A short programme in the UK inspired this Economics major to learn more about English. She thinks reading books like The Little Prince and Peter Pan is time well spent.

An English course in Australia provided this Philosophy major with the opportunity to talk to native speakers and learn everyday English. He finds it difficult to understand some course material.

After hearing Sophie Kinsella’s books are good, this Business major bought the Shopaholic series. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling is her favourite.

Watching the YouTube channel danisnotonfire exposed this New Media major to new vocabulary. She read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green as it was recommended by many YouTubers.

A drama competition in secondary school was a welcome break from exams and textbooks for this English major. He was the scriptwriter and used a dictionary to complete the job. The local content in the SCMP is appealing.

Liberal Studies classes were an interesting way to learn more than grammar and vocabulary for this English Teaching major. She has read What If and says newspapers can broaden students’ thinking.

Chatting with his cousins in Canada allowed this Science major to learn informal English. He read One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh and Inuyasha comics in English.

Studying English poetry helped this logistics major prepare for the DSE exams. He says like poetry, logistics uses language in a unique way.

An enthusiastic teacher was willing to do extra work for this Nursing major. She read newspapers every day in secondary school to learn new vocabulary.

English language enhancement courses helped this graduate who is now working as a chemistry researcher. He says the classes helped him with speaking. He uses English in his work and has read the South China Morning Post, TIME, and Wikipedia.

The university course “Learning English from Songs” taught this Accounting major everyday English. Readings on Philosophy required her to check the dictionary frequently.

Despite being shy, this English major used the language to communicate during a homestay in New Zealand in primary school. She likes Sophie’s World because it explores ideas that people might think but never discuss. She also read Oedipus the King and analyses poetry in university literature class.

A teacher in secondary school asked this Business Administration major to make a class presentation. He read some e-books to prepare for his studies.

To prepare for IELTS exam, this Economics major read a lot and practised spoken English with her friends. Reading Pride and Prejudice was difficult but she was able to finish it.

A pre-reading activity for a crime story fostered this Physics major’s creativity. Participating in the Battle of the Books made him memorise the selected titles. Reading allows him to imagine.

Communicating with foreigners in an exhibition was a chance for this Social Work major to put what she learnt into practise. She presented a piece of news in a university English class.

Training overseas allowed this Logistics major to speak to foreigners with different accents. It was difficult to understand at times. She rarely reads in English.

Watching movies and having follow-up discussions were interesting English learning experiences. This Engineering major also read books borrowed from a library to prepare for the DSE.

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.

A university exchange to the UK helped this student with her conversational skills. She feels she needs to read more.

A teacher encouraged this Linguistics major to join a speech competition, which made her realise learning English could be fun. She read Tuesdays with Morrie and found it inspiring.

Websites such as Stack Overflow, Wikipedia and the W3School allow this Computer Engineering major to read and share ideas about programming. He learnt conversational English by watching movies like Momento in secondary school.

A student recalls how her NET tested her speaking skills by giving her only a few minutes to prepare for a presentation. Another teacher encouraged her to read BBC English news websites.

A course in university taught this English major how to appreciate and analyse literature. Her brother recommended she read The Hunger Games but she was apprehensive when she saw it was a trilogy.

Doing case studies in a university language course was a refreshing alternative for this Business major. She grew bored with the secondary school reading scheme.

An English Teaching major took part in a Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in Primary 5. He read TIME magazine but found it too complicated.

Chatting with the instructor and classmates in university English lessons was a positive difference noted by this Information Systems major. He finds university course material interesting.

Joining a summer school programme in America gave this Business major a chance to talk with English learners from other places. She read a book about how introverts can be successful in business.

A three-week English programme in an international school involved playing basketball, dodge ball and performing a drama. It is difficult for this Psychology major to understand some of the vocabulary used in his course.

Staying with a host family in Liverpool for two weeks in Form 5 has had a long-term effect on this Engineering major. He remembers frequently looking up words in the dictionary on his first attempt to read The Hobbit.

Watching TV news taught this Logistics vocabulary and phrases. She thinks reading The Hunger Games is more exciting than watching the movie version.

Watching movies such as Pride and Prejudice and An Inspector Calls in English lessons captivated this Law student. She had many readings related to her major.

Despite having travelled to Oxford for a study tour, this student feels she learns more from watching movies and TV series. She read the Black Cat series in secondary school. Her favourite author is Mitch Albom but she reads the Chinese versions of his books.

A Chinese teaching graduate had more English speaking opportunities during an exchange trip to Singapore. These days he uses English in China to communicate with potential overseas students. He studied Shakespeare in secondary school.

Interacting with other gamers online has broadened this Business major’s language skills. He feels comfortable chatting online because he can speak without focusing on grammar. He reads The Economist weekly but may miss the meaning of sentences even with a dictionary.

This English Teaching major feels her university’s overseas immersion programme is the most useful experience. She read newspapers to prepare for exams.

Researching a topic for a presentation in secondary school made this student question his English proficiency. His reading has centred on course material. He is finding it difficult to study in English university because he used Cantonese in secondary school.

Getting good marks in a course offered by the university language centre motivated this student to improve her presentation skills. Studying in Hong Kong is different from Mainland as all her course books are in English.

Extra-curricular classes were more interactive than those focusing on exams in school for this Science major. She mostly reads research papers and textbooks.

English became part of this Engineering major’s life in the month before taking IELTS. She had to adjust to reading English lecture notes when she first arrived in Hong Kong.