Features of a special purpose English as a second language (ESL) course for foreign graduate students entering the Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania are described. In response to the rigorous demands and competitive atmosphere at Wharton, the course has been designed to teach coping skills and strategies, particularly for the demanding case analyses courses. Departing from the traditionally supportive atmosphere of ESL courses, the course for foreign business graduate students will include a grading system and ratings of the quality of class participation, similar to those of the Wharton program as a whole. Among the coping strategies to be taught for case analyses courses are: be prepared, participate actively, take risks, be assertive, and avoid digressions. The communication skill development strategies are sociolinguistic awareness and vocabulary expansion. Reading strategies include previewing, critical reading and thinking, significant fact identification, memory, and prioritizing and time management. (RW)