Essay for the “The Department of Economics and Finance BBA Scholarship”
Title: How I learn
Name: LI, Kwan Ho (Sam)
Year 2 BBA Finance major with business economics minor
There is no such a point that we could stop learning. The world is evolving much faster than the past few
decades, and business environment gets more and more competitive. Thus, the requirement of work force
becomes increasing complex. So that’s why “lifelong learning” is so emphasized in recent years. In this
essay, I will walk through my attitude towards learning through study and other ways.
As a student, we learn the most from school. To maximize my learning ability, I suggest going through the
materials before lectures, if possible. This could let ourselves have a general idea of what the professor
would teach in the upcoming lectures. We could also generate some questions beforehand and become more
attentive during lectures. This better facilitates our learning and leaves us a better memory.
During lectures, the more focus we are, the easier we could learn. So, try not to use your laptop, PDA, cell
phone, or day dreaming or anything that could distract you! Sometimes it might be hard to get the accent of
the professor, so reading ahead is useful now. After lectures, do the reading again and some practice
questions. Do not miss any classes, no matter lectures or tutorials. Missing a 3-hours lecture may cost you
another 6 hours or even more to gain the knowledge. Before going to tutorial classes, go through the
materials covered in lectures and do the assignments, and most importantly, ask those questions that bother
you. All in all, come prepared for classes and you can get the most out of the classes.
As a student, our mind set towards learning might be around study. In fact, it’s far more than that, studying
in school is barely one of them. We can learn the best by combining the current affairs and the book
knowledge. So, reading newspaper and related journals constantly are highly recommended. Personally, I
strongly suggest having the Economist as a weekly digest of the world news. Don’t think you don’t have
enough time. Indeed, you have plenty of them. Try to use the time of waiting a bus or 1-2 hours gap
between classes. Try to force yourself to do at least 15-30 minutes reading every day other than textbook
materials.
Another fabulous way of learning is to observe and ask. Before we ask, try to observe how people behave.
For example, when I was doing my exchange study in US, I didn’t know much about their classroom culture,
style of learning and the requirement of the professor. So, I sat silent at the first few classes and observed
how other students and the professor behaved. I realized interaction between students and the professor was
very informal. So, I spoke my mind. Also, asking is an important learning and thinking process and is
strongly emphasized in US classroom. The professor kept asking if we had any problems and collecting
feedbacks from students. Asking shows your professor your level of understanding and will also leave you a
better memory.