Shu-Ting Hsu, from Taiwan (pictured far left), tells her about her time so far at Kings Oxford, what she has planned for the next stage of her educational journey and how her choice of city is helping inspire her.
Hi Shu-Ting. What is your age and where are you from?
I’m 29 years old and I’m from Taiwan.
Which course are you studying at Kings and how long are you studying with us for?
I’m taking the Intensive Course with the IELTS class (Special Interest Group in afternoons), and I will stay here for 5 months. I arrived to the UK in March.
Did you have to quarantine on arrival? How was it?
Yes. My host family took care of me very well so it was fine. I took the online classes when I was in quarantine.
What are you reasons for wanting to learn English? Why did you want to prepare for IELTS?
"I will study a Masters degree in the UK so I need to achieve IELTS 6.5. Hopefully from September, but we will see! Some courses in the UK start in January too."
Great! Which subject will you study?
Fashion Design. I have applied for universities and am just waiting to hear the results now.
Good luck! How would you describe the teaching at Kings Oxford?
It is very different to in my country.
"The teachers always prepare very interesting topics to inspire the students to talk a lot and share their opinions. In my country, we just focused on the grammar and how to pass the exam, but here they prepare very interesting subjects and let the students think more and talk more."
How does the teaching work in your IELTS lessons?
In Taiwan, I also took IELTS classes but they were a little boring because they just taught you how to pass the exam and focused on exam skills. At Kings, the teacher may notice that my listening isn’t so good, then he will focus on my speaking and listening to help me understand native English speakers better.
What is the community like at Kings Oxford?
I feel like they are like a family. When I came here, my bus card wasn’t working on the buses. I told my classmates about this problem and they explained to me that in this country they have different bus companies and helped me solve the problems.
How many students are in you classes at the moment?
Only 6 or 7, the classes are quite small.
Have you taken part in many social activities or clubs during your time at Kings?
Yes, our activity leader, Simon, really wants us to attend the activities so he prepares lots of different options.
"Today we’re going to see a film, tomorrow we are going to the park to have a picnic, and then the next day we will go to the pub! You can make more friends and also improve your English speaking, so it’s very nice."
Why did you choose to study at Kings Oxford? Why the UK?
My education agent recommended that I come to the UK because other countries like Canada or Australia can have a lot of Asian people so I might have fewer opportunities to speak in English. He recommended I go to the UK so I could speak more English here.
Why Oxford rather than London or Brighton or a different city?
"Because I am a designer, my agent said that this city has a lot of beautiful architecture and I can see more design and feel inspired by beautiful things."
Do you like the city?
Yes it’s terrific!
The architecture is very beautiful and the scenery is very incredible for me — in my country, you are surrounded by lots of buildings.
Would you recommend Kings Oxford to a friend back home?
Yes! I would recommend they come here to travel and improve your English. Because we mainly learn American English in Taiwan, you can come here to learn the British accent and learn more British English.
