General Listening Quiz
“College Life”
| Level | Topic | Speakers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | School Life | Man – Woman | 01:25 |
Pre-Listening Exercise
Agree or Disagree? Let’s Spark Some Conversation!
Do you agree or disagree with these statements. Talk together and share your opinions.
-
- College is the best time of your life.
- Living away from home is important during college.
- Making friends is easy in college.
- It’s hard to balance school, work, and social life in college.
- College students have too much freedom.
- Joining clubs or sports makes college more fun.
- Studying at night works better than studying during the day.
- College is more stressful than high school.
- It’s okay to change your major in college.
- You learn more about life than school subjects in college.
Idioms
“a walking encyclopedia” = someone who seems to know everything
“My roommate would do well on a trivia game show. He’s a walking encyclopedia.”
“have the right stuff” = have the needed skills to succeed
“Susan has the right stuff to get into any school she chooses.”
Listening Exercise
Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)
Vocabulary and Sample Sentences
Here are some words that appear in the recording:
- hectic (adjective): very busy
– Life is always very hectic when you’re trying to work and go to school at the same time. - major (noun or verb): course of study
– I’m thinking about majoring in computer science next year. (verb)
– What is your major? (noun) - land (a job) (verb): to secure, win, or get a job
– It is becoming increasingly difficult to land a job in the field of language teaching. - work (your way) through (school) (verb): think through, in this case, work while going to school to support yourself
– Since my parents had no money, I had no choice but to work myself through school
– Sometimes we just have to work through many new experiences before we understand the language and culture.
Vocabulary Practice
Do the vocabulary quizzes using the words from the conversation for more practice:
Post-Listening Exercise
Interview another student about the topics below and report your findings to the class:
- online education programs and graduate schools
- entrance requirements and exams
- classroom environment
- teacher-student relationship
- student housing
- part-time employment
- club activities
Online Investigation
Finding the right school for you can be a long process. What advertising techniques do colleges and universities use to get the attention of students? What things are important to you when you choose a school?
Compare the websites of two schools that interest you. Think about the classes, the cost of tuition, the experience of the teaching staff, and finally the learning/cultural opportunities in the local community where you want to study.