With great ambition and excellent language proficiency, many international students embark on the path of studying abroad. I thought they were greeted with a colorful study abroad experience, but as soon as I stepped into the classroom, I was overwhelmed by the professor and classmates' strange accents in English.

In daily life, relying on situational understanding may still be able to get by, but once you can't understand the professor's lecture in class, it can really make you anxious to the point of "hair pulling". For international students who have just arrived abroad, the "heavenly book" classroom lectures, cultural differences, and academic pressure are often the three major challenges they must face first.

Especially in the early stages, facing various challenges in the classroom such as language barriers and unfamiliar teaching modes, learning efficiency will naturally be greatly reduced. Although I can barely keep up with the pace with textbooks, class notes, and the help of friends, if I can master some note taking skills and use suitable learning tools, it can not only make learning easier, but also save a lot of time and energy.

So, international students, can't understand the professor's lecture on the first day? Did you still feel dizzy and disoriented in the first week? Even exploring for a semester? Don't worry! Don't be in a hurry! Mastering these classroom survival tips and easily dealing with foreign classrooms, I believe you can do better than me!

Outline

Why can't I understand in class?
- 1.Language barrier
- 2.Cultural differences
- 3.Academic pressure
一：Easy learning techniques
- Preparation before class
  - PDF to PDF Conversion Tool
  - Translation Tools
二：Note taking skills&follow-up organization and review methods
- How to improve note taking efficiency: four tips
- Pay attention to post class organization and review, and timely digest knowledge
Q&A

Why can't I understand in class?

Many students have good scores in IELTS and TOEFL, and can even be considered high scoring contestants. However, after formal classes, they may also experience obvious discomfort: even though the teacher did not use special slang or say long sentences during class, they just couldn't understand what the teacher was saying in class.

In fact, many times it is not the teacher who uses complex grammar, but the objective reasons such as the lack of professional vocabulary accumulation and cultural differences among international students, that lead to their inability to understand the content taught by the teacher. Here are the root causes of several types of problems that I have summarized, and see if you have been mentioned.

1.Language barrier

Lack of vocabulary:

In the new learning environment, professional terminology and everyday language often leave people confused. In class, professors may use academic vocabulary that sounds particularly formal, or abbreviations that you have never seen before, which can instantly confuse people. In daily life, one may also encounter many down-to-earth slang or regional expressions that cannot be learned from textbooks. This is like trying to explain to a foreigner the hot Chinese Internet words such as "Inner Volume" and "Versailles". The difficulty in understanding them can be imagined. For international students, the richness and diversity of vocabulary can sometimes be confusing, but it is a necessary path to deepen language learning and truly integrate into the environment.

Grammar and pronunciation issues:

The process of learning a language is to gradually transition from simple vocabulary and basic sentence structures to complex sentence structures and expressions. But language is still alive, it doesn't have fixed formulas like mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Even if you have mastered many grammar rules, the sentences you hear in actual communication often exceed the scope of the textbook. Moreover, even within a country, people of different ages, regions, and cultural backgrounds may have vastly different ways of expressing themselves when speaking. A young person and an elderly person may have completely different vocabulary and intonation, and regional accents add to the difficulty of understanding. For example, hearing English with a Southern or Scottish accent for the first time can be confusing and often requires guessing based on context. At the beginning, this situation may be a bit frustrating, but don't worry, it is a necessary stage in language learning. Adapting to various accents and becoming familiar with different ways of expression will take an important step towards truly mastering the language.

In addition, the accuracy of pronunciation is also a challenge faced by many international students. A simple word, if pronounced incorrectly, may completely change its meaning. For example, the difference between "sheet" and "shirt" in English is a "minefield" for many learners. Accidentally speaking incorrectly may lead to awkward misunderstandings. These subtle differences in pronunciation make people nervous, but there is no need to be too anxious. By listening more, imitating more, and practicing repeatedly, these obstacles can always be overcome. In this process, don't forget that language is a tool for communication, and the most important thing is that you can bravely speak up and express yourself.

2. Cultural differences

Different teaching styles:

In China, there are occasional group discussions in the classroom, but in most cases, students are accustomed to listening, and the teacher stands on the podium to lead the entire classroom. The content is organized according to the textbook and lecture notes, with clear structure and clear organization. However, the classroom styles abroad are vastly different. Group discussions (or seminars) are a very common and important teaching form in foreign universities, and many courses even do not have fixed lecture segments. Instead, students are free to speak and discuss with each other in the classroom. Teachers are no longer just "transmitters", but more like "guides" who inspire students' thinking through questioning and interaction.

The advantage of this teaching model is that it encourages students to actively express their ideas and generate more sparks of thinking through discussions and collisions. However, for international students who have just adapted to this environment, this change may feel overwhelming.

Differences in classroom interaction methods:

The interactivity of foreign classrooms is not only reflected in group discussions, but also in a broader classroom atmosphere. In domestic classrooms, the teacher-student relationship is relatively formal, and students are usually not accustomed to interrupting the teacher during lectures. However, in foreign countries, students can raise their hands to ask questions or express their opinions at any time, and the classroom atmosphere is very lively. The teacher encourages students to examine textbooks and lecture materials with critical thinking, and even welcomes them to challenge the teacher's viewpoint.

However, this highly interactive teaching method is a major challenge for students who use a second language. Fast conversations and intense mental collisions can make non-native speakers feel difficult to keep up with the pace, sometimes even before they have a chance to understand a problem, the discussion has already entered the next stage. This feeling often makes people "lose direction", especially when the content of the discussion is different from the lecture notes and cannot rely on "notes" to understand, which makes people feel even more stressed.

Especially in small-scale discussion classes like seminars, everyone sits in a circle, expressing their own opinions and participating in the discussion to express their own views. This not only requires you to understand what others are saying, but also to quickly organize your own language to respond. For international students, this is a very unfamiliar learning experience, but in fact, it is also an excellent opportunity to help you improve your oral expression ability and thinking speed.

3. Academic pressure

Course difficulty:

Whether undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students, when they first arrive in a new academic environment, they generally feel the difference in course difficulty. Many international students often find themselves lacking in certain knowledge points, and this is not unfamiliar in domestic classrooms, just like teachers occasionally say, 'Didn't you learn in high school?' - Similar situations also exist abroad. Many professors assume that students have already mastered some basic knowledge and skills, which may not have been mentioned in your previous educational experience. Especially in some theoretical courses or advanced professional courses, this knowledge gap can make people feel powerless. In order to keep up with the course schedule, international students often need to spend more time and energy on self-learning to make up for it, and these "extra assignments" undoubtedly add a lot of pressure to their studies.

The pressure of homework and exams:

Although daily homework may be manageable, in academic environments abroad, many course assessments are not just about completing practice questions, but require writing reports, creating projects, or collaborating with teams. In these assignments and exams, not only will your academic knowledge be tested, but your comprehensive abilities in data collection, analysis, logical expression, and teamwork will also be involved. For example, a final thesis requires you to have a deep understanding and organization of the entire semester's knowledge, while professors prefer to see your own perspectives and thoughts rather than simply piling up materials. This open-ended assignment is undoubtedly a challenge for students who are accustomed to "standard answers".

In addition, the format of the exam is also very different from that in China. Many countries' exams are not simply about memorization and memorization, but rather focus more on application and analysis. For example, an （open-book exam）does not ask you to look up answers, but rather tests how you apply knowledge to solve problems. This means that you not only need to understand the content in the textbook, but also learn to apply it flexibly, which requires you to spend a lot of time understanding, internalizing, and applying the knowledge you have learned. For international students who are already exhausted due to language barriers and cultural differences, this undoubtedly further increases academic pressure.

So, after realizing these issues, how should we respond? Don't worry, here are a few tips to help you improve your learning efficiency while reducing anxiety.

一：Easy learning techniques

Preparation before class

It is recommended to choose appropriate tools before class, such as laptops or electronic devices (such as tablets) according to personal preferences.

In addition, the teaching styles of different professors may vary greatly. Some teachers speak slowly in class, and international students can keep up with the pace of their teachers even if their listening scores are average. But a more common situation is that teachers speak at a fast pace in class, often causing international students to just jot down a key point, but the teacher is almost finished with that part of the content, which also leads to international students making mistakes or missing knowledge points when taking notes.

Recording class content:

To avoid this situation, international students can use recording devices to record the content taught by the teacher in class and complete their notes after class. During class, focus on listening to the professor's explanation. If you encounter words that you don't understand, don't rush to memorize them to avoid missing the rest of the content. The key is to grasp the main idea of each sentence and understand what the professor is saying as a whole. You can start by understanding the meaning of a sentence and gradually transition to understanding a paragraph or even the entire content of a class. At the beginning, you may only understand 10%, 20%, or even 30%, which is normal and there is no need to be overly anxious. It's not easy even for native speakers to achieve 100% barrier free understanding, just practice slowly.

After class review recording:

After returning home, you can listen to the classroom recording again, carefully transcribe each sentence, search for vocabulary that you didn't understand, and write them down. Memorize the new words found and gradually accumulate vocabulary. In addition, repeating the professor's explanation along with the recording can help you strengthen your understanding and improve your listening and speaking skills.

Tips: In foreign universities, if students want to use recording equipment in class, they must seek the consent of the teaching teacher in advance to avoid unnecessary trouble.

PDF to PDF Conversion Tool

Just preparing the tools above is not enough, pre class preparation is also important! I suggest that before class, everyone can first look at the textbooks and materials provided by the teacher, especially some proprietary terms, which can be consulted and understood in advance. This way, during class, you will be more calm and not get confused because you didn't understand a certain word.

In order to reduce the time spent on pre class preparation, we recommend a tool that can help us with pre class preparation: PDFtoPDF online OCR text scanning website. When we encounter unfamiliar words during pre-class preparation, we can use this tool to convert the content in the book or the PDF scan issued by the professor into a text file, and then copy and paste the text into translation software to understand the content. Below, I will show you the specific steps for use.

Step 1: Take photos of the content in the textbook and save them in PDF format. If it is an electronic PDF scan, you can proceed directly to Step 2.

Step 2: Enter pdftopdf.ai into the browser and enter the OCR text extraction official website, which supports both PC and mobile devices.

Step 3: Click the upload file button and select the file on your phone or computer that needs to extract text for uploading.

Step 4: Wait for a few seconds. After processing is complete, you can click on the small eyes to preview the effect.

Step 5: If the effect is satisfactory, you can click the start conversion button, choose the desired scanning accuracy and payment method, and pay to download.

Note: After logging into your account, you can see the activity of free page conversion for sharing at the top of the website. Hurry up and share it with your friends!

Translation Tools

After the document conversion is completed, you can copy and paste it without manually entering the content in the translation software, which is convenient and efficient for previewing!

Tool 1: Google Translate

Web Version：https://translate.google.com/?sl=auto&tl=zh-CN&op=translate

App Download：https://play.google.com/store/apps/details id=com.google.android.apps.translate

Google Translate, the ability to quickly translate new words and phrases, with the following official features and functions:

Text translation: Simply input text to translate between 108 languages
Click on Translate: Copy text in any app, then click on the "Google Translate" icon to translate (in any language)
Offline translation: no need to connect to the Internet to translate (support 59 languages)
Instant camera translation: Simply aim at the camera lens at the corresponding image to instantly translate the text in the image (supporting 94 languages)
Photo translation: Take or import photos to obtain high-quality translation (supports 90 languages)
Dialogue Translation: Real time translation of bilingual conversations (supporting 70 languages)
Handwritten translation: Input text characters by hand without typing (supports 96 languages)
Translation Favorites: Click on the star icon to save the translated content for future reference (language not limited)
Cross device synchronization: Login to synchronize translation bookmarks between applications and desktop devices
Transcription: Continuously translate content spoken by users in other languages in near real-time (supports 8 languages)

Tool 2: Youdao Translation

Web Version：https://fanyi.youdao.com/#/AITranslate

Youdao Translation provides detailed definitions and example sentences to help understand vocabulary usage. And Youdao can directly import PDF files. If you want to translate the entire document content, simply click on Document Translation and upload the content that needs to be translated.

Both of the above tools can be used in conjunction with the PDFtoPDF online OCR text extraction tool. It is recommended that you try and choose the tool that suits you, so that we can learn more easily.

二：Note taking skills&follow-up organization and review methods

When it comes to taking notes, speed is very important. If you are a little slower, you will miss the key points and not be able to keep up with the teacher's subsequent lecture content. I believe everyone has their own habit of taking notes, but regardless of which method international students are accustomed to using to record their teachers' teaching content, they only need to find the most convenient way for themselves, otherwise it will greatly affect their recording speed. Below are several methods that you can refer to and use in combination to improve classroom recording efficiency.

How to improve note taking efficiency: four tips

Efficiently record using abbreviations and symbols

Learn to use common abbreviations and symbols to speed up note taking. Here is a list of abbreviations prepared for everyone, which interested friends can refer to:wish.with.tw

Stay away from electronic devices and focus on paper notes

Scientific research has shown that taking notes using electronic devices can easily distract attention, as the colors on the screen and constantly popping up information can make it difficult to concentrate. Therefore, try to choose paper and pen for recording, focus on listening to the class, avoid being interrupted while taking notes, and better understand the course content.

Mark key points and efficiently extract information during review

Learn to identify the key content in the course and mark it with different colors and symbols. In the subsequent review process, these key points can be prioritized instead of reading all the notes from beginning to end every time. This method can help you quickly grasp the core content and improve learning efficiency.

Build a thinking model and refine note content

Taking notes is not just copying classroom content, but also about organizing information and establishing one's own thinking model. During class, try to understand "why" and "how it works" and write these understandings in your own words on paper. Through this method, even if there is less content, understanding will be deeper and memory will be more solid, allowing for flexible application of learned knowledge in exams and assignments.

Pay attention to post class organization and review, and timely digest knowledge

Try to review within 1-2 days after class, and consolidate the knowledge learned that day by re listening to recordings, organizing notes, and other methods. This way, you can absorb content at your own pace without worrying about falling behind the course schedule. By reviewing in a timely manner, it can help you make your final exams easier.

Thorough understanding in daily life, easy to cope with exams

Make sure to understand every knowledge point regularly. Spread the review time throughout the semester, instead of focusing on the last few days for intensive review. This way, before the final exam, you only need to review and strengthen your memory, without getting into a fatigue war. Timely digestion of unfamiliar content in class will make it easier to review.

Independently complete course exercises, identify and fill in gaps

When doing exercises (such as tutorials or post class exercises), try to complete them independently first, then compare the answers, analyze the mistakes, and conduct targeted reviews. This can help you identify weak areas and gradually improve your understanding.

Utilize past papers (past exam papers) and mock exams

Whether in countries such as the UK, the US, or elsewhere, past papers from past exams are extremely valuable review materials. Carefully study these real questions, as the exam topics and question types often have similarities. Try to take several mock exams (strictly timed) before the exam, not only to familiarize yourself with the exam process, but also to improve answering speed and confidence.

Plan a detailed review plan and gradually advance it

Develop a detailed review plan one month before the exam to ensure that tasks are completed in an orderly manner every day. Avoid staying up late, arrange review periods reasonably, and maintain a good learning state. The more detailed the plan, the more targeted you will be when reviewing, and you won't feel flustered.

Flexibly tackle exam challenges and cultivate proactive thinking

The examination styles vary from country to country, with some emphasizing memorization and others emphasizing analysis and application. Be accustomed to supplementing your learning through reviewing courseware, textbooks, seminar exercises, and other materials, instead of rote memorization. Instead, focus on understanding concepts, practicing divergent thinking, and problem-solving skills. Try simulating actual exam scenarios and familiarizing yourself with the pace of answering questions in the exam room.

Pre exam Assault Tips

If review time is limited, try to focus on studying key question types and parts that are prone to errors. You can find senior students, mentors, or study groups to sprint before the exam, sort out the key and difficult points together, and quickly fill in the gaps. Finding a learning partner who can help you organize past papers and key knowledge points can greatly improve your review efficiency.

Q&A

Q：Does the PDF to PDF tool only have the function of converting scanned documents to text files?

A：Currently, there is, and the translation function will be added in the future to greatly improve your learning efficiency. If you have any other questions, you can click here to learn more about the relevant content, or you can also contact your email at: pdftopdf@leqi.ai Provide feedback.

Q：Are there any good ways to get nervous during class and unable to communicate with classmates and teachers?

A：It is common for international students to feel nervous in a new environment, especially when they need to communicate with classmates and teachers. Here are some effective methods to help international students overcome their nervousness and participate more confidently in classroom discussions:

1.Prepare in advance

Preview course content: Read relevant materials before class to understand the upcoming content, which will give you more confidence in class.
Prepare questions and viewpoints: Think ahead of possible discussion topics and prepare some questions or viewpoints for speaking in class.

2. Small steps start

Start with simple interactions: Start with small interactions such as nodding, smiling, eye contact, etc., gradually increasing the complexity of the interaction.
After immersing yourself in the environment and feeling less tense, try raising your hand to answer simple questions. Don't be afraid of answering incorrectly. Only by answering correctly can teachers and classmates help you better.

Q: What should I do if I encounter something I don't understand during class?

A: This is a challenge that many international students encounter when they first arrive abroad, but don't worry too much. You can start from the following aspects:

1. Recording class content:

During class, focus on listening to the professor's explanation. If you encounter words that you don't understand, don't rush to memorize them to avoid missing the rest of the content. The key is to grasp the main idea of each sentence and understand what the professor is saying as a whole. You can start by understanding the meaning of a sentence and gradually transition to understanding a paragraph or even the entire content of a class. At the beginning, you may only understand 10%, 20%, or even 30%, which is normal and there is no need to be overly anxious. It's not easy for even native speakers to achieve 100% barrier free understanding, just practice slowly.

2.After class review recording:

3.Pre class preparation:

Before class, you can first look at the textbook and materials provided by the teacher, especially some proprietary terms, which can be consulted and understood in advance. This way, during class, you will be more calm and not get confused because you didn't understand a certain word.

4.Don't overly rely on translation software:

Although translation software is convenient, it cannot replace your true understanding and mastery of language. Through active practice and accumulation, you will find that your speed and accuracy in understanding content have significantly improved.

What should novice international students do if they can't understand in class? Combine efficient preview and classroom notes with OCR tools!