Nerves got the better of this Accounting major when she was the first speaker for a school debate. Her mum bought a Mitch Albom book for her in primary school but it was years later that she could finally understand the story.

This student used English every day while studying Primary 4-6 in Singapore. He started his own skim reading scheme with a target of three to four books a month focusing mostly on politics and philosophy.

A university class taught this Economics major how to write a resume and cover letter as well as how to perform in job interviews which she thought would be useful for her future career. She usually reads books related to her major.

During her study tour to New York, this Politics major got to meet so many foreigners and was exposed to different accents for the first time. She faced difficulties using English to study other subjects which made her hate the language.

A student who read Harry Potter recalls how she did presentations and reviews on books and movies. She feels there’s too much writing in the DSE exam.

Watching videos on YouTube taught this Nursing major how to speak English more fluently.

Playing board games in class was boring while engaging in audiovisual activities is interesting. This Multimedia Design major likes to learn by watching movies such as High School Musical and Harry Potter.

Learning with technology was lost on this Psychology major because the class was too big. Reading about the history of bananas in primary school left a lasting impression.

Vocabulary provided by a teacher helped this Chinese major in his writing exams. Reading the whole series of The Chronicles of Narnia is an achievement. He had to take guesses at the meanings of difficult words and found the movies helped understand the books.

Interacting with a NET through a website fostered classroom communication. This Business major did not enjoy reading The Witches because she was forced to do so.

In an exchange to the UK, this Chinese major learnt a lot of local English. She forced herself to read the South China Morning Post every day to prepare for the A-levels.

This student recalls listening to regional accents and learning slang in the north of England. He read material written by Robert Boyle for an assignment. He enjoyed a book on the Byzantine era by John Julius Norwich.

A secondary school English teacher asked this Language major to write and perform a role-play. In secondary school, she improved her grammar and vocabulary by reading journals.

A teacher helped this student improve his presentation skills after school. He has been using the dictionary or the Internet to learn new words that he has come across when reading TIME magazine or course material.

Watching football with English commentary made English learning more interesting according to this Global Logistics major. He used to read newspapers during secondary school but now he mostly reads lecture notes.

A teacher suggested watching films and reading news to this International Journalism major. She reads the South China Morning Post for her interest and studies.

A study tour to Australia surprised this Library major as she could communicate well in English. She had to read books written in a different style while studying history. Her favourite book is 1984.

A university English course taught this Science major how to write academic essays. The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne were the first English books she read in primary school.

University English classes have given this Science major more opportunity to practise and improve. He needs to use the dictionary while reading university textbooks.

A teacher in primary school used games to spark this Physics major’s interest in English. His teacher in secondary school searched for articles on the web and asked him to read them aloud.

Even though learning English may not be interesting, this Cultural Studies major appreciates the focus on preparing for exams as it provides a foundation for future learning. She likes reading Sophia Kinsella and TV dramas such as The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl.

There was an extensive reading scheme in this Social Work major’s primary and secondary school. She learnt to write a CV, essays and reports in university. She has travelled abroad.

A student compliments a strict secondary school teacher who polished her grammar and speaking skills. She reads English course material for her major but she feels speaking is more important.

A university tutor used humour, short movies and western culture in English classes. This Electronics major listened to an audio version of the Fantastic Four and watched the movie.

Debates in a Chinese Architecture course required this Science major to spend a lot of time preparing. Extensive reading and speaking exercises in a university English course were stressful but effective in learning.

A trip to England exposed this student to different speaking tones. She also found some people spoke too fast. She read English newspapers in secondary school. She prefers English language movies to books, but is interested in song lyrics.

A trip to Singapore gave this Business major a chance to speak English with the local people. Preparation for the Gaokao improved her reading ability.

A trip to Korea involved communicating with friends who were from the US and UK. English speaking opportunities were limited in school because students used Chinese.

A teacher used activities such as classes on presentation skills to encourage this liberal studies major to communicate in English. She reads textbooks such as Global Warming as well as Harry Potter and the South China Morning Post.

Role-playing movie characters in class was one of the few chances this Software Engineering major had to practise English while studying on the Mainland. She also read newspapers, magazines and course material to prepare for TOEFL.

A university English course for this Business major was tough because of the workload. She finds Tuesdays with Morrie meaningful.

Joining an outdoor learning programme in Australia improved this Accounting major’s English significantly even though the purpose of the activities wasn’t on the language. Her parents forced her to read one book per day in primary school. The unpleasant experience turned out to be something she is now thankful for.

Extra-curricular English classes taught the alphabet, phonics, and grammar to this Mathematics major. At primary school, she read novels recommended by her teachers.

Painful memories of vocabulary dictation in primary school has turned out to be something that this Accounting and Finance major appreciates as it boosted his reading and listening skills. He learns about grammar and social issues from newspapers.

Homework based on reading and commenting on newspaper articles trained this Nursing major’s self-learning skills. Understanding journals on medical issues requires researching additional information.

Memorising vocabulary has been difficult for this Electrical Engineering major. She has not read much but would buy some books based on movies she had seen.

An Engineering graduate uses English for problem solving with colleagues overseas. He has read journals and newspapers. He feels newspapers use everyday English. Talking to foreigners can also improve speaking skills.

Being an exchange student at UCLA exposed this Language major to different accents and grammar. Her reading focuses on texts about how foreigners interpret Chinese literature.

Motivated by his ex-girlfriend, this Physics graduate worked hard to prepare for the English exam in order to get into university. He understood 20-30% of the words in the GRE.

Immersing in an English speaking environment at a very young age enabled this Drama major to acquire the language. Understanding characters with drama elements facilitated reading in lessons.