准备去英国的留学生们快来看啦！提高英语水平小贴士:)))
Hello everyone, my name is Ola and I’m an English teacher.
Over the years I have watched many of my Chinese students moving to the UK to study, live and work here. Most of my students have been very successful at their studies, making friends and networking. Since most of you are planning a move abroad, to either work or study, I thought I would share with you what made my students successful where others failed. Some of these tips might be obvious to you, some might not be. In any case, I hope this little list of tips helps you progress faster and have a better time abroad.
• When you study English in preparation for university or work, make it an immersive experience. Change your habits to include elements of English in your daily life. You can start from small habits, like changing the language on your computer and phone to English, listening to English audiobooks when you commute, watch shows with subtitles rather than dubbing. It sounds simple but makes a huge difference!
• While in China, seek out opportunities to interact with foreigners on a regular basis. This will help you communicate with more confidence when you finally move to work or study abroad. In most cities, you can attend meetings with foreigners who volunteer to chat in English over a pint of beer. If you can, find a good teacher and arrange to have classes with them. Many good teachers are available to teach online, so talk to a few and see whose style suits you best.
• Make some connections in the country you are traveling to. If know at least a few of your future university friends or work colleagues before you arrive, the process will be much less stressful. Most universities and workplaces will try to aid you in setting in, so don’t be afraid to ask about the help they offer.
• This last tip is the most important one: When you arrive, focus on making connections. You are clearly already a very good student, or you are successful at your job, so trust that you can deal with this aspect of your life, just as you have done so far. Instead of panicking about all the work you need to do, try to spend time with people you will be surrounded by for the next few years. Building strong connections which keep you from feeling isolated will make your experience of living abroad much more enjoyable. There is also one more thing here, I cannot fail to mention, even though it might sound silly to some. Chinese students abroad tend to form strong bonds and connections with other Chinese students. This is understandable because you are all homesick, you can relate to each other’s struggles, cook together and, of course, you can speak Chinese and not worry about sounding silly. The result of having solely Chinese friends can be however quite negative. I worked at one of three best UK universities for over 10 years and I have met some lovey Chinese students, who were about complete their PHD studies but still struggled to have a regular conversation in English. How to remedy this? Just be open, make a bit more effort and welcome more people into your friendship group and you will all benefit immensely