During the summer many international students are arriving at colleges and universities in advance of the new academic year, which starts in late September. As well as finding accommodation and making new friends, some of them choose to study on pre-sessional courses of academic English, in which writing skills are an important element. But other students decide to wait until their academic courses have started in the autumn, when they will be able to attend in-sessional classes in a particular skill. Which is the better option?
One big advantage of in-sessional classes is that they are normally free, while pre-sessional courses can be quite expensive, depending on their length. But it is worth remembering that after your course has started you may be too busy to study English properly, while over the summer you can give it your full attention.
Moreover, pre-sessional courses are usually assessed, which should increase your motivation to do well. In-sessional classes are often more casual, on a drop-in basis, so you may find it harder to motivate yourself to work hard.
Overall, then, pre-sessional is the more expensive option, but if you have the money and the free time you should find it more rewarding, and you will be better prepared for the start of the semester. There is research which shows that students who reach an IELTS score of at least 6.5 before starting are able to complete a Masters course more quickly and effectively.
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