commenting on student papers, and allocating time when grading; please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by e-mail or phone (617-495-5785) for information.

 

If I want to continue to develop my written and verbal English skills, is help available?


1. Institute for English Language Programs

You may want to improve your English language skills by taking Institute for English Language (IEL) Programs courses at the Harvard University Extension School or the Harvard Summer School. In all IEL courses, students read a novel and contemporary journalism as well as a wide variety of articles across the curriculum, and engage in a variety of speaking and writing tasks in order to expand their vocabulary, monitor and receive feedback on language problems, and gain wider cultural awareness. Catalogues are available at the Extension School, 51 Brattle Street, or online.

PLEASE NOTE: Placement tests are required for all IEL courses. Go to www.iel.harvard.edu to see the schedule. To take the placement test, students must reserve a seat by noon the day of the deadline. The last placement test for a January course is December 15. Reservations for the placement test may be made starting November 22.

To register for a class, please go to www.extension.harvard.edu, select Forms in the upper right of the page, then click Course Registration on the Downloadable Forms page, print and complete the form. Bring the form to GSAS at 350 Holyoke for processing and then take it to the IEL office at 46 Brattle Street. GSAS will pay tuition for one non-intensive IEL course in the Harvard Extension School or Harvard Summer School. Check www.iel.harvard.edu for a listing of January and spring-term courses. GSAS will also cover the equivalent cost of ESL Peer Consulting at the Bureau of Study Counsel. The Student Affairs Office encourages international students to take advantage of these opportunities. If students have any questions about the IEL courses or peer consulting, they should contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, by phone (617- 495-1814) or e-mail.

January Session

The GSAS Student Affairs Office is pleased to announce an important opportunity for GSAS international students. IEL is again offering two courses during the January term. Courses will begin January 11 and end February 5. GSAS and IEL understand that because of your busy schedules, you may have difficulty enrolling in fall and spring term IEL courses. Here is an opportunity for you to receive professional instruction during the January break. If you have been funded by GSAS for IEL courses or peer consulting, you are still eligible to take these courses.

IEL E-41 Pronunciation Levels A-C, D, & E.

MWF 9am-noon (ref. code 22635) or MWF 6:30-9:30pm (ref. code 22637), January 4 to January 20

Although English is a global language and is therefore produced with numerous acceptable rhythms and contours, nonnative speakers naturally wish to be understood in a variety of contexts, and particularly in international and multicultural situations where their interlocutors are also nonnative users of the language. Designed to promote the accurate articulation of ideas by the students enrolled in each class, this course utilizes a variety of media and texts that permit students to recognize and monitor their linguistic shortcomings and produce clear speech.

GSAS Writing Workshop Levels D & E.

MWF 9am-noon (ref. code 23709) or MWF 6:30-9:30pm (ref. code 23910), January 4 to January 20

This writing workshop is offered only to GSAS students. Students examine the features that are particular to writing in different fields of specialization and work at enhancing their control of the finer stylistic aspects of contemporary and professional literature. Students practice quick-writing techniques and have opportunities to craft and peer-edit a number of extended formal papers via the process method – procedures that lead them to appreciate the nuances inherent in different registers of English and meet the challenges involved in producing increasingly sophisticated versions of their writing.

Here are some additional guidelines:

Intensive IEL courses are not available at this time. Students who have taken the TOEFL exam must still take the placement test to register for a course. To drop an IEL course go first to the IEL Office, 46 Brattle Street, Room B-3. That office will send you to the Extension School Student Accounts Office. Please also notify Rise Shepsle at the GSAS Dean's Office. As the deadline for dropping an IEL course varies each term, please contact the Dean’s Office or IEL directly for an exact date. The deadline for receiving 100% of the tuition is usually one week after the normal registration period. If the Graduate School has funded you for a course, and you have dropped it by the deadline, you will be eligible for funding from GSAS to be tutored at the Bureau of Study Counsel or to take an ESL course at another time. Log in to the Extension school website on Tuesday, January 3 to view your course schedule and see your classroom.

2) Bureau of Study Counsel

Another option for international students seeking to improve their English language skills is the ESL peer consultation program at the Bureau of Study Counsel. Undergraduate and graduate peer consultants work with international students who are non-native English speakers to help them improve their oral communication skills in English. Students work with peer consultants to fine-tune their general speaking and listening skills in English, understand American idioms, learn more about U.S. and Harvard cultures, develop social conversational skills, and practice for oral presentations for classroom or professional contexts. The peer consultants are not available to assist with writing skills or help with editing.

It is advisable to request a consultant as early as possible.  Students interested in the ESL peer consultation program should call 617-495-1814 and make an appointment to see Rise Shepsle.

 

 

Is it possible to discuss with someone specific questions about papers I am working on or general concerns about writing?


Students, including those for whom English is not a first language, may make an appointment at any stage of their writing for one-hour conferences with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , the GSAS Writing Tutor. All consultations are free and confidential. GSAS also provides a list of proofreaders and editors. Proofreading and editing services are paid for by individual students.

The Bureau of Study Counsel offers a Dissertation Writers Support Group each semester to graduate students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Education, the Harvard Kennedy School, and the Harvard Business School Doctoral Programs.  If you are interested, schedule a half-hour pre-group consultation meeting with Dr. Niti Seth or Dr. SungLim Shin by calling the Bureau at 617-495-2581.

For more information about writing resources for GSAS students, including international students, please go to http://gsas.harvard.edu/writing.

 

I live in a GSAS residence hall. Is it possible for me to meet informally with other international students to discuss problems I face as an international student?

 

Several Resident Advisors (RAs) have a particular interest in English as a Second Language and in assisting international students. You can contact any of the other RAs, as well.

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I have been a graduate student for several years and would like to help new GSAS international students. What can I do?


Think of applying for positions such as Dudley Fellows or resident advisors in the GSAS residence halls.

You can also assist with the GSAS summer English Language Program for incoming international students. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

We encourage international students to sign up to host an incoming international student in the Host Student Program. The goal of the program is to help incoming international students feel welcome and comfortable as they make the transition to life in the US and in GSAS. Look for an invitation to participate in your email in April.

 

How can I meet students from other countries and other GSAS departments and continue to develop my English language skills?


Get involved at Dudley House, your graduate student center, which hosts social events, intellectual/cultural events, arts outings, film series, literary events, public service opportunities, athletics, and musical groups.

 

Whom can I talk with in GSAS about any academic or personal concerns?


  • Garth McCavana, Dean for GSAS Student Affairs, has general responsibility for the welfare of graduate students and monitors students’ academic status and progress and is available to discuss any concerns that may arise. He will refer students to additional sources of assistance if necessary.

Offices: Holyoke Center, 3rd floor, 617-495-1814; Dudley House, 3rd floor, 617-496-3362; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

  • Ellen Fox, Director of GSAS Student Services, is the primary resource for all GSAS students about any academic or personal concerns. She serves in an advisory role and provides support and information about counseling and other services for GSAS students. Ellen supervises the Resident Advisors, one of whom resides on each floor of the GSAS Residence Halls.

Office: Dudley House, Rm. B2, 617-495-5005; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  • Darryl Zeigler at the Harvard International Office serves as the international student advisor for all GSAS students. He is responsible for advising students on matters related to their immigration status and is available to discuss any concerns that may arise.

Office: Holyoke Center, Rm. 864, main number: 617-495-2789 or direct number: 617-495-0640; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  • Another good source of help is the Bureau of Study Counsel, which offers — among many other workshops — a group called “What Are You Doing with Your Life,” which is aimed at graduate students who wish to explore their purpose, passion, and potential, along with the conflicts and challenges they feel in defining who they are, what they are doing, and where they are going in life. Interested students should schedule a half-hour pre-group consultation meeting with Dr. Sheila Reindl or Dr. Frank McNamara by calling the Bureau at 617-495-2581.

 

For travel within the U.S., do I need to carry documentation?

 

When you travel within the boundaries of the United States, you will not normally go through immigration inspection procedures. If you travel by car or bus near a border area (for example the Canadian border) you may encounter immigration “spot checks.” It is advisable to carry your passport, I-94 card, and visa documents in these areas. If you are traveling within the United States by plane, you should also travel with all of your immigration documents, as you may be asked to show official identification. Finally, it is advisable to carry at minimum a photocopy of your I-94 card, visa document and the biographical page of your passport whenever you are traveling outside the Boston area.

If you have any further questions about travel and documentation, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. at the Harvard International Office.

 

How do I keep up with information relevant to my graduate student experience?


Please read the GSAS Bulletin and consult our website. Please also read Dean Garth McCavana’s monthly newsletter to students. We also encourage you to participate in the activities offered by Dudley House.