Starting my university education in Malaysia, in hindsight, was a good strategic move in my life. Studying in Malaysia provided me with a platform to build my fundamentals correctly and prepared me for a life in Southampton and the United Kingdom in general.
The campus in Malaysia has excellent lecturers, who are more than willing to go beyond the call of duty to help me in my studies. They are very knowledgeable, and have a strong emphasis for the fundamentals. Paired with a good lecturer-to-student ratio, I would say that the learning experience is unrivalled and better than what I would have first expected.
Of course, I never fully appreciated this until now, when I am beginning to settle down in Southampton. Here, I am expected to be a bit more grown up, and to be more responsible about myself. I would say that the third year of my studies is the make or break year. And rumour has it that the subjects are going to be tough. But somehow, I feel prepared for this. I was given good advice back in Malaysia. And I am very thankful that my fundamentals are properly taught, as this is extremely useful to understanding anything that is taught this year.
I would also say that career-wise, it has been very advantageous to have spent my time both in Malaysia and the United Kingdom. While I was still studying in Malaysia, I really wanted to get some working experience during my summer break. I did my research on Malaysian companies and studied them intensely. This helped me bag an internship with the Malaysian arm of a prestigious multinational company.
Now that I am here, I am once again beginning the whole process of researching and studying companies in the UK. I am able to use my previous experience as a springboard into the UK job market. But what I would say is a bonus for me is that I now have a better understanding of how job markets work in both countries. Had I chosen an education fully in the UK, I would probably have not put so much effort on the Malaysian side of things, and would not have had the experience that I currently have. And this is a very valuable experience to me. It makes me feel confident of getting jobs in whichever country I would eventually choose to work in. And with many companies having strategic interest in developing markets such as Malaysia, having a Malaysian experience is a very good advantage to have.
I am very happy with my choice of going to USMC. I would definitely recommend choosing this path to anyone out there who is looking for a global outlook on their careers and preparing themselves for a bright future ahead of them.