Preparing for life at a UK university as a non-native English speaker involves significant academic and cultural adjustments, according to Martin Jenkins, former Deputy Director of the English Language Centre at the University of Bristol. Martin, who has worked extensively with international students, particularly from China, Europe, and South America, offers valuable advice on how to navigate these challenges.
Understanding the Demands of University Life
Martin emphasises that a university course is hard work, even in one’s native country. When studying in a foreign country, students must add “the whole dimension of learning in another language”. Therefore, he advises students to prepare academically by doing as much reading of their own subject in English as possible before the course begins. This pre-course preparation is crucial to ensure students are “as prepared as [they] possibly can be”.
Navigating English Language Tests
To gain entry to a British university, students typically need to pass an English language proficiency test. Martin states that the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is the most common one. However, he notes that there are other examinations available, and the choice depends on the universities students are applying to, as “not all universities accept all English language tests”. He advises seeking local advice and checking university-specific requirements.
Martin cautions against viewing the English language test as the ultimate goal. He explains that the test is merely “the door which is opened to you,” but “the real work lies beyond that”. He stresses that even if one performs well in an entrance examination, success requires continuous effort during the degree programme. He likens it to a driving test, which shows you can drive, but “the whole the real work then starts when you are driving”. Attempting to cheat on these tests is “foolish” because “the real work starts when you’re there,” and a lack of genuine English proficiency will lead to difficulties.
For students preparing for the IELTS test, Martin offers several tips:
- Practice as much as possible across all four elements: reading, listening, writing, and speaking.
- For listening, practice the same test multiple times (two, three, even four times) to discern different details and intonation patterns. The focus should be on understanding why an answer was correct or incorrect, not just getting the right answer.
- For writing, students should “write as accurately as you can” and seek feedback from a native speaker to help with corrections, suggestions for language variety, and making points effectively.
- Speaking practice can be challenging in one’s home country, but Martin suggests practicing with friends who are also taking the test or with students from other nationalities (e.g., Scandinavians or Germans, who often have a reasonable level of English).
- Broaden vocabulary by linking different aspects of language practice. For example, if practicing speaking about a specific topic, also read and write about it, and listen to related content. This helps to learn new words in different contexts.
Addressing Common Language and Cultural Mistakes
Martin highlights that while some nationalities face specific pronunciation difficulties, or challenges differentiating sounds like “he and she” for Chinese students, he believes the “overall approach to language is more important than worrying too much about individual mistakes”. Many students, for instance, continue to make prepositional mistakes “well into their degree programs”. While understanding is often possible for speaking errors (e.g., “depend of” instead of “depend on”), these mistakes must be overcome for high-level writing and presenting.
He notes characteristic difficulties for different language speakers:
- Chinese speakers often struggle with prepositions, as their native language does not have them, making it “even more complicated”.
- Spanish and French speakers commonly encounter difficulties with prepositions, which are “a very difficult area” due to their “haphazard” and “inconsistent” rules. Both groups also frequently encounter “false friends”—words that appear similar in English and their native language but have different meanings.
- A notable cultural-linguistic challenge for French speakers, as illustrated by a student’s experience in a UK restaurant, is directness in communication. Saying “What do you want?” is considered “far too direct” and “impolite” in English; instead, “What would you like?” is the expected polite phrasing. This highlights that simply knowing the words is not enough; understanding cultural expectations of politeness, including the use of conditional language, is vital for integration.
- Russian speakers generally have a good level of English, but Martin has observed difficulties with intonation patterns, which can lead to misunderstandings by “emphasizing the wrong syllable or indeed the wrong word in a sentence”. Similar to Spanish speakers, Russian speakers may also find articles problematic. Furthermore, cultural differences might lead to the omission of courtesies like “please” or “thank you,” which, if absent in English, “can be quite glaring”. Martin notes that English speakers “tend to overdo” expressions of gratitude compared to some other cultures, like Spanish.
Integrating into UK University Campus Life
Beyond language preparation, Martin provides crucial advice for cultural integration:
- Work within an international group: A “very common mistake” students make is to “seek out those people who speak your language” due to nervousness. While this may offer some comfort initially, it hinders language improvement and cultural understanding. Martin strongly advises making friends with “different nationalities” and even considering living with students from other countries to face challenges together and improve cultural understanding.
- Join university activities: During the welcome week, students should “join those activities,” whether it’s the football club, badminton club, drama club, or art group. Joining “lots of clubs” helps students “start to know people” and engage in different activities, even if they don’t maintain all memberships.
- Avoid isolation: Martin’s key message for new students is to “join in.” Don’t “retire to your room or to your apartment”. Active participation is key to integration and making connections.
Continuous Language Development
Martin views language as something that “has to be developed” rather than simply “learned”. While tutoring can assist, focusing on specific areas of difficulty identified through initial assessments and progress tests, the ultimate responsibility for development rests on the student’s continuous practice. Martin stresses that “the idea is to show progress,” which can be achieved through consistent practice and targeted development of language skills.
Preparing for life at a UK university as a non-native English speaker involves significant academic and cultural adjustments. Martin Jenkins, former Deputy Director of the English Language Centre at the University of Bristol, offers valuable insights and practical advice based on his extensive experience working with international students, particularly from China, Europe, and South America.
Understanding the Demands of University Life
Martin emphasises that a university course is hard work, even when studied in one’s native country. When undertaking a degree in a foreign country, students must add “the whole dimension of learning in another language”. Therefore, his key academic advice is to prepare by doing as much reading of your own subject in English as possible before the course begins. This preparation is crucial to ensure students are “as prepared as [they] possibly can be”.
Navigating English Language Tests
To gain entry to a British university, students typically need to demonstrate English language proficiency through a test. Martin states that the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is the most common one. However, he notes that there are other examinations available, and the choice depends on the specific universities students are applying to, as “not all universities accept all English language tests”. He advises seeking local advice and checking university-specific requirements.
Martin cautions against viewing the English language test as the ultimate goal. He explains that the test is merely “the door which is opened to you,” but “the real work lies beyond that”. He likens it to a driving test, which shows one can drive, but “the whole the real work then starts when you are driving”. Attempting to cheat on these tests is “foolish” because “the real work starts when you’re there,” and a lack of genuine English proficiency will inevitably lead to difficulties during the degree programme.
For students preparing for the IELTS test, Martin offers several practical tips across the four elements:
- Practice as much as possible across reading, listening, writing, and speaking.
- For listening, practice the same test multiple times (two, three, even four times). The aim is to discern different details and intonation patterns, focusing on understanding why an answer was correct or incorrect, rather than just getting the right answer.
- For writing, students should “write as accurately as you can”. It is crucial to seek feedback from a native speaker to help with corrections, suggestions for language variety, and making points effectively.
- Speaking practice can be challenging in one’s home country. Martin suggests practicing with friends who are also taking the test, or with students from other nationalities who often have a reasonable level of English, such as Scandinavians or Germans.
- To broaden vocabulary, Martin advises linking different aspects of language practice. For example, if practicing speaking about a specific topic, also read and write about it, and listen to related content. This helps to learn new words in different contexts.
Addressing Common Language and Cultural Challenges
While some nationalities face specific pronunciation difficulties, or challenges differentiating sounds like “he and she” for Chinese students, Martin believes the “overall approach to language is more important than worrying too much about individual mistakes”. However, he notes that some errors, such as prepositional mistakes, can persist “well into their degree programs”. While often understood in speaking, these mistakes must be overcome for high-level writing and presenting.
He highlights characteristic difficulties for different language speakers:
- Chinese speakers often struggle with prepositions, as their native language does not have them, making it “even more complicated”.
- Spanish and French speakers commonly encounter difficulties with prepositions, which are “a very difficult area” due to their “haphazard” and “inconsistent” rules. Both groups also frequently encounter “false friends”—words that appear similar in English and their native language but have different meanings.
- Russian speakers generally have a good level of English, but Martin has observed difficulties with intonation patterns, which can lead to misunderstandings by “emphasizing the wrong syllable or indeed the wrong word in a sentence”. Similar to Spanish speakers, Russian speakers may also find articles problematic.
- A significant cultural-linguistic challenge, particularly for French speakers, is directness in communication. As illustrated by a student’s experience in a UK restaurant, saying “What do you want?” is considered “far too direct” and “impolite” in English; instead, “What would you like?” is the expected polite phrasing. This highlights that simply knowing the words is not enough; understanding cultural expectations of politeness, including the use of conditional language, is vital for integration. Martin adds that the omission of courtesies like “please” or “thank you,” if absent in English, “can be quite glaring”, noting that English speakers “tend to overdo” expressions of gratitude compared to some other cultures.
Integrating into UK University Campus Life
Beyond language preparation, Martin provides crucial advice for cultural integration:
- Work within an international group: A “very common mistake” students make is to “seek out those people who speak your language” due to nervousness. While this may offer some comfort initially, it hinders language improvement and cultural understanding. Martin strongly advises making friends with “different nationalities” and even considering living with students from other countries to face challenges together and improve cultural understanding.
- Join university activities: During the welcome week, students should “join those activities,” whether it’s the football club, badminton club, drama club, or art group. Joining “lots of clubs” helps students “start to know people” and engage in different activities, even if they don’t maintain all memberships.
- Avoid isolation: Martin’s key message for new students is to “join in.” Don’t “retire to your room or to your apartment”. Active participation is key to integration and making connections.
Continuous Language Development
Martin views language as something that “has to be developed” rather than simply “learned”. While tutoring can assist by focusing on specific areas of difficulty identified through initial assessments and progress tests, the ultimate responsibility for development rests on the student’s continuous practice. Martin stresses that “the idea is to show progress,” which can be achieved through consistent practice and targeted development of language skills.
Preparing for life at a UK university as a non-native English speaker involves significant academic and cultural adjustments. Martin Jenkins, former Deputy Director of the English Language Centre at the University of Bristol, offers valuable insights and practical advice based on his extensive experience working with international students, particularly from China, Europe, and South America.
