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📚 Vocabulary
20 new words Learn new words with real examples and audio.
Podcast: Education & School Life
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📝 Podcast Transcript
Hey everyone, welcome back to Word Kitchen! I'm Maya.
And I'm Lena. Today's episode is all about education and school life, and we have twenty fresh words for you.
Twenty words that will help you talk about school, college, teachers, exams — the whole student life. So grab a coffee and let's get cooking!
So Maya, my nephew just started university this month, and it made me think about how many useful words there are around education.
Oh, that's exciting! How is he finding it so far?
He loves it. He just enrolled last month — that's our first word, to enroll, which means to officially join a course or a school.
Perfect. So he enrolled in the university, and now he spends his days on campus. A campus is the land and buildings of a university or college — the whole area: the dorms, the library, the sports fields, everything.
Exactly. And he told me the campus is enormous. He gets lost at least once a day!
Ha! That happened to me too in my first year. Now, one thing that surprised him: in the very first week, every professor handed out a syllabus. That's a plan that shows what you will study in a course and when — all the topics, the reading, the exam dates.
The syllabus is really the student's survival guide. Read it in week one, and you won't get any bad surprises later.
And each semester — that's one of the two main periods of study in a school year, like autumn and spring — starts with a fresh syllabus and fresh courses.
Right. So in this semester, he's taking five courses. On the first day of each course, he sat in a huge hall for a lecture — that's a long talk on a subject given to students at a university.
A lecture can have two hundred students in one hall! And the person giving the lecture is a professor — a teacher at a university or college.
Yes. His favorite professor explains everything with simple, funny examples. But those lectures also come with assignments — a piece of work that a student must do for school. That's our word, assignment.
An assignment could be an essay, a report, or a presentation. He already has three assignments due this month, so he's busy!
But not all of his classes are lectures. Some are seminars — that's a class where a small group of students discusses a topic together with their teacher. Much more personal, much more talking.
He probably prefers the seminars. It's easier to ask questions when there are only fifteen people in the room.
He does. In his seminar about artificial intelligence, the group discussed the topic for two hours straight, and he said the time just flew by.
That's great for his speaking skills too. Now, let me ask about something more serious: how is he paying for all this? Tuition — the money you pay to study at a school or university — is not cheap these days.
That's true. Tuition fees go up almost every year. But he was lucky — he won a scholarship. That's money given to a student to help pay for their education.
Wow, a scholarship! That's fantastic. So the scholarship covers his tuition, and he doesn't have to work a night job to pay the bills.
Exactly. He applied for it last spring, wrote a great essay, and they chose him. He's very proud.
He should be. Now, what about his studies — what's his major? Our word major is the main subject that a student studies at university.
His major is biology. He wants to become a doctor one day. Which means he'll also have to write a thesis — a long piece of writing about a research topic for a degree.
A thesis is a big deal. It's not just an essay; it's original research, sometimes a hundred pages or more. A friend of mine spent a whole year writing her master's thesis on climate change.
A whole year! That's dedication. Does your nephew have a mentor? A mentor is an experienced person who guides and advises someone less experienced.
Actually, the university pairs every new student with a mentor — usually an older student or a young professor. His mentor helped him choose the right courses in the first week.
A mentor can really change your path. My mentor in college was my English professor, and she pushed me to study harder than I thought I could.
That's beautiful. And it reminds me of the bigger picture: literacy. That's the ability to read and write, and it's the foundation of everything we've talked about today.
Literacy matters everywhere in the world. Some charities work to improve literacy in rural areas, and without literacy, none of this education would even be possible.
Well said. Now, let me ask: what's the curriculum like at his university? The curriculum is all the subjects and lessons that a school teaches — the full program.
The curriculum is very modern. The school changed its curriculum to include more science, technology, and even classes on artificial intelligence.
That sounds smart. And here's a funny story from his first weeks: on his second day, he was so confused about the schedule that he joked about leaving. His mother said, "Don't be a dropout!" — a dropout is a person who leaves school or university before finishing.
Ha! But he stayed, of course. Although I do know someone who was a college dropout and still built a very successful business. It's not the end of the world — but finishing is usually the safer choice.
Definitely the safer choice. Now, exams are coming up in a few weeks, and he's starting to cram — that's our word, to cram, to study very hard in a short time before an exam.
Oh no. I told him not to cram all night before the math exam like I used to do. I had to cram all night before my finals, and I walked into the exam half asleep.
Cramming can work for one night, but studying a little every day is much better. Your brain needs sleep to remember things!
True. Now let me take you back to high school for a second — did you ever get detention?
Detention — a punishment where a student must stay at school after classes. Oh yes. I got detention once for talking during a test. The teacher was not amused.
I got detention for being late to class three times in a row! Sitting alone in an empty classroom for an hour was so boring.
And when did you finally graduate? To graduate means to finish your studies and receive a degree or diploma.
I graduated from college four years ago. And the day I received my high school diploma — that's a certificate you receive when you finish school or a course — was one of the happiest days of my life.
She received her high school diploma last month... wait, that's your example sentence, Lena!
It is! Well, my cousin received hers last month. Anyway, after you graduate, the real adventure begins.
It really does. You know, talking about all this makes me want to give three quick tips to any student listening. Tip one: read the syllabus in week one, so you know every deadline.
Great tip. Tip two: find a mentor early — an experienced student or a friendly professor. Don't try to figure out everything alone.
And tip three: don't cram the night before the exam. Study a little every day, sleep well, and you'll do much better.
I wish someone had given me that advice! So, let's do a quick review of all twenty words. Ready?
Ready. Literacy: the ability to read and write.
Curriculum: all the subjects and lessons that a school teaches.
Mentor: an experienced person who guides and advises someone less experienced.
Lecture: a long talk on a subject given to students at a university.
Assignment: a piece of work that a student must do for school.
Scholarship: money given to a student to help pay for their education.
Seminar: a class where a small group of students discusses a topic together.
Syllabus: a plan that shows what you will study in a course and when.
Graduate: to finish your studies and receive a degree or diploma.
Enroll: to officially join a course or a school.
Campus: the land and buildings of a university or college.
Diploma: a certificate you receive when you finish school or a course.
Tuition: the money you pay to study at a school or university.
Thesis: a long piece of writing about a research topic for a degree.
Major: the main subject that a student studies at university.
Dropout: a person who leaves school or university before finishing.
Cram: to study very hard in a short time before an exam.
Semester: one of the two main periods of study in a school year.
Professor: a teacher at a university or college.
Detention: a punishment where a student must stay at school after classes.
That's all twenty! Use these words this week — write about your school life, tell a friend about your campus, or describe your favorite professor.
And we'll see you next time on Word Kitchen. Bye everyone!
Bye!
🎙 Try Shadowing free sample
Listen and repeat along with the studio audio. Full shadowing practice with pronunciation scoring is in the app.
Tutor: Hello! Here's today's shadowing story. It uses all twenty words from today's lesson. I will read each sentence two times. First, just listen. Then, speak along with me.
Tutor: Sentence one. Literacy is the foundation of education, and it opens the door to learning everything else. Literacy is the foundation of education, and it opens the door to learning everything else.
Tutor: Sentence two. Every school follows a curriculum, which is the full plan of subjects and lessons that students must study. Every school follows a curriculum, which is the full plan of subjects and lessons that students must study.
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📝Grammar: Obligation and prohibition - have to, must, should
We use **have to** and **must** to talk about obligation — things that are necessary to do. Students **have to** enroll before the semester starts. **Have to** is for general or external rules: I **have to** submit my assignment on time. **Must** is more personal: I **must** finish my thesis this month. **Have to** is a normal verb, so it works in all tenses: I **had to** cram all night. She **has to** attend the seminar. **Must** only exists in the present. Do not confuse the negatives. **Don't have to** means no obligation: you **don't have to** read every page of the syllabus. **Mustn't*
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