Staying with a host family while studying in Australia was a cultural exchange and English learning experience for this Finance major. She watched the TV series Prison Break and read the English and Chinese subtitles.

This student had a hotpot-themed class that involved worksheets. She is not a keen reader.

Studying in a school using English as the medium of instruction was how this Japanese Studies major learnt the language. Reading an English book makes her feel like she is doing a test.

An exchange trip to the Netherlands gave this Cultural Studies major the chance to polish her English. Since secondary school she has been reading Harry Potter because she really likes the story.

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.

A student learns English through news websites.

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.

A student credits his teachers for helping him reach what he calls a satisfactory level of English. He remembers reading Roald Dahl because he had to.

The experience of participating in a debate team let this Business Administration major markedly improve his English. He reads newspapers.

Attending high school in Vancouver was non-stop studying for this Nutrition major. Reading Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in senior high was fun even though it was something new to her.

The music from the band Westlife was part of this Science major’s English learning in high school. She also read the South China Morning Post every morning in school.

Reading course books has exposed this Social Science major to the theories and the vocabulary of his chosen field. He felt that 1984 and Animal Farm depicted the author’s thoughts on the political environment at that time.

To improve her English, this Engineering major attended tutorial classes during secondary school. She wishes she attended them earlier and practised the more as poor results are causing problems in her academic career.

A one-month exchange programme in the US during Grade 11 immersed this Computer Science major in an English speaking environment with students from around the world. He thinks reading science fiction is good for one’s imagination.

A student made more friends using English while on a study tour to Singapore during primary school. She attended tutorials to prepare for the DSE exam. She wrote reports after completing books in the English reading scheme.

Vocabulary has been a focus of this Engineering major’s formal and informal English learning since kindergarten. He writes English essays in university.

Writing her first academic essay meant this Nursing major had to do online research and read journals. As a part-time tutor, she read storybooks to help her students prepare for school examinations.

Immersed in a competitive environment, this Biotechnology major tried harder. She read literary works for school such as Bridge to Terabithia, Lord of the Flies and Taming of the Shrew. And her favourite fiction is Harry Potter.

A tutor gave this Sociology major exercise training in Primary 4. She read fiction and joined a Speech Festival in junior secondary. Exam-oriented education in senior form discouraged her from learning.

Learning English through poems and songs in Form Four entertained this Science major. As he had to answer questions about books in the SBA, he took reading seriously.

Attending tutorial classes gave this Science major a chance to practise speaking with students from other schools. She read The Five People You Meet in Heaven in Form 5 after she watched the movie.

Songs from artists such as the Beatles and Bee Gees help this student with his listening skills. He uses a dictionary to find the meaning of new words. He sometimes uses English when he teaches the violin.

When this Psychology graduate could not understand the dialogue in Brokeback Mountain, she could refer to the subtitles. A regular 20-minute session in secondary school helped to establish a reading habit.

An Irish NET raised this Accounting major’s awareness of topical issues while teaching English. He read Uncle Tom’s Cabin in primary school.

A drama competition in secondary school involved writing her own script and directing the performance. This Information Engineering major seldom gets to read books that she likes due to the school syllabus. She likes romance novels.

A patient primary school teacher used stories to build this Management major’s vocabulary. She read Jane Eyre for a DSE book report assignment.

A primary school programme let this student become friends with a Canadian child through letter writing. She has read CNN news and course material for engineering.

A student sought help from a tutorial class to prepare her for the A-level UE exam. She also enjoyed reading the Kite Runner.

A student says she enjoys studying English drama at university. She enjoyed the English reading scheme in secondary school but seldom reads now.

This Electrical Engineering major and her high school classmates appreciated that the foreign English teachers had talked about their daily life in Europe and the US. The first English book she read was The Hunger Games and she plans to read more fiction such as The Hobbit.

Spending a summer in Poland provided this Logistics major the opportunity to practise her spoken English with the help of an online translator. She started watching movies and YouTube videos with English subtitles after entering university.

Learning French supplemented with English has improved this Nursing graduate student’s English. Choir singing brushes up his knowledge of pronunciation.

A project on the origins of the English alphabet enhanced this student’s knowledge of the language. He considers Peter Pan, which he read in high school, as a classic.

Living with a host family in the UK let this Business and Law major use English and understand the culture. To Kill a Mockingbird, taught in her literature class, made her like reading English books.

Lecturers and students in university motivated this Mechanical Engineering major to improve her English. Reading materials for a Law course was hard to understand.

During the English Week at her secondary school, this Occupational Therapy major had to approach teachers and communicate in the language to get stickers. She read Roald Dahl at school and now likes Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey.

Presenting in English on a video for a university language course made this Urban Studies major nervous. She enjoyed the Lord of the Rings book and the movie because she could compare the text with the visuals.

Switching from a local school to an international one allowed this Hotel Management major to be fully immersed in an English speaking environment. Being interested in social issues and human rights, her favourite books are A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner.

Attending an international high school allowed this Hotel Management major to speak English with students from all over the world. She studied Shakespeare and has read Tuesdays with Morrie as well.

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.