As I was approaching the end of the academic year for my foundation studies, I was faced with a dilemma – whether I should stay in the Malaysia campus or transfer to the UK campus for my first year. Both of my parents had conflicting opinions on this so it was up to me to make the decision. I thought about it long and hard, searching for the pros and cons of each option, and in the end, I’ve had decided to continue in the Malaysia campus. Here’re my reasons why……
- Cost
Not to be cheap, but this is the first thing most of us look at before deciding to buy something. And our natural reaction to something expensive is to gasp and walk away, which is the exact same reaction I had when I looked at the cost of studying abroad. From the tuition fees to the cost of living, everything costs more in the UK, mainly due to the exchange rate, which is a huge turnoff for me. On the other hand, there is that “Transition Bursaries” scholarship (an additional scholarship that only applies to students progressing from year 2 in the Malaysia campus to year 3 in the UK campus) which can save me a heck load of money if I continue in Malaysia.
Since I don’t intend to spend my first few years as a graduate paying off my student loans, studying in Malaysia is definitely the way to go.
2) Friends and family
Studying abroad means leaving your friends and family behind for a long period of time. And coincidentally, the UK just has to be on the other side of the world from Malaysia. This makes traveling to and fro difficult and costly, so it is likely that I only can return home during the summer holidays, which also means that I won’t be able to celebrate any other festive seasons with my friends and family. In addition to that, the time difference between the two places also makes communication via social media etc that much more difficult. Therefore, going to the UK would be like isolating myself from the rest of the world, which I do not fancy.
3) Taking my time to Adapt
This was the deal breaker for me. After hearing from my seniors, I have come to know that the first year of my chosen degree will be the most challenging. So, if I were to transfer to the UK during this time, I would need to deal with a lot more hurdles than necessary. With the added responsibility from my studies, I would still need to adapt to the different lifestyles and cultures, which sounds like way too much for me to handle.
So, since I have the option to transfer later on, why not relax take my time to adapt to the university life in my home country first?
Of course, this is just my personal point of view, studying abroad does has its advantages as well. Ultimately, the path you take should be decided by you and it should be the one that suits you best.