Interviews

Intermediate

Why do some college students succeed and others struggle in school? Based on these ideas, what are some of the academic secrets to do well at college? 

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the video:

show up (phrasal verb): appear or arrive at an appointment
– Some of my friends don’t show up for class, and as a consequence, they fail.

expectation (noun): a feeling that something will probably happen, or how good something or someone will be
– Some students have high expectations that college will be nothing but excitement, but they often feel disappointed when school is not all fun and games.

early bird (idiom): someone who gets up early, an earlier riser
– My father is an early bird since he always gets up by 4:30 a.m.

Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.

In your opinion, what are the top three reasons why students struggle in high school or at a university? Have you ever had such experiences, and if so, how did things turn out for you?

The following activities deal with related topics to give you additional language practice.

• College Scholarships
• Drop out of School