Attending an academic conference in South Africa gave this Radiography major an opportunity to use English. He has to read a lot of manuals for his field.

There are more English speakers on campus so this Engineering major can practise using the language. He reads about fishing in English and would need to know the terms if he were to travel overseas.

Starting at an international school in Form 5 meant this Fashion Design major used English in all classes. She had to read books like Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress and The Handmaid’s Tale during secondary school and found the content to be too explicit for her age.

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.

Starting off in an international school, this Fashion Marketing major faced problems when switching back to the local system as teachers preferred using Cantonese. She read works of Shakespeare for her literature class, such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Attending an EMI school was a very good environment for this Counseling major to learn English. She primarily reads books related to her major.

Primary and secondary school education was the longest period of time that this Biology major studied English. He feels university education only allows him to learn about his major. He mainly read books regarding biology.

English classes at school did not impress this Biology major because she did not get the opportunity to speak. She rarely reads English books but learns the language through YouTube and songs.

While working as an environmental protection intern in Australia, this Primary Education major used English to communicate with colleagues. She likes to read about spirituality.

A NET improved this Chinese major’s spoken English while also learning about the culture associated with the language. She is interested in 19th century English culture and read books such as Pride and Prejudice.

As the Hong Kong education system is exam-oriented, this Applied Maths major went through a lot of drilling. Past papers, memorization, and repetitive exercises made learning English made learning boring.

Playing clarinet is a way for this Applied Maths major to learn English. To better understand music, she would check the meaning of lyrics and search for the background of composers. She read The Hunger Games but didn’t find it useful.

Given topics to brainstorm rather than using textbooks during class helped her develop more ideas and build up vocabulary. This proved to be useful for the public exam. This Applied Maths major read Frankenstein for the SBA.

During secondary school, this Physiotherapy major enjoyed doing a lot of drama related activities such as script writing and performing in class. Reading Tuesdays with Morrie brought her to tears.

Practising spoken English in a workshop organised by her secondary school required this Nursing student to use the language more than ever. She enjoys utopian and dystopian fiction such as The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games.

Watching English news, reading novels, and talking with native speakers was a good way for this Nursing major to prepare for the DSE. Education reform was part of their debate from time to time. He likes reading science fiction novels.

Social interaction with foreign students on the university campus is a great opportunity for this Nursing major to speak English as such chances were hard to come by during school years. He read Tuesdays with Morrie in English after finishing the Chinese version.

A new principal proactively organised English learning activities such as debates and discussions in secondary school. This Nursing major has read The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

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.

English teaching in Hong Kong is assessment-oriented with the focus on textbooks and exam skills rather than activities according to this Social Work major. She read The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Oliver Twist for the SBA.

English teaching in secondary school was only for helping this Social Work major handle examinations. She lost interest in the language because teachers gave exercises with this short-term goal in mind.

Doing past papers took up most of this Mechanical Engineering student’s time in secondary school and she is not particularly fond of English. She found The Five People You Meet in Heaven too difficult and boring.

The difference between the English standards and teaching practices of Hong Kong and the Mainland surprised this Hospitality major. She focused on reading academic texts in secondary school.

Being able to talk and interact with NETs in class motivated this Optometry major to learn English. He found Lord of the Flies inspiring and also reads sports news on the Internet.

Other than doing many exercises when preparing for the Gaokao, this Accounting and Finance major also did the TOEFL listening test to improve her English. She enjoys readings books by O. Henry and Agatha Christie.

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.

Having started learning English late, this Fashion and Textile major’s secondary school teacher gave her tutorial lessons. She read books for school assignments.

As a punishment in primary school, this Biology major had after-class lessons until he could pass an English test. He also had to repeatedly do dictations until he passed. The school reading scheme aims to motivate students but he preferred to do other things.

When the teacher played English songs during class, this Civil Engineering major learnt words that wouldn’t be found in textbooks. She has read popular books such as Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter.

There were not many opportunities for this Engineering major to speak English during secondary school as teachers focused on exams. She also reads about fashion and news from social media sites.

Starting primary school marked the beginning of this English major’s language learning. Due to the small class size, the teachers were able to give her more time.

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.

English Week in secondary school encouraged this Occupational Therapy major to develop the habit of speaking the language. He is a slow reader but sometimes picks up a newspaper.

After moving to Hong Kong, this Biology major had difficulty learning English in primary school. She feels English is essential in life and it is important to start learning at an early stage. The plot in Twilight attracted her.

Struggling with academic writing at the undergraduate level, this Accounting major improved with an extra course. As a master’s student, she is interested in reading about the economy.

Learning to write under pressure in secondary school has paid off in the workplace as this Engineering major can respond quickly to customer emails. He likes reading detective stories.

It was the first time for this Engineering major to learn English through songs as her teacher played the music of Daniel Powter and the Backstreet Boys in secondary school. She also read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Harry Potter.

After doing poorly in the DSE, this Textiles major took IELTS to meet university entrance requirements. She gained some practical knowledge and skills while preparing for the IELTS assessment.

Facing tough questions in a university interview made this Management major aware of the areas she needs to work on. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is about how we can make our own success.

A primary school NET’s personality attracted this International Business major to English. She learnt from the dialogue in Twilight, the New Moon. She also watched the movie.