This month, two Chinese students, Han Wang and Xin Jiang, who are studying at Technion were invited by Undergraduate Studies at GTIIT to meet with GTIIT freshmen and share their experiences of studying and living in Israel.

Han Wang, a junior student in Chemical Engineering at Technion, is working as a student teaching assistant in GTIIT this summer. In her English presentation, Han Wang talked about her study, life and cultural shock encountered in Israel. She used her first dormitory as an example to demonstrate the contradiction between the ideal and the reality. The condition of the dormitory was not as good as she expected. Finally she moved into a dormitory that was in better condition after negotiation with the university. By using the example, Han suggested that students should find the right ways to communicate with the school when having problems.

When talking about language difficulties, Han said to students: "Do not be afraid of embarrassment, do not be afraid of mistakes." In her first year, she encountered the same difficulties such as unable to understand the English terms and hard to cope with the intensive class schedules. She suggested that the freshmen take any opportunities to speak English. Taking photos and looking up the dictionary after class could be good way to overcome the difficulties when do not understand English words or sentences. At the end of the presentation, Han also suggested that sports and friendship would make college life more colorful and interesting.

"Stay hungry, stay foolish" is the message sent by Xin Jiang, a sophomore student in Biotechnology and Food Engineering at Technion. For her, "Change" is the definition of her first year in Israel. Xin focused on tears, happiness, anxiety and joy of new life and new environment in Iseral in the first year "Don't be afraid to talk" is the sentence that Xin always told herself. When talking about learning tips, Xin suggested the students go through the bilingual terminologies in the high school textbook. It covered up 80% of the terms appear in the preparatory courses. In addition, Xin encouraged all students to learn to relax after class and fully enjoy their holidays.

GTIIT students asked questions covering student life and academic study. All questions were well discussed and answered by Han and Xin. Both of them encouraged every student to talk to professors directly or via email. In this way, students could improve their English language capabilities and problem solving skills.

Text by Undergraduate Studies

Photo by News and Public Affairs