Ten years in a year
Academic Year programs exist in any country where there are language schools for foreigners. In the traditional format, the course lasts one academic year (36 weeks – nine months), but programs of longer (48 weeks) and shorter (a semester or even a trimester) duration can also be found. No special knowledge is required for admission, so theoretically you can arrive as a complete beginner. But you will have to study very intensively, because in one year you need to catch up on everything that was missed at school.
The main audience is schoolchildren of various ages planning to enter the senior classes of foreign schools, boarding schools, or even universities. Usually, 20-40 lessons per week are devoted to the language. Before lunch, there are group classes in general English, German, French, and other languages; the second half of the day can be spent on more specific tasks, preparation for international exams, studying individual aspects of the language, and individual lessons.
In fact, the higher the level of preparation, the greater the choice of additional options: you can take courses in art, literature, religion, or history. Students on such courses will be taught to take notes, write essays, and give oral presentations. A standard option is offered, for example, at the British Torbay Language Centre. The program lasts 32 weeks, with classes starting in September, January, and April. The base cost is 5,712 pounds; all further "extras," naturally, make the stay in the country more expensive.
Some schools enter into agreements with universities or secondary educational institutions, according to which graduates of the school with certificates of a certain level are admitted to these educational institutions without additional exams. For example, with a diploma of completion of the academic year at the Maltese EC European Centre, you can apply to the University of Malta, one of the oldest in Europe. Such a prospect seems tempting at first glance, but it must be remembered that the choice in this case is limited only to those educational institutions with which the school has a contract. But by and large, participation in the "Academic Year" obligates neither side of the educational process to anything.
When booking long-term programs, schools usually offer discounts on tuition and accommodation. The general pricing rule states: of all English-speaking countries, studying will be most expensive in the United Kingdom. If a long trip is planned (more than a month), it is worth paying closer attention to Australia and New Zealand: the cost of expensive plane tickets will more than pay for itself through lower tuition costs. Studying German and French in Germany and France will be cheaper than in Switzerland and Austria.
If you choose one of the so-called chain schools, you can change your surroundings several times during the year – city or even country – without harm to the learning process, since classes in such schools are conducted according to a single schedule and using nearly identical materials. For example, the international language center Aspect has branches in Bournemouth, Cambridge, London, Vancouver, Toronto, Dublin, and the OISE school is present in Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, London, Boston, San Francisco, Sydney, Paris, Madrid, and Heidelberg. In short, as long as there is a desire, a suitable "interior" will always be found.
Language as a means to get acquainted... with a university
Foreign language programs for academic purposes are suitable both for those who plan to continue studying at universities and for those who simply want quality language training for work or communication. Such programs are offered by both simple language centers and universities. The latter are of the greatest interest to potential students, because it is a unique chance to see the life of your potential alma mater from the inside and finally decide on your choice, and besides, of course, it is an experience of truly international communication plus the opportunity to use all university benefits – libraries, media centers, language laboratories, etc. – on par with real students.
Unfortunately, only those who have reached the level of Intermediate, MitteJstufe, etc. are accepted into such programs. Whether your knowledge is sufficiently "average" will be determined at a placement test. Usually schools offer 25-30 lessons per week; here the most varied combinations of a general course with a business course, exam preparation, etc. are possible. Mandatory options include note-taking, report-writing, project work – in general, what can really be useful in studies. The duration is determined only by the client's needs (as a rule, future students come for no less than four weeks).
A standard version of "English for Academic Purposes" is offered, for example, at the British University of Sunderfand. It can be completed here in fifteen, nine, and five weeks. The cost of tuition (15 lessons per week) and accommodation is 3,600, 2,340, and 1,300 pounds sterling, respectively.
As with language schools, some universities accept graduates of "their" courses without exams. This is exactly what happens at Australia's Macquarie University: ten weeks of preparation here will be a guarantee of successful admission. Of course, you may not use this right – especially if the university you initially chose disappointed you. Then there is only one thing left – to take language exams on a general basis and apply to another university. The main thing here is not to miss the moment and to find your bearings in time.
If a university has not yet been finally chosen, it is more advisable to take several shorter internships of three to four weeks instead of one long one, in order to see as many "candidates" as possible, which will have to be selected independently or through an agency. Some educational institutions offer organized introductions to universities. For example, the Australian Melbourne Language Centre has a Study Tour option that includes visits to universities and colleges in the region.
In addition, university courses provide an opportunity to choose a narrower specialization and start learning vocabulary in a field of interest. In this way, you can both improve your language skills and master the basics of a profession (and again, if anything happens, there will be time to "retrain"). Such programs can take place both throughout the academic year and in the summer. The number of specialized subjects is astounding: there are courses for sociologists, engineers, historians, art historians, etc. For example, the course "for advanced users" offered by the University of Geneva includes lectures on French literature and culture, the history of Switzerland, and classes in phonetics and language style.
Potential students at the University of Bremen study the language for 20 hours a week, and devote another five to specialized disciplines: science and technology, political science and economics, history and social studies, art and literature. At Munich's Ludwig-Maximiiians-Universitaet, future students are offered courses such as German art in the context of European art, drawing and lithography, German literature after 1945, German literature on stage and in film, and public speaking.
If there is such a need, you can focus exclusively on developing language skills. For example, New Zealand's University of Canterbury offers two "professional development courses" for future and current students: Academic Writing and Study Skills for University Study and Academic Writing Course. The first will help you learn to take notes, work in the library, and write essays. The second will reveal the secrets of competent "academic writing": how to divide text into paragraphs, make references, cite other authors, etc. The programs cost 1,995 and 730 New Zealand dollars, respectively. Applicants must have IELTS certificates of at least 6.0.
For those who are genuinely interested in continuing their education at a Western university, the most interesting offers are those that include exam preparation. After all, certificates of passing these exams are a mandatory requirement for foreign applicants. For example, at New Zealand's University of Waikato, a "typical project" involves three months of classes with 23 lessons per week, plus independent study with and without the close supervision of a teacher. Those whose preparation leaves much to be desired work on listening, reading, and practicing oral speech. Those who are at the "highest level of development" can choose from the following narrower specializations: IELTS Preparation, Business Engtish, News and Current Affairs, English through Information Technology.
Another option for those who have already been admitted is intensive preparation courses before the start of the academic year. They usually last two to eight weeks and involve classes with an intensity of 20-30 lessons per week. For example, students admitted to the University of Arizona can improve their oral and written communication skills within a month, as well as learn about the specifics of the higher education system in the United States. The cost of tuition is $1,470. According to university staff estimates, total expenses, including accommodation and meals, should not exceed $2,500.
In short, the choice for today's applicants is so wide that if you do not have a clearly defined goal, it is easy to get lost in this sea of educational offers.