As you become a freshman in English Department, you hope that you could have fluent and refined English ability like native speakers one day. But what and how would you do? Is it enough to sharp the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) only? Beside English, how can you respond for your college learning such as more reading activities or more extracurricular activities?
Reading the magazine like Studio Classroom and listening to the radio program merely would not be the best way I would recommend you to go. Since you are not a junior or senior high student anymore, you are a college student and an ENGLISH MAJOR student. I mean your language proficiency is better than those who are not English major in Taiwan at least. Therefore, I encourage you to find another way to learn English. For example, you could join English study group in self-access center to develop self learning and learn from your peers. While you are sharing the materials and knowledge with others, you are also getting new information from others. In addition, visual and auditory learning would enhance your English like film series or movie. When you are enjoying the films, you could also learn or acquire language at the same time. You would never know what “We don’t have chemical relationship!” even though you know every word exactly but you still fail to come out the meaning. You will not unveil the mystery until you watch Friends -the very funny film series which is not hard to follow. You may not only acquire new sentences but tell culture difference, cultural respect, and culture identity. So far, do you still think that memorizing new words and grammar is the best way to learn English?
Aside from building language ability, you could do more to open up your possibility. For example, you could join the extracurricular activities to develop interpersonal relationship and your unknown potential. I remembered I was one of the members in neutral team for English Drama Contest in my freshmen year, and I was responsible for the PR. It never occurred to me that I could dare to talk to the manager in certain enterprise for sponsorship over the phone. After we had a nice talk and she promised to sponsor us on the phone, I suddenly found that I could do something good as long as I try. Furthermore, reading would be access to make you knowledgeable. From professional reading to magazine, you might sense that knowledge is blasting. If you expect to know everything, you will fail. I mean it.
However, you could still read extensively but not just focus on something you like or are interested in. And you will find that you also know something that is different from your hobby or professional learning. When you found you could talk interior design with a designer in English or Chinese, does it make you excited? Maybe you will make use of your knowledge acquired from reading to help you get good job, which require the specialty in that domain but you are only an amateur.
Above all, do you understand more what you can do in your college time?
In brief, you should try diverse way to learn because it would make you understand what type learner you are and the best way that would help to achieve your learning.
No more, just make a try!
Lillian