As an international student, you must be so happy that you will be going to a new country for your graduate study. At first, you will feel that everything is new and interesting. There are good Japanese sushi, Chinese hot pot, and also Mexican tacos, even KFC and McDonald’s in U.S. But, they are little different from your country. You will soon find that sometimes you don’t understand what the clerks say since they often speak fast. Sometimes you cannot explain yourself well and then you begin to realize that you will need to improve your English-speaking skills. Well, language is a common problem for all international students so don’t be afraid. Let me share some of my ways to improve English-speaking skills with you!
The first thing you should do is speak and listen more in English. It seems easy since you are in an English-speaking country, but actually many international students speak their native language most of the time. It is important to get out of your “comfort zone”. Don’t just talk with your friends, who are also from your country, but try to make some friends from other countries no matter how well they speak English. Not only will you improve your English, but you will also learn something about other countries like culture, food, etc. I believe that this is one of the important reasons why you study abroad.
It’s a good idea to join some programs and activities organized by UCI International Center, which are designed to help your English. For example, my favorite program is International Coffee Hour. Every Friday, you can have some free coffee or tea, while talking with students from all over the world, sharing your culture, and making some friends. I cannot stop myself from joining them every week. I have made a lot of friends from Japan, Korea, Vietnam, China, New Zealand, Spain, and so on. So, I recommend these programs to you as a good and relaxed method to improve your English.
When you feel that academic English is hard, which is very common at first, I suggest you talk with your classmates or your professor. For me, I could not understand the technical terms in statistics during my first quarter. It was so strange for me since I learned all those terms in Chinese. Also, you may encounter some situations where the professor speaks English with an accent, which you may have never heard before. I felt so confused and helpless, but my classmates helped me a lot. We discussed the content of the courses and went to office hours often. If you have any question about your courses, do not hesitate to ask your professor or your classmates. They are willing to help you.
Hope my experience will help you improve your English and accept this new environment smoothly. Have a good summer break and see you in September!
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Yiran WangHome Country: ChinaDonald Bren School of Informatics and Computer Sciences
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