在温莎大学渡过了第一学期后，Han Sun发现自己的成绩并不理想时重新评估了自己，并调整了课程选择，由此在学术课业和社交方面取得了骄人的成绩。

遇到困难 转换专业

Han，毕业于中国一所知名的高中，北京师范大学附属实验中学——一所录取条件对初中成绩要求非常苛刻的学校。 但这名优秀的女孩在温莎大学第一学期的学习异常艰难。起先，Han主修的是她在高中时就十分喜爱的传媒专业，但是英语却是成为她的巨大障碍。Han并不愿放弃，经过深思熟虑后，她做出一个新的决定——转攻护理学专业。

“我不想修读商科或物理、工程学，”Han坦诚地说，“听说读护理学专业，将来比较好找工作而且这是一个跟健康产业有关的专业。”

刻苦学习 坚持不懈

第二学期，转读护理学专业的Han，已经开始修读该专业的主修课程生物学和心理学，并可依稀见到她昔日在成绩上的骄傲。

“刚开始我看课本的时候真的遇到很大困难，经常会发现100个单词里面至少有40个我不认识，”Han解释到，“不过想想将来，我就只好咬紧牙关继续读，不懂就查字典，直到读懂了为止。”

参加活动 与人多交流

至此，Han的留学生活发生了很大改变，其中在Nursing communications lab的学习对她的影响最大。Nursing communications lab有8名学生，在一名教授的带领下，每周需花4小时的时间，学习训练社交沟通技能。

“如何去了解别人是作为护理学专业训练的一部分，因此我被迫得开口讲话，而在小组情景训练时我也得到讲话的机会，”Han说，“而我的导师非常尊敬并且善解人意，遇到我不会表达时，她会等我想到那个单词并把整个句子完整表述出来为止，即使这要等很久。”

温莎大学的护理学专业有一个很大的特点就是，同个学年入学的学生可以在同个班级里学习。这样一来，学生能更好的交流而且有机会发展更深入的友谊。Han的绝大多朋友就来自护理学专业，这份友谊与中国学生的友谊同样珍贵，当然有了这么多国外朋友，Han就能时刻地练习英语了。

时刻保持进取心

“学英语会花很多时间，但这不是坏事，你需要时刻保持进取心，”Han说，“我会听广播、尝试看电视和朋友交谈，因为我听到的越多，我明白的也越多，那我的错就会越少了。”

虽然Han已不再是传媒专业的学生，但是她深知沟通技能的重要性。她从开始由于表达的不自信而产生的孤立自闭到现在能够与其来自世界各地的同学建立深厚的友谊。因为即使是她之前的两次工作——数学家教和在当地医院帮医生做记录——都要求要有很强的沟通技巧。

Han还有一年，就结束她在护理专业的学习了，毕业后，她计划着去考护士认证，并留在加拿大。在这期间，Han将会在温莎大学国际学生中心担任义工，帮助那些可能会遇到如她当初同样困难的新同学。

Chinese student finds many ways to learn English

When Han Sun found her grades slipping in her first semester at the University of Windsor, she revaluated herself, adjusted the course and thrived academically and socially.

Han is an international student from China who graduated from one of the top high schools in the country, the Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University where excellent marks from middle school is critical. But by the first semester at Windsor, this excellent student was struggling academically.

Han initially majored in Communications Studies because it is a subject she enjoyed while in high school. English, however, was a challenge for her. Instead of giving up, Han assessed her options and found her calling in Nursing.

"I didn't want to learn business and nothing related to physics or engineering," said Han. "I heard about nursing and could probably find a good job and it is related to health."

By second semester, Han who had switched to Nursing was taking required courses like biology and psychology and was earning impressive marks again.

"It was really hard at first to read the text book when out of every 100 words I didn't understand 40 of them," explained Han. "I wanted to have a better future so I just kept reading the book and using my dictionary to understand all the words."

Since then, everything changed quickly for Han Sun, particularly because of the Nursing communications lab where eight students spent four hours a week learning and practicing effective communications skills with a nursing professor.

"It is part of the nursing training to understand people. I was pushed to talk, and I had the opportunity to talk in a group setting," said Han. "My professor really appreciated and understood people, she would wait for me to find my words and finish my sentence even when it took me a long time."

One of the unique features of the Nursing program at the University of Windsor is that students in each academic year attend the same classes making it easier for them to connect and even form strong friendships. Most of Han's friends are nursing students and as much as she values friendship with fellow Chinese students, it was important for her to practice English at all times.

"Learning English takes a long time and there is no bad way of learning the language you just need to push yourself," said Han. "I listen to the radio, try to watch T.V. and even if I can't talk to a friend, it is o.k., the more I listen and understand the more I know how to say things right."

Although Han is no longer majoring in Communications Studies, she still believes in its powerful role. She went from feeling isolated by her inability to express herself to developing friendships with students from around the world. Even the two types of work experiences Han has had so far, tutoring math and transcribing doctors' notes at a local hospital, required strong communications skills.

Han has one more year left in the Nursing program. After graduation, she plans to take the Registered Nurse (R.N) exams and then practice in Canada. In the meantime, Han would like to give back to the University of Windsor by volunteering at the International Student Centre where she can mentor new students who might be experiencing similar difficulties.