How important are TOEFL scores to foreign students?
Very important, but only because we have nothing better. Your goal before admission should be to learn English, not to pass the TOEFL. Yale University attaches a great deal of importance to the process by which graduate students learn to become teachers. Every student is required to TA two terms, and may TA more terms if desired. Being an instructor or assisting one requires interactions with undergraduate students. Yale administers its own test (the “SPEAK Test”) to students after they get here to be sure they know English well enough to talk to undergraduates. Failure to pass this test causes administrative problems for faculty and graduate students.
