Describe a subject you didn’t like before but have interest in now
You should say:
- What it is;
- When you studied the subject;
- Why you didn’t like it before;
- And explain why you have interest in it now.
Sample Answer
Speaking of a subject I used to hate but like now, I would say history. I was in history classes from primary school to high school, but it never really caught my interest. All the history teachers I had were pretty tedious since they just taught with textbooks. And the learning process was basically exam-oriented. It was one of the most boring subjects I ever had. Sitting in history class was about as fun as watching paint dry.
But things changed after I entered college. I found a talk show about history that was sensational on the internet. The host was Gao Xiaosong, who is also a famous music producer in China. He has a good head for history. He loves reading historical novels and really knows history like the back of his hand. He often makes commentary for some historical movies and TV shows by going into detail about some interesting historical stories that I never learned in history class. I always listened to him with relish. It was as fun as listening to some gossip.
From his talks, I found that learning history is actually interesting and meaningful. And I gradually came to understand that it wasn’t history itself that was the problem; it was just the rote learning of it that made me dislike history class. If I’d had a history teacher like Gao Xiaosong, I might’ve been a straight-A student in the subject.
Vocab Highlights
catch somebody’s attention/interest/imagination etc: to make you notice something and feel interested in it
watch paint dry: used to refer to an activity that you consider extremely boring
have a (good) head for figures/business etc: to be good at doing calculations with numbers/at doing things relating to business etc
know sth like the back of your hand: to have very good and detailed knowledge of something
go into detail (about/on): to mention many facts or aspects of a situation
rote learning: the act of learning or memorizing something by repetition
straight-A /ˌstreɪtˈeɪ/ (adj): getting the best results in all examinations