My progress and difficulties during the first part of this semester

If I were asked to describe the first two months at the university in a nutshell, I would definitely say: “English lessons”. To begin with, we have a lot of hours of English every week, while we don’t study other subjects in depth. And, in my opinion, it’s a right start for us, as we need to get used to the language which is the basis of our future profession. After school it seems that I’ve found something I’ve been looking for: there is no more stressful physics for me, I’m studying what I’m really interested in and it is the best motivation for me to work hard every day to become a specialist.

This semester has showed me that when it comes to English every aspect is important and I should practice a lot, using different techniques in order to write grammatically correct sentences and speak like a native(I know, there is still a long way to go but I believe small steps will lead me to this goal). And I think our English lessons help me to move in the right direction. I’ve learned a lot of new information: we started with the basics of grammar but there were many exceptions even in simple rules. Doing different assignments I’ve managed to solidify knowledge I already had and make it more structured and detailed. I also feel that my vocabulary is improving by leaps and bounds, as after classes I start thinking in English, my head can’t switch to Russian.

At the same time I have faced some difficulties with phonetics. I spent a lot of time trying to sound naturally and learning the types of syllables. I must admit that it’s still not easy for me to transcribe some words but I keep working. Moreover, it was hard for me to understand how the stresses work but it’s getting clear now.

I think during this time the dictionary became my best friend and I’m so grateful that I have an opportunity to study very useful information and improve my level of English.

Actually, I realise that I should keep working on my vocabulary, it is one of the main goals for me now. I need to repeat new words and phrases more often. And I also hope to do more grammar exercises on some topics I have problems with(those topics that we didn’t study at the lessons yet but it has always been a part of my language learning process).

Thank you for your attention, see you soon!