在美国上学、生活、工作最重要的技能就是英文语言能力，英文好的话，一切会顺利很多。
在中国传统学校中的英语课程提供语言结构中的语法部分学习，非常基本的写作和阅读能力，口语生活会话能力和考试需要的听力能力，很多的国际学校的英文课程专注于英文标化备考，但是在美国学校的ESL课程目标却不是为了通过英文考试而学习，而是为了能够让学生使用英文进行深入阅读和写作，能够使用英文去修读历史，文学，科学和数学课程，还能够使用英文与当地学生，老师交流，使用英文去参加各种活动，俱乐部，例如表演，演讲，体育，辩论等等，这些都需要流畅、地道的英文去实现，这也是为什么从国内学校到美国学校上学的学生，如果没有专门的英文学习， 进入美国学校课堂如同听天书的原因。
这里也要给大家说明，在美国初高中教育阶段，美国公立学校按照学生需要，基本上都提供ESL课程，但是不是每一家私立学校都提供ESL课程，英文没有到跟美国当地学生水平相当的同学，在选择学校的时候就要特别留意学校的ESL课程设置。在美国高等教育阶段，许多大学都提供ESL课程，如果学生英文基础弱，可能要花不只一年的时间去修读ESL课程，初高中阶段和大学阶段修读ESL课程的学生，都需要老师和学校同意，才能Test out 修读非ESL课程。
也就是说，如果没有在留学前进行英文学习，就要在留学后拿出宝贵的时间去专门修读英文ESL课程，如果可能的话，可以尽早进行英文学习，这样到了国外，就能把宝贵的时间放在实际的课程学习上，课程起点也会更高些。
在美国教育中，历史课程，文学课程跟科学和数学课程同等重要，历史和人文课程帮助美国教育系统中的学生成为成熟，有分辨力，有文化的世界公民，因为美国的整个社会体系就是要求全民参与国家建设，政策，政治的讨论，从幼儿园开始，问学生怎么想，为什么这么想，依据是什么，从而学会思考，学会提问，学会作出合理决定，学会解决问题, 拥有创造力。
“One benefit of an education is acquiring fundamental skills. Humanities teaches many fundamental skills such as critical thinking, analysis and creativity. These skills are useful not only for those considering graduate level studies or professional degrees, but also for those considering careers in business. For example, you can apply the creative thinking skills you learn in humanities classes to many industries and professions. A historian can move beyond academia and contribute to business, video gaming and filmmaking. It all depends on how you apply what you learn.
The humanities are also important when it comes to personal development. The critical and creative thinking skills learned through humanities studies form a basis for understanding the human experience. For example, you might have better insight into the ethical questions that define today’s cultural debates. Or during the course of study, you learn a language, which will allow you to appreciate another culture in a way that you could not without that knowledge. That flexibility is what makes humanistic knowledge so powerful. It is a core branch of thinking that, in many respects, formed the foundation for modern thinking. In fields ranging from science to politics, humanists were there first, thinking about the human condition and how to solve our problems.
A humanities degree also broadens your perspective. You may be able to use your critical and creative thinking skills to dissect the steps it took to create a world-famous sculpture or painting. In this scenario, the humanities degree is less about you and more about your ability to appreciate another person’s hard work. Both in your professional and your personal life, being able to appreciate good work is a unique benefit. Steve Jobs, for instance, is well known to have been very particular about design elements. He learned calligraphy in school and gained an appreciation for typography. This appreciation influenced the way he designed the Macintosh interface. Without this appreciation, there would be no impetus to change the status quo in his domain.” https://degree.utpb.edu/articles/liberal-arts/skills-gain-by-studying-humanities.aspx
即便是一个对科学和数学十分感兴趣的学生，拥有文学和历史等人文和社会学科所练就的种种能力，也会在学术和职业之路上走得更远。而人文和社会科学学科需要的英文阅读量，词汇量，分析思辨能力较比科学和数学课程更加具有挑战。