ESL qualifications question

[mybubbles627]

What qualifies someone as an ESL? What if you were born in another country, then moved to the states, your parents always spoke to you in that language at home, you were in ESL in grade school and only learned English once you began school BUT you don't have an accent. Does that count? What age did you need to learn English to be considered ESL? Thanks for the help!

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[pkwraith]

What qualifies someone as an ESL?
He learned English as a Second Language

What if you were born in another country, then moved to the states, your parents always spoke to you in that language at home, you were in ESL in grade school and only learned English once you began school BUT you don't have an accent. Does that count?
If English is your second language, yes. Who cares about accents?

What age did you need to learn English to be considered ESL?
It doesn't matter. Older people obviously have more difficulty, but ESL stands for English as a Second Language, not English as a Second Language Over Age of Twenty (ESLOAT)

It's a pretty simple definition. I don't understand what you're getting at. Did AMCAS add an ESL classification this year or something?

 

[mybubbles627]

AMCAS has always had that classification, I was just wondering what the criteria was for schools to consider someone to be ESL. Obviously there is a difference between someone who has only spoken english for 3 years versus someone who has spoken it for 10+. Didn't know if it was just as simple as "was english the first language you learned".

 

[TheMightySmiter]

If you clearly remember a point in your life where you couldn't understand English, I'd consider you ESL.

 

[kryptonian]

I think the only one who can give the most accurate definition for ESL in consideration of Verbal score is the adcom like LizzyM.

 

[LizzyM]

Frankly, I've never seen the ESL button on the AMCAS or paid it any mind. I have seen a listing of languages spoken with one's primary language listed first and most people list English first even if they were born abroad of parents who were educated abroad (e.g. foreign student in the US or immigrant from abroad, not a foreign-born child of US citizens).

Sometimes, a poor verbal score would be "forgiven" if the applicant was otherwise stellar and it was obvious that the applicant had lived in the US < 10 years. The evidence of that is often in the personal statement, place of birth, place of parents' education and sometimes LORs. On the other hand, some of these applicants have spoken English that is worse than their written English and that derails their career plans.