Jessica Wynn

International students applying to U.S.

colleges or grad programs, they have to take all the same tests, SAT, GRE, GMAT, plus English proficiency tests like TOEFL or IELTS.

So they're taking more standardized tests.

And the prep materials for TOEFL are their own industry.

You've got books, courses, apps, all designed to help non-native speakers improve their English skills specifically for this one test.

Yeah, I mean, it really depends on your English proficiency, but it's testing academic English, reading scholarly articles, listening to lectures, writing essays.

And that's very different from conversational English.

So you can be fluent in everyday English and still struggle with the TOEFL.

Yeah, in many ways they are, and they're often paying international student tuition, which is significantly higher.

So they're paying more money to face more barriers.

And the test prep materials assume a certain cultural knowledge that international students just might not have, like referencing American history or literature that's not familiar to students from other countries.

So that's a subtle disadvantage that Native students don't even have to think about.

No, I think there's something to that.

And for wealthy international students, this is where the tutoring industry really thrives.

In countries like China, like you mentioned before, and South Korea, there's a massive test prep industry specifically for U.S.

college admissions.

Some families are spending $100,000 or more just on tutoring and test prep, and they get admissions consultants just to get their kid into an American university.

The American standardized testing system has just, it's a global industry.

Well, on one hand, these tests are gatekeepers, right?

If you don't pass, you don't get into college or grad school or whatever.