Attending tutorial lessons forced this Social Science major to learn intensively and improve her English proficiency in a very short period. After entering university, it took her time to adapt to political terms she read in academic texts.

Motivated to learn more English, this student downloaded material from the Internet to improve his pronunciation during the second year of university. His reading focuses on textbooks.

Visiting a museum in the UK taught this Translation major the history of Britain and also allowed her to view some artefacts. Jane Eyre was the first English novel she read.

A teacher spent a lot of time to design a course for this Science major’s class to practise speaking while learning about American culture. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the first English book he read.

Overcoming shyness and talking to foreigners was part of this Politics major’s English self-learning. He started reading The Economist because his classmates said it improved their English.

Learning English is boring according to this Finance major. He read a book about World War II but later gave up. He would like to use English as a means of communication when he travels.

An art historian learnt a lot of new terminology related to the treatment of her cancer. She felt that The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho had a big influence on her and taught her some life lessons.

Repeatedly reading newspapers and doing past papers in class was boring and not useful for this Science major. Reading the South China Morning Post and sharing the news and vocabulary with her friends improved her language skills.

A three-month exchange in Hong Kong in which English was the medium of instruction helped this Law major to improve her language ability. She needs to read law cases but has also read Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice and Steve Gerrard’s autobiography.

Reading a phone manual allows a student to increase his vocabulary. He checks new words using Google. He learnt English effectively during secondary school.

Getting a good grade for writing and producing a video for an English language course in university is a highlight for this Computer Engineering major. He uses Google and Wikipedia to search for definitions. He watches YouTube videos with English subtitles and reads reference books.

Primary and secondary English classes included drilling, worksheets and drama for this Maths major. He read the SCMP in secondary school. He also reads Reddit.

The need to pass IELTS motivated this Computer Science major to read books and news from the Internet. She reads online news such as BBC.

Studying past papers helped to ease this Science major’s worries as he prepared for high school English exams. He also read the newspaper.

Being forced to read the South China Morning Post every day and jotting down vocabulary was horrible for this Sociology major. She finished reading the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer in half a month’s time.

Comparing parts of a sentence to left and right legs was a fun way to learn grammar for this Arts major. She likes the Harry Potter books more that the movies. Reading the South China Morning Post expanded her vocabulary.

Watching Downton Abbey and working as a part-time English teacher helped this Media and Communication major prepare for IELTS. She also read Eat, Pray, Love and watched the movie.

A visual arts major prefers to independently learn English by listening to music instead of what he describes as boring teaching. He likes reading novels and sci-fi. His favourite book is Harry Potter.

Attending weekly lessons and advanced classes was part of this Language major’s secondary education. Travelling abroad required her to use English. She code-switched when speaking to her father.

Despite the negative view on spoon feeding, this Spanish major felt she learnt a lot in secondary school. She read Animal Farm because she has an interest in politics.

The desire to study in Hong Kong motivated this Social Science major to study English hard for his Gaokao. Reading A Tale of Two Cities allowed him to feel the beauty of English.

An exchange in Italy provided this Engineering and Management major the opportunity to practise her English with other students. Although she likes Harry Potter, it is difficult to finish the whole book.

Having foreign friends who are also English teachers helped this Architecture major improve his language skills. He uses Google Translate with some of his university readings.

English stories and songs in class stoked this Computer Science major’s interest in learning English. She read The Ph.D. Grind.

Learning in school was terrible according to this Interior Design graduate. He learnt from TV shows and newspapers.

Talking with a NET in secondary school helped improve this Radiography major’s language skills. He had many opportunities to practise his spoken English during a trip to Canada. He sometimes reads newspapers and the comments on YouTube.

Watching American dramas immersed this Business major in an English-speaking environment. Reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time raised his awareness of people with autism.

Having forced to study hard every day for dictation by his parents was very painful for this Economics and Finance major. Academic journals are hard to understand because there are many difficult words and ideas.

An American university tutor taught this Chemistry major English memory skills. He enjoys reading Shakespeare’s plays including King Lear and Hamlet.

Doing a presentation about selling soap was embarrassing for this Computer Science major because he didn’t know much about the subject. He was asked to read an article about sexual violence during an English course.

Watching movies such as Southpaw, Inception and Fight Club boosted this Accounting major’s interest in English. He read the Young Post and South China Morning Post in secondary school to develop his reading habit.

Primary school English included dictation and poems for this student. This student attended after-school tutorials in secondary school. In university, students are expected to have a level of proficiency to communicate withy others.

Learning English in secondary focused on reading the South China Morning Post everyday and some English books. English days included games and watching some shows.

To prepare for GRE and IELTS, this Chemistry major read books and tried to communicate with foreigners. She read Reader’s Digest and New Concept English.

A study tour to London immersed this English Literature major in a foreign environment and boosted his confidence. His favourite book is Wonder which he read non-stop in two days.

Encouraged by her teacher, this Mathematics major tried hard to deliver a speech. Taking a class in preparation for IELTS improved her reading skills.

Organising a booth trained this Accounting major to speak English with confidence. She read the book Tuesdays with Morrie after watching the movie.

After being drilled in English by her mother at home, this Linguistics major did well in the subject. She read Enid Blyton under the influence of her friends. The Harry Potter series and books from Sidney Sheldon are her favourites.

An English only kindergarten with small classes and her first experience with drama laid the foundations for this Psychology major’s confident use of the language. She liked Twilight more than Harry Potter because it’s a love story and easy to understand.

A study tour in primary school allowed this Human Resource major to experience teaching styles that are different from those in Hong Kong. She used to read fiction but now prefers other genres. I Am Malala is inspiring.