The preparatory semester for the Cohort 2025 of Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) has drawn to a close. This journey, filled with challenges and exploration, was not only an immersive first experience in an English teaching environment, but also a comprehensive training in academic thinking and self-management. From the initial uncertainty to the growing poise after adaptation, the students have laid a solid foundation for the upcoming formal semester through their hard work and perseverance. In their voices, the growth, gains, and boundless aspirations in the past two months take shape.

Zhang Letong (25BFE)

The six-week preparatory term has come to a gentle close. During this challenging yet rewarding period, I feel that I have learned a lot of skills and grown a lot.

A wonderful and interesting English class

Entering GTIIT marks a brand-new chapter in my life. My first mentor here was a foreign teacher, Mrs. Sarah. I still remember our first meeting. "Who wants to introduce themselves first?" I raised my hand with courage. To be honest, at first, I did feel a little nervous and my brain suddenly "froze". However, when my eyes turned to Sarah and saw her smiling and saying: "Nice, Anna!", a huge sense of comfort and relief welled up in my heart. "I can also do very well", I told myself.

After that, I have become more confident in raising my hand to answer the questions posed by the teacher in class, and I have also been bold enough to express my opinions in group cooperation. This is a truly relaxing and open-minded English classroom that allows everyone's inner self to be fully expressed. In Sarah's class, there are many group presentations and cooperation. To be honest, I wasn't really someone with outstanding teamwork spirit before. I always thought that working alone would lead to more efficient results and a simpler process. However, through completing the tasks assigned by Sarah again and again, from exploring the "psychological barriers" of the questions to designing the "multifunctional robot" for ocean protection, our group continuously refined our ideas and carefully designed PPTs and posters. This process made me see that everyone shines in their own field and truly understand the power of a team.

a group poster of the English class

Feelings and insights on all-English teaching

Teaching in English poses great challenges for us, who are native speakers of Chinese. Leaving behind the familiar Chinese environment and communicating with teachers in English all the time, I think the most important thing is to become familiar with, dare to use and be able to apply repetitive language. For instance, in the first math class on sets, the teacher kept repeating words like "set", "proposition", "quantification", etc. With repeated usage and the connection of our previous high school knowledge, it becomes natural to understand their meanings. When you ask the teacher a question, you can use these words as basic concepts. This is about being able to use and apply them. Gradually, not only has our English levels improved significantly, but we have also developed the ability to ask questions accurately in English.

a photo of me and my teacher

Diverse and colorful campus activities

GTIIT also provides freshmen with a variety of colorful and lively campus activities. Such as acrylic painting experience, plant dyeing, GT Talk, freshmen ice-breaking activities, etc., which add a touch of brightness to daily study routine. In GTIIT, students can always find their own comfort zone. Through practical experiences, we can understand the true meaning of teamwork. In the cultural atmosphere, we can enhance our aesthetic senses and feelings, and elevate our comprehensive qualities gradually. I believe this is truly learning through entertainment, and it has benefited me greatly.

my plant dyeing work

Liu Jiayi (25CE)

This is my first time experiencing English teaching, so at the beginning, I was completely lost. I could only catch a few scattered words in each sentence, and after class, I had to spend a lot of time reviewing the lessons. However, I didn't give up. Even I couldn't follow sometimes, I pushed myself to listen carefully and avoided relying entirely on translation software.

After a period of adjustment and with the help of the university's peer tutor program—which offers one-on-one English training by appointment—I can now basically understand everything in class. I particularly enjoy chemistry class. Prof. Iain has a great sense of humor and often shares interesting stories about how he became interested in chemistry, as well as tales of famous chemists throughout history. The academic atmosphere here is excellent. I've tried asking questions in class whenever I don't understand something. The professors are very patient in their explanations and encourage us to break free from the constraints of exam-oriented education. This has allowed me to truly learn and gain a lot of knowledge.

Lin Ruidong (25MSE)

The course Learning Strategies is practical and impressive. It not only systematically introduces efficient learning methods for different subjects but also provides detailed guidance on how to scientifically plan study schedules and manage time. This has given me a clearer direction for my future studies.

In addition, the teacher shared experiences of GTIIT students pursuing further studies abroad, as well as the outstanding achievements of GTIIT students on the international stage. All of this has filled me with confidence for my future development. One part I found particularly beneficial was the explanation of sleep cycles—specifically, how the period from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. is the deep sleep stage. This emphasized the importance of a regular sleep schedule for learning efficiency. It has made me more mindful of my own sleep habits and taught me how to improve my study effectiveness through proper rest.

Zhang Yichi (25MCS)

The full-English teaching environment is not easy at all for freshmen. Unfamiliar vocabulary and a mix of accents typically made it hard to follow. That's exactly why the preparatory semester exists: to help us transition and adapt. And here were my tricks: think and express myself more in English, and actively ask professors questions in class. Step by step, I went from "half-understanding" to "I can not only follow but also solve the questions". I truly get ready to embrace the challenges of the formal semester.

Beyond academics, GTIIT also offers a rich variety of extracurricular activities to help students integrate into campus life: freshman workshops, fun sports events, debate competitions, Q&A sessions with the chancellor and more.

What impressed me most was the Freshman Debate Competition. I had never joined such an event before. I got involved in the motions of "Growing up means struggling with/compromising with the world" and "In university, should academics or career preparation come first". Not only did I learn the actual debate process, but I also met opponents of equal strength—the true charm of debate. The dialogue with Prof. Uri Sivan, President of the Technion, was also invaluable. I asked, "In our MCS program, mathematics courses account for more than 60%. What is the purpose and significance of such a curriculum design?" The president and department head's answers gave me many insights and further strengthened my confidence in choosing MCS major.

Freshman Debate Competition

Among all classes, the most unforgettable was the very last session of Technical English – Advanced A. The preparatory semester lasted six weeks—just when we were finally starting to adapt to English-only teaching, it was almost over. In the last lesson, our professor divided us into groups to design interactive games for a Goodbye Party. We came up with Bingo, Pictionary, Guess the Song, and other games in English. Everyone had so much fun—even the professor seemed more excited than us. The semester ended with all of us singing See You Again together. Goodbye, Professor!

Liu Xiangjun (25ME)

During the English teaching process, although there are many specialized terms, some of them can be remembered through classroom learning and assignments. However, some vocabulary still requires extra effort to memorize. The preparatory semester is quite intensive, but aside from assignments, there is still sufficient time for revision, and there are plenty of free moments as well. The mathematics course is relatively abstract and requires deep thinking after class. Personally, I particularly enjoy physics class because it often includes small experiments, and the teacher is very humorous. The classroom atmosphere is open, and the teacher encourages questions. I've asked questions in class myself, and the teacher is always happy to answer them. Additionally, office hours are very convenient, and the teachers patiently address any questions we have.

Wang Yue (25BFE)

As a freshman, I felt fresh and unfamiliar with everything in the university. The new identity transformation is accompanied by tension. Fortunately, GT arranged a series of activities for us during the preparatory semester, including ice-breaking activities and patient answers by peer mentors (PM) and peer tutors (PT), lectures of the PT Program, GT Talk, and a series of workshops organized by the Student Affairs. These activities help us adapt to our university life at GT more quickly and enrich our extracurricular life during the preparatory semester. I will record my growth during the preparatory semester from two aspects.

Learning Chapter

University education is different from that received over the past eighteen years, ranging from the way classes are held to the form of assignments, from the examination process to the grading criteria. First of all, at the beginning of the preparatory semester, I asked my senior PM about the general arrangements for one semester at GT and the basic information about my studies. After patiently answering my questions, she taught me how to use the Moodle website and Outlook to check my emails. As I had not yet adapted to the all-English reading habits, using the Moodle website and Outlook to check emails was quite a challenge for me at that time. But with the guidance of my senior, mastering these two tools has become much easier for me.

The second is the improvement of learning methods. In a Workshop, the teacher encouraged us to make more mistakes and try more. "Freshman year is a good time for trial and error," she encouraged us to explore the most suitable learning methods for ourselves, including the ways of listening in class, taking notes, doing homework and the place of study, and so on. Her words set me on a journey of exploration.

I mainly want to talk about my exploration and gains in note-taking methods. At first, I still kept my high school study habits and took paper notes. However, I gradually found that during all-English teaching, I often couldn't understand a certain string of words on the blackboard, didn't know how to record them, and after looking them up, I couldn't keep up with the teacher's progress. This also led to too much time organizing notes after class. So I switched to the note-taking software that came with my tablet to record and gradually formed my own note-taking system. When there is no time to record or you need to look it up, it is very convenient to take a photo with a tablet and record it in your notes.

After-school Section

During the preparatory term, I participated in many activities, big and small. The first participant was the "Collect a Summer Leaf - Summer Plant Rubbing and Dyeing Experience Activity" organized by the Youth League Committee. Everyone on the spot was highly enthusiastic, and the teacher explained patiently. On a summer afternoon, concentrating with my classmates on creating our own artworks in our hands is an unforgettable memory of my preparatory semester. After a busy afternoon, I not only gained new knowledge and skills in plant rubbing and dyeing, made new friends, but also got unique handicrafts!

photos of my work and the on-site event

On an ordinary noon, I passed by the stall of the Blue Envelope Activity and chatted with the senior students. I learned about "Blue Envelope", an activity organization full of love and creativity - dedicated to using letters to enable volunteers to communicate with rural children, helping them solve the doubts in their growth process and establishing a spiritual connection with them. After completing the booth activities, I voluntarily participated in the two assessments of the Blue Envelope Ambassador, hoping to become a Blue Envelope Ambassador who brings care and help to rural children.

Blue envelope booth event

One of my favorite activities is the English Party. This activity offers students the opportunity to communicate with foreign teachers after class, allowing us to practice our oral English and listening skills in the process of getting to know each other with the teachers.

I gathered my courage to communicate with the teachers in English, asking them about the food culture of their hometowns, their impressions of Chinese cities and their evaluations of Chinese cuisine. The teachers responded to me very kindly, sharing their thoughts affectionately. They were even afraid that we might not hear clearly and made annotations by drawing on the whiteboard.

In this activity, I gained the opportunity to exchange foreign cultures, a valuable chance to practice English, and more importantly, the bond between teachers and students. I felt the wonderful atmosphere where people from different countries gathered together because of GTIIT and gained friendship through communication.

The mooncakes I made; The scene of the board game night, the first aid knowledge lecture and the debate competition

In addition, I also participated in the intensive training of the dance club, the health knowledge competition, the interview for the life committee member, the first aid knowledge lecture, the Youth Association's message leaving activity at booth, the workshop organized by the student affairs department, the final and performance display of the debate competition, the board game night activity of the chess club, the activity of making mooncakes and lanterns to welcome the Mid-Autumn Festival, and so on.

May all freshmen carry forward the invaluable experiences from the preparatory semester, ride the waves into the formal semester, and write your own brilliant chapters on the innovative soil of GTIIT.

Text/Photos: GTIIT News & Public Affairs, GTIIT Student Media Center