港大面试注意要点Personal statements should:•Give some basic personal information•Say which major and which university they want to study in•Show some subject knowledge•Relate some experiences and skills to the course•Say something about the university and why they chose itBe between 30 to 60 seconds longIn order to be concise and cover all these points the statement will need to havegood grammar using subordinate clauses and a range of tenses.Additionally, it should utilize advanced vocabulary choosing words carefully to convey precisemeanings but always in a positive context candidates should never say anything negative about themselves. Chinese students show 'cultural modesty' and don't want to appear boastful. However, the competition is so fierce that they should put these feelings to one side and be prepared to show themselves in the best possible light.Continuous verb forms should be used as they give the impression of dynamism and activity. This technique is often recommended by recruitment agencies as a good strategy when writing covering letters.⚫by referring to the mission statements and information about each university's educational style as they appear on their respective websites
Get students to list the qualities they think the university is looking forHard workingCleverInventive / creativeInterested in the course (major)Know something about the UniversityKnow something about the school / faculty at which they want study in (any famous professors etc.)How can they demonstrate these qualities?•By giving examples in their personal statements•By coming across as clever, inventive in the discussion.•By showing a good grasp of the subject matter•By making good observations•By asking pertinent questionsDiscussion/presentation: strategies for answering questions'Framing the question'：Chinese speakers always try to answer questions immediately. English speakers normally start by 'framing' the question. The frame is typically one or two sentences about the question.ExamplesQ: What do you think about the one child policy?A: The one child policy was introduced in the 1970s to stop China's population growing too big...Use English language structure for answering questions: Typically Chinese speakers answer questions:Answer -> Reason -> Reason 2...English speakers typically answer questions in the following way: Frame -> Reason -> Answer (-> Reason 2, 3 etc.)There are 3 types of question:1.You know a lot about the subject• Say a list of the things you know and then talk about one of them• saying why you choose it2.You only know a little bit about the subject• Use the 'It depends' structure:• If (A) then...• If (B) then....3. You know very little or nothing about the subject• Basically, if you can't answer with a clever statement，'pose' a clever, insightful question.Questions starting with Who, why, what, where, when, which, how...Embarrassing TopicsThese have to be addressed directly. The candidates need to be reassured that anything they say is in confidence and that they will not be judged by US(meek and mild) for their views.Start with the less embarrassing topics and work towards the more challenging ones.If the students are very embarrassed they can use the 'pose a question' technique as that way they do not actually express their own views whilst still being able to contribute positively to the conversation.Candidates need to 'make themselves heard'It is essential that candidates speak and this may involve getting a dominating or nervous candidate to stop speaking.This can be done on a sliding scale:1. Make eye contact with the speaker and using non-verbal cues indicate that you want to speak e.g. Raising hand slightly2. If this doesn't work look at the examiner and then back at the speaker and wait for a natural pause (like the end of a sentence) and speak using politeness markers like: • May I say something?• You made some very good points.. • Please can I speak now?3. If this doesn't work look at the examiner again and then back at the speaker and repeat the strategy but slightly, forcefully directly.Candidates need to be able to disagree politely with others. (or opinions)The candidates will sometimes have to contradict others. They can use the following politeness markers:With respect...• I think you may be mistaken• That's very interesting but have you considered...。