Are you not confident with your English? A lot of non-native English speakers aren’t. Depending on your proficiency, you may need to translate the message first in your head before processing the information.
Sure, you have Google Translate now, but can you rely on it when being interviewed for your postgraduate study? No matter how great your ideas are, it wouldn’t mean anything if you can’t express them articulately.
In an interview and in writing a paper, you’re just as good as what you say.
But don’t lose hope. You’ve already survived English lectures in college, right? That means you already have the foundations of the language.
The only thing you have to do now is work on improving. If you want to put your best foot forward and up your chances of getting in your dream university, check out these tips:
Assess yourself
From time to time, monitor your progress.
In which areas are you falling behind?
Where are you doing well?
That way, you can choose the right activities which would hasten your improvement.
Pick up a few English classes
Practicing is something you can do if you already know your weaknesses. But if you don’t have an idea where you still need to improve, pick up a few classes to improve your English.
But if you also have to work, you may want to try online tutorials instead. That way, you’d get access to an expert who can help you gain superb English skills.
Tutorials aren’t just for beginners. There are a lot of tutors who can help even those with higher English level proficiency.
Think of it as learning Spanish, for example. While there is a Spanish teacher for those who can’t even count in that language, there is also one if you’re close to mastering the language.
Read published research
Before publication, all studies from reputable publishing houses are edited to make sure there are no errors. Plus, because those research are in your field, you’re also widening your knowledge on the subject.
Remember, you want to make your English flawless for a master’s degree. But in the process, you should also need to sound like an academic. A great conversational English just won’t do for your purpose.
We suggest looking for open source journals or borrowing a few printed materials from your local library or from a friend.
Motivate yourself
A few treats might work to make you finish a lesson, but would that work in a long run? You need a deeper and more meaningful motivation.
Do you know that it’s been proven by research that your proficiency in the English language does have an effect on your academic adjustment?
So if you want to keep your grades up more easily once you’ve been accepted to a postgraduate study, you’d need to be able to fully focus on the lessons.
Plus, a bilingual brain is more efficient than a monolingual brain. So if you want to make your studies as easy as possible, work on your English even more.
Keep that in mind. Every time you want to just give up, you’ll have a good reason to keep going.
Go back to basics
English grammar and sentence structure aren’t as easy as most people think. And of all people, you know it best.
Just so you keep your knowledge on the foundations of the language strong, review the basics from time to time.
The higher you are on the academic ladder, the less tolerant they’re going to be of your mistakes. So even before you get on your postgraduate studies, make sure your English is flawless. Get started now and follow our tips, and you’ll be speaking like a native English speaker in no time.
