With the beginning of Matileo’s sixth edition, we can’t help but wonder; why did the university choose to make a whole week dedicated to help the new students with language, mathematics and English? What is so important about English that it made it to the list of the most essential subjects and drove the university to invest on an entire center dedicated to aid students with their learning process? This article aims to explain why it is vital to know English in this new world and why the university makes so much emphasis on making sure all of its students have a good English learning experience. For the benefit of this article, various interviews were carried out; where they all agreed that English opened new doors for people. Knowing English is very helpful when you travel, helps you get better jobs, and it gives you wider access to knowledge.  

“Being able to speak and understand English was very useful to me when I was in my exchange semester, where I traveled to various countries in Europe and Asia and met people from all over the world”. According to Maria Camila De Paz, an Industrial Engineering student, knowing English enabled her to learn a little form different countries in the world and helped her get around the countries without getting lost. English is spoken as a first or second language in various countries on the world, closing the gap between cultures and allowing cultural exchange. Lina Maria, a monitor form the E.L Center and Law student, emphasizes on the importance of speaking English abroad “It kept me out of trouble and allowed me to make many friends who I’ll be able to visit later on”.  

Another important advantage of knowing English is the different and important job opportunities that open up for you. Multinational companies like Sodexo, Renault, Samsung and Honda have already adopted English as its official language, by implementing speaking English as a requirement of the hiring process. “English is a business language. It has become the language of trade, communication, science and major international media” Catalina Mora an internationalist who works at the Fulbright Commission, highlights that having at least a B2 level of English is a plus for all of the job aspirants and that is one of the main reasons why Fulbright masters scholarships are so competent and many people apply. The higher your English level is, the more the companies will be attracted to you and the more business opportunities you will have to choose from.  

It is not enough with only understanding and knowing English, you should also be able to write and read in English. This language provides you with wider access to knowledge, since most of the academic papers and books are written in English. One of the main reasons to read this kind of information in its original language, is that there are many main ideas that are lost in translation and technical words that do not have an equivalent in the other language. Dr. Harold Manzano who specializes in youth development and academic research, touched on the importance of writing and the way in which you should record your findings “If you intend on writing an article to reach a great amount of people and achieve high recognition, you must do it on English”. By being able to write in this language, you will save a lot of time and money on professionals and succeed on all of your research areas. 

In conclusion, the student’s English learning process is very important at Icesi University because it provides people with many opportunities in their life. By having a conversational English level, you will be able to get to know different cultures, travel around diverse countries and forge unforgettable friendships. All of our teachers and monitors are well aware that helping students strengthen their English, will open wonderful job opportunities on important multinational companies. Finally, being able to read and write in English, provides the students with larger access to information, eases their research process and allows them to reach a greater audience.