There are often many misunderstandings among international students about Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) regulations. Some of these are caused by misinformation about INS regulations for students with F-1 visas, and some are a result of the unique nature of Capstone English Center itself and our requirements. We hope some of this information will help you understand your rights and responsibilities to make your time in this country and at Capstone as productive and trouble-free as possible.

Q: How do get an I-20 form to apply for a student visa?

See here

Q: May students work in the United States?

Most of our students are in the United States on F-1 foreign student visas. These visas require students to be continuously enrolled, full-time, at an approved school, and deny the right to employment (work for money) except under very specific, special conditions (and only after written approval by the INS).

Q: What should students do if they become ill?
Capstone expects students to call each day if they cannot attend. Again, ask what an employer would expect, and behave accordingly. We certainly do not wish you to come to school if you might spread your illness to others, or if you might interfere with their studies, but staying out of school simply because one might be uncomfortable is not adequate excuse. If an illness persists for more than a few days, we might require a doctor's statement that a student is too ill to attend.

Please Beware: Although it might not seem fair, Immigration does not consider illness to be sufficient reason for repeated or extended nonattendance.

Q: Why do Capstone students have to study more than at other schools?
They don't. It can be, however, a matter of perception.

Other colleges or universities might only require students to enroll for 10 or 12 "credit hours" (in a school using 9 to 10 week quarters) of classes to be full-time, while Immigration requires students in a school like Capstone to attend at least 22 hours every week. However, you must remember that for every hour students spend in a university lecture class they must expect to spend between 1 and 3 hours studying outside class. If you register for 12 credit hours, plan on spending 24 hours studying each week, in addition to the 12 hours you spend in class. You might do that studying at home, in the library, in the hall in front of your instructor's office (waiting for their office hours), or anywhere else you can find time and space.

Therefore, the only difference between Capstone and other schools is . . . that students might study less here! Well, not really. The difference is that we expect that students will do most of their studying in school, where they have the opportunity to work with instructors when they have questions or problems. Because of Capstone's flexible Individualized methods, if they choose to study evenings and weekends (at home, or anywhere else, outside of school hours) they should make more progress in less time, achieve their goal, and move on to college more quickly, saving themselves both weeks or months of time and hundreds or even thousands of dollars!

Each one of us is different. We all learn at different rates, sometimes through different methods, and have preferences for different subjects. This is especially true for languages. At times we see one person who will work three times harder but make half the progress of another. It is not fair, but it is an unchangeable fact of life. One of the goals of Capstone is to make it possible for able students to achieve their goals sooner, at less cost than at other schools, while at the same time enabling slower students more access to instructors and resources, so they can reach their highest potential as well, without failure.

At the same time, if you are making satisfactory progress toward your academic goal and regularly attending all your tutorial meetings and conversation/study groups, you might not be expected to be in school all of that time. If students are interested, we can have volunteer opportunities or internships where students can practice their English in real-world situations, often helping others, sometimes in a setting where they can use their own educational or career experience.

Q: Why do some students not have to attend 22 hours each week?
Some students attending Capstone do not have F-1 visas. Some might be in the U.S. on visitor (tourist) visas, while others might be here as dependents on a spouse's or parent's visa. Naturalized American citizens or permament residents might enroll to study ESL and/or vocational subjects. They might choose to study English while they are here, but they are not required to attend for any specific length of time or minimum number of hours.

Q: Why do some F-1 students attend less than full time?
Students who demonstrate their responsibility through superior progress and attendance, may be permitted to broaden or enrich their studies by studying additional subjects (possibly even auditing classes at another school), volunteering, or taking part in internships — perhaps at other locations — which might involve their spending less time at Capstone . . . as long as they maintain superior progress here! But such outside study must be authorized in writing in advance and students must be ahead of their study schedule with superior grades in order to receive such permission.

Q: What if progress is not satisfactory?
Students whose progress and attendance are less than satisfactory will be required to improve their attendance (22 hours per week at the least) and academic progress — or risk loss of status. If they do not improve their effort and progress, they could be placed on probation. If they still do not improve, they could be expelled. The purpose of this policy is not to threaten or frighten, but international students are extended a privilege not available to other visitors in the United States: they can be allowed to remain here for a very long time. That privilege comes with very specific conditions about their behavior, as students. If some individuals do not choose to honestly meet those conditions, then we have a responsibility to advise them of what they must do to live up to their responsibilities, and, if they cannot or will not do so, then we cannot continue to represent them as students. In that case, we are also required to inform the INS of the fact that they are no longer students of Capstone English Center.

We understand that people do not start out intending to fail, but some of us are more diligent than others about setting and achieving goals for ourselves. Like all of us, some students have a clear idea of what they want to achieve while they are in this country and devote most of their time and effort toward that goal; others behave as if they were on vacation.

Most of us are somewhere between, with only a general idea of our goals. This is normal, and many students will change their minds several times about what they want to study. International students should enjoy their stay in the United States, and the things they learn — in and out of school — will help them grow and mature as individuals. But international students must always remember that they are — first and foremost, in this country — students. If they cannot give their studies first priority in their lives, then, perhaps, they should not be in school . . . or in this country.

Q: Does Capstone English Center make a profit?
No. Most elementary and high schools in the United States are public schools, but many post-secondary schools (colleges and universities) are private. How can you tell the difference? You can't be certain without asking, but if a college or university has "state" or "community" in its name, it is probably a public school. Almost all vocational, career, and language schools are private.

Capstone, however, is part of a private, 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation called Educational Research Associates. That means that was formed under paragraph 501(c)3 of federal tax regulations, which allows it to operate without paying federal income taxes. In exchange, there are no stockholders or owners of the corporation, and does not make or declare any profit at the end of the year.

Nobody working at Capstone English Center, not even the Director, receives any income beyond our salaries.

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Copyright © 2008 Capstone English Mastery Center