Name: Shuhei Noro   

Year: 1996                

 

                                                                                                                 

    When I was a junior high school student, I did not like studying English, because I could not understand English grammar enough. When I was taking English class,  it was like groping in the pitch-dark, and I felt awkward. I think I was lacking in the belief that I could understand even if I tried.

    When I entered high school, I was still not good at English. Whenever I was returned my English paper, I trembled. During spring break before second grade, I studied English for the test as hard as I could. I merely got the average mark in the test. I was a little disappointed. But I could get at least the average mark during the first year, so I gained confidence in myself that I could raise my points if I made an effort.

    After that, English studying gradually came to be interesting, and my score and ranking of English rose rapidly. Teachers started to praise me, and I came to have the pride that I was good at English. Finally, English became my favorite subject.

    When I had just entered this university, I did not like speaking English. English sounded like strange magician's spells. And I also remember I did not like studying German at that time. German looked strange and very difficult. Now I am absorbed in speaking English and studying German. So I think it is important to try until getting used to something. Now I regard English as a wonderful way of communication and regard studying German as my hobby. 

I have two positive experiences of study. First, I realized that I can if I believe by juggling. Owing to this discovery, I came to try to speak in English in class. It is stupid to fear only, not to try.      Second, having a purpose enables me to be positive. I heard one of my classmates say that she wanted to go to America to study. So I also started to want to go to America. Then I had a purpose, I decided to study English hard. What she said really did me good. In studying German,  taking a test is a good goal.

     My negative experience was that I sometimes stopped to speak in English in class, and got lazy. It was really a pitiable experience. I did not speak English at all before I entered this university. I vacantly expected university teachers could enable me to speak English by some magic ways.

     The English course of this university seems to be almost perfect. We can improve all abilities of English. I suppose most students are satisfied with the way of teaching. We have good opportunities to speak English,  to write it, to read it, to talk with English speakers. These are really wonderful experiences.

     It is very interesting for me to learn foreign languages. I want to learn them as much as I can. I am going to learn them throughout my life.      

    Communicating with foreigners is so wonderful. So I will keep on using a trial and error way of learning the languages. Now, I am interested in English, German and Spanish.

     My goal during spring vacation is to learn a lot of English and German words. I will review LL tapes, memorizing English and German words. My aim during next year is to speak English and German more fluently. Fortunately, one of Masaki’s friends is a foreign student from Germany. So I am going to make friends with him, and have him teach me. And during next summer vacation, I want to go to America for about one month. I am going to prepare as early as possible.     

     My object through university life is to master English and German. To achieve this purpose, I want to go to Germany the year after next.

     My object after graduation is, ideally, to engage in a job connected with English or German. If I will not be able to, I want to keep on studying languages,  and want to teach something in a university.

     I found doing self-talk was especially helpful. I often ride a bicycle,  so I do self-talk in that time. With self-talk, I can review my class  and practice speaking in English. If I cannot express something in English, I consult a dictionary, so that I can learn the expression.

     I want to give some pieces of advice to next year's first students. First, it will be helpful to believe you can and to have a positive attitude as early as possible. As long as our attitude is negative, we cannot improve our skills. Second, it is important and effective to see English words,  to write them, to listen to English and to read it as much as possible. Unless we are often touching English, we gradually forget. When we repeat a lot, we can learn very much.

     Third, it will make our study a lot of fun to have a concrete purpose. Then, we will be able to be absorbed in studying. Fourth,  shadowing and summarizing make us concentrate on what our conversation partner says. Good luck.