The English language is one of the principal elements from which our society determines the ability of an individual. As English has gained so much importance, studying English abroad for one year has been regarded as a prerequisite for employment. A while ago, I had the opportunity to run into Korean university students studying English as a second language abroad. The chronology of their studying experience at the time was as follows.

1st Month : Arrival at site. I feel scared to walk out to the streets. If an outing is necessary, try to dodge the glances of natives and immediately get back after running errands. In the dorm room, I prefer to watch television. With subtitles and a clear English pronunciation, CNN news is not so difficult to understand.

2-4 Months : Registered in the ESL course of the university. The classes are grammar, conversation, and writing, of which grammar is too easy. Sometimes, other foreign classmates come to me for questions. No doubt, Koreans are the best at grammar. Daily life has become easier. I know where to buy goods and how the bus line and the metro lines function. Still, I am scared to talk with native speakers. I can communicate my ideas and intentions, but it is hard to understand the other person’s response.

5-7 Months : I think I have developed a good sense of the language. In conversation class, I responded with my intuition, and the teacher commended
me. Now I can also hear and understand a little bit of the words of the native speakers. Looking around, I notice that I have numerous Korean friends. I missed all the classes of the final weeks because I went traveling with them.

8-10 Months : I am feeling a big loss for having missed many classes in the last term. Composition class is particularly hard. In the beginning, my foreign friends were not as good as I was, but now when they are given a subject for an essay they turn in two A4 size pages without any problem. During our conversation class nowadays, we engage in discussions on a given topic. I can understand the discussion but feel agitated that I cannot express my opinion well.

11-12 Months : Language classes are finished. I am no longer fearful of running into anyone on the streets. But it is still difficult to talk for a long time with the native speakers. I can sort of understanding the news on the television with subtitles, but debate programs are really hard to understand. It is rather absurd, given that talking to people outside seems so easy.

Although the abovementioned chronology does not account for every single person, perhaps it could serve to answer the question of whether or not the effectiveness of a study abroad English language program is worth the 30,000 USD in expenses (at the minimum).