Time takes the bullet train noiselessly. It is going to be week 5 of this semester next Monday. Looking back my first month in college, it has been filled with ups and downs.
I didn't study A-Level. My academic level is around form 5. Usually, form 5 graduates attend community colleges and then transfer to universities. Yet, I go to a university directly. Most universities in the US require freshman and sophomore students to take English class. Among all the subjects that I take, freshman English is definitely one of the toughest subjects. Overall, it is English course for local students and the standard is much higher than that of HK. We have to read very often and write papers. It takes me ages to do reading because I need to look up words in the dictionary from time to time. The topics of the papers are usually about social issues. My first paper is about global warming and the one that I am working on currently is about the conflicts of education in the USA. I can still vividly remember how frustrated I felt when reading the syllabus. The requirement for the paper is 3 to 4 pages. Later, when I wrote the first paper, it was not as much as I expected. It is because of the format of college paper which is double-spacing everything with a header on the first page. I wrote around 1000 words at last but I only wrote 300 words when I was in form 5.
Another subject is music theory. I have theory class every day and we are given lots of homework and tests. Frankly, this subject is pretty challenging. I skipped theory I and I went to theory II after coming to this school. I must perform well in this subject. If not, I won't be able to take musicology class next semester.
Going to audition for a scholarship two weeks later. I really need to spend more time on piano practice.
5 comments:
just surf in...
your entries remind me much the old good days when I was still in college: struggle with the English writing class (although I think your writing is pretty solid), culture shock, meeting new friends, working hard on academic work, etc...
with those ups and downs, I hope overall you're still enjoying your life in the States. x years later when you look back, all accomplishments and experience you've been through will make you proud.
功課壓力繁重，大學生活「絕不輕鬆」應是你意料之內，繼續努力吧，我們絕對支持你！
Europa:
Thank you for visiting.
You also attended college in the USA? Actually, comparing to many other Asian students, the English standards of students from HK can be considered as "quite good" already. Sometimes, I have no idea what the Korean students are talking about.
Yes, shortly after I finished the AL exam. I actually immigrated to the States to be exact, and have been living in the States since. Language is tricky. Learning it is easy but using it *well* is difficult.
End of February... I guess it's full of mid-terms and things like that, good luck! Spring break will come soon.... hang in there.. will come back later.
E
Europa:
Totally agree. I have no problem on listening. Well, I manage to understand what the teachers say, except for some of their jokes. What really bothers me is that I feel quite helpless in asking questions. Every time, I need to struggle to translate the questions in my mind to English.
Mid-terms are not too bad as I am used to having quizzes once a week. I am looking forward to spring break because I'll go back home at that time. I miss the food very much though I have left home for about two months only.
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