Summer holiday, the time that all of us have longed for, has arrived! Remember, balancing study and leisure time during the summer break to improve ourselves is always a priority. Therefore, CityU students are here with us to share their summer learning tips on how to study effectively over the holiday. We hope that they can help you have a fruitful and happy summer break while getting well-prepared for the coming academic year.
Learning Strategies
Gordon, Feng Chi
Second year master’s student at School of Law
Goal-Based Learning Model
The summer holiday is a vital period to review the past and make progress. I recommend you use this “golden period” to improve your professionalism. To study theoretical knowledge, I suggest you adopt the goal-based learning model. Before you start, set a learning target and develop a study plan for each stage; after completing a step, review in time, examine knowledge gaps and deepen your understanding and memory to form a solid knowledge system for the next stage. For language learning, I recommend you break through each challenging item. Based on the assessment criteria, you can do more mock tests and training to enhance your pronunciation, intonation and logic. Language learning is a long and cumulative process. I hope you will be patient to explore deep learning during the summer holiday.
Mona, Chen Menghan
Second year undergraduate student at Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
“Feynman Technique” Learning Method
I recommend the Feynman Technique, a four-step learning method proposed by the famous physicist Richard Feynman, to enhance learning proactiveness and bridge knowledge gaps. The technique aims to achieve a deeper understanding within a shorter period. It is divided into four main steps: Choose a subject, comprehend and explain the theory, identify knowledge gaps, and refine your understanding. It is a way to turn complicated ideas into simple concepts. The core of this technique is to consolidate the knowledge foundation by identifying gaps and filling in the missing details.
Learning Attitude and Study Environment
Henry, Gu Yang
Second year master’s student at School of Education
Introduce Reward and Punishment Mechanism into Study Routine
To keep up with our study progress during summer break, I think the biggest challenge is procrastination, which stems from a lack of awareness of the consequences of delaying task completion. To tackle it, we can reinforce the tension by introducing a reward and punishment mechanism into our learning routine, such as giving a reward for completing the task as planned and imposing punishment if it fails. Besides, I encourage you to include others to supervise your learning progress to create internal and external stresses to push you forward. Of course, you can also set challenging goals to enhance your concentration while achieving self-growth at the same time during the summer break.
Laura, Lyu Qianyi
Second year undergraduate student at Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Review the Past and Fill the Gaps
The summer holiday is an excellent time to review the past and fill the gaps. I think the only way to make up for the gaps is to identify my shortcomings. Therefore, at the beginning of the holiday, I usually use a pen and paper to list out the weaknesses that I found in the previous semester and then come up with resolutions
for each of them. I also contact my friends from time to time, who have similar grades but different learning styles, to form a summer study group by sharing our learning tips and techniques. By making up for my previous flaws and having friends to share new resources at all times, the summer holiday is bound to be productive.
Cora, He Shike
Second year master’s student at Faculty of Business
Create Your Own Learning Space
The learning atmosphere at home during the summer break may not be as tense as at school. Therefore, it is challenging to monitor your study progress. In this case, separating your study environment from your living environment is an excellent idea to improve your study efficiency. For example, try to go to a library or study room near your place to study, tidy up your desk at home and keep only desk lamps and study materials in your sight, and stay away from mobile phones and computers to boost your productivity.
Dear prospective student, we're sure you'll have a pleasant journey at CityU ahead. Click here to check your admissions result! Click here for details.
