A bridging course attended by this Computing Science graduate in Singapore involved writing academic essays and making presentations. She had to read a thick book on the history of Singapore to prepare for an exam.

Performing a drama on stage during Secondary 5 boosted this Biomedical Science major’s confidence. Reading about geopolitics made her think more deeply about the role of superpowers.

This Arts major reflects on getting a poor grade in a compulsory university course. She found an interesting book on psychology in a bookshop.

Coaching from classmates helped this Science major achieve a good result in the SBA. Reading The Paradox of Choice exposed him to economic theories that science students don’t normally learn about.

After learning English for twelve years in the Mainland, this Engineering major used the language for communication in Hong Kong. She learnt a lot about writing and speaking by reading a textbook about academic English.

A university English course required this Engineering major to present in class. To prepare for the GRE, he studied a textbook that is commonly used by Mainland students.

This Geography major had a hard time transitioning from a CMI primary school to an EMI secondary school. She finally understood the book Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? after a few years of university studies.

Watching the Harry Potter and Star Wars movies with Chinese subtitles facilitated English learning for this Information Technology major. He read newspapers and the dictionary when he was younger but now prefers watching YouTube and movies.

This Economics major found repetitive exercises and memorization for the Gaokao useless for her future. Philosophical readings such as On Liberty were difficult to comprehend.

Having studied in the US immersed this Psychology graduate in an English speaking environment as she interacted with locals. As a research assistant, she needed to read a lot of papers that she was not interested in.

Being a volunteer teacher in Bali enabled this Business major to speak English more while helping others. She read books in the library once but she did not enjoy it.

Listening to music and watching movies enabled this Education major to improve her pronunciation. The book Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds has inspired her to be a good speaker.

Studying in the UK immersed this Psychology major into an English speaking environment. She learnt slang and everyday English in conversation. Reading something that she likes other than textbooks can improve her reading skills.

This Philosophy major played the Joker in a high school drama based on the movie The Dark Knight. He says Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is elegant and dignified.

Participating in an English camp provided an opportunity for this Finance graduate to practise speaking. Reading reference books is helpful for exams but not for speaking.

An English class in university required this Electronic Engineering graduate to speak the language. The teacher also used different media such as music and movies to facilitate learning. He mostly reads textbooks.

Participating in the Youth Summit placed this Translation major in an all-English environment and motivated her to improve. Reading the non-fiction book David and Goliath was different to reading fiction stories.

Using English with his mother nightly influenced this Mechanical Engineering major. He read most when preparing for TOEFL and GRE exams.

Making up the last few lines of the ABC song was memorable for this Education major. When reading Harry Potter, she realised how English was used differently in novels and textbooks.

To prepare for DSE exams, this Biology major watched different TV dramas such as Gossip Girl and read The Standard. She likes reading books that she is interested in and read Why Men Marry Bitches.

Learning to match pictures and words with a kindergarten NET was an enjoyable process for this Business major. She uses a dictionary to get through university readings. She recently developed an interest in fiction.

English was the lingua franca during design classes in Switzerland for this Architect. She used to read fiction but turned to books about Architecture in university.

Describing herself as the worst student in a tutorial class, this student caught up to her older peers with help from the teachers. The first time she read a textbook was in secondary school Biology.

A passionate secondary school teacher worked with this Psychology major over 3 years to prepare for the DSE. She likes books by Khaled Hosseini including The Kite Runner. She reads Psychology reference books too.

Holding a radio show in secondary school promoted active learning and was different to regular classes for this Psychology major. A Psychology textbook was the first book she read by herself.

School English classes are where this Chinese major developed the language. She read Tuesdays with Morrie, Harry Potter and The Five People You Meet in Heaven because she wanted to find out why they are popular.

A NET helped this China Studies major analyse, modify and perform Shakespeare’s Macbeth in class. Although she regards Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter as a ‘heavy’ book for a Primary 6 student, it inspired her.

Instead of drilling and doing past papers, this Language studies major prepared for the A-levels by watching movies and videos in class. She built a habit of reading the newspaper in secondary school. She sometimes reads news online and self-help books.

Memorising vocabulary in secondary school was helpful but not so enjoyable. This Sociology major spent a lot of time reading How to Read a Book in university.

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 secondary school teacher used group projects to expose this Accounting major to new vocabulary. Other secondary teachers gave her magazine articles to read. She likes to read about science.

Preparing for TOEFL, the Business major stayed in her room studying intensively for three months. Reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People made her realise she had made progress with English.

Extra-curricular tutorials exposed this Accounting major to different English accents. She was required to read textbooks for TOEFL exam. She also read Twilight and The Vampire Dairies.

Malaysian students’ mastery of English impressed this Business major during an exchange. She chose to read about the Holocaust for the SBA.

University English classes have taught this trainee doctor practical skills such as academic writing and how to present. He likes to read about anatomy.

Doing extra reading to prepare for the DSE exam was helpful for this Physics major. He read Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time as it was popular but he didn’t find it spectacular.

Movies shown by a teacher in the UK helped this Electrical Engineering major improve his speaking and vocabulary. He learnt how to write a story from Harry Potter. He also reads about history.

As a member of a volunteer group that made subtitles for TV shows and movies challenged this International Journalism major’s listening and translation skills. A debate competition motivated her to read. She likes the symbolism in The Great Gatsby.

An online language exchange group provided this Chinese Medicine major with a chance to learn through conversation. He reads IT documents and Star Wars scripts.

Listening to songs and filling in the missing lyrics expanded this Communication major’s vocabulary in secondary school. She likes reading romantic novels with movie adaptations like One Day. Her favourite book is He’s Just Not That Into You.