How is University Life in Malaysia?
Now that you have received your university offer letter after successfully applying to UPU…what should you expect from your university life? What should you prepare?
The first and most important thing you should know when continuing your higher education is that your day-to-day routine is no longer controlled by your parents. Yep, you are on your own right now. This means that there is no more nagging in the morning, no more mom yelling for you to take out the trash in the morning. Sounds fun, right? Yep. Definitely.
But as mentioned, you are on your own. There will be no more yelling and nagging, but at the same time, there will also be no more complete breakfast when you wake up. If, you wake up, of course. At university, there will be no one who will tell you to wake up. So, what should you do?
Worry not, friends. In this article, we will be talking about how is the university life is in Malaysia, what to expect, and tips on how to manage your day-to-day routine and stay on top of your responsibilities.
Academic Expectation
Most of the time, the university has already planned out classes for your entire first semester. However, usually before your first semester ends, the Student Academic Affairs department will announce a date for you to add and drop classes on your own.
Usually, the Student Academic Affairs department will be giving specific instructions on how to do so. But most of the time, students get confused anyway. Maybe after you have added a few, the schedule appears as ‘clashing.’ Clashing means that one of the classes you registered for overlaps with another
If this happens, who should you ask? University staff? Your seniors? Course mates? Here’s a tip: Always try to identify the errors yourself first. Try putting your critical thinking skills into practice. If you cannot, don’t worry. Try asking your coursemates. Still no answer? Try asking your seniors. Only contact university staff if you think that the errors are because of the university’s system, and not on the students end.
For public universities, it is known for the lecturers to be ‘hot-tempered.’ We’re here to say that that is not true! While it is correct that some lecturers can be hot-tempered sometimes, but most of the time they are nice!
This may sound harsh, but do not ask dumb questions to not trigger them. Some lecturers may be easily triggered by questions that sounded ‘sarcastic’.
For classes, make sure you are there 15 minutes before the class starts. Do not be late! Some lecturers may not let late students enter their classroom. If the residential college and your class are far apart from one another, plan ahead.
Social life & Extracurricular Activities
Social life plays a very vital role in your university life. Social life at the university is very different from what it was in school. There are activities everywhere!
Festivals, carnivals, concerts, marathons, academic-centered events, and all sorts of other events! This is where you have to learn how to socialize. If you are a very introverted kind of person, this is the chance for you to step out of your comfort zone. Being an introvert in university is not fun! You are supposed to enjoy your university life! Make new friends, study shows that being alone can make you depressed.
Hey, we know that sometimes, making friends can be very hard. We experienced that before too. But, do not give excuses if you haven’t tried. Who knows, maybe that one friend that you make will be the one you are going to marry.
You will have a lot of fun after entering the university, but, please do not forget the most important thing: you and your friends’ safety. Most of the time, events will usually end late at night. Never walk alone, especially in dark areas, and stay within the group. Memorize or save the campus’ security number on your phone. Better safe than sorry!
Let’s say you are that kind that enjoys doing work, so you want to avoid joining your friends going for a concert etc, don’t worry. There will be a lot of clubs available in which you can participate. You will be exposed to handling events, doing a lot of paperwork, and experiencing corporate work.
Living Cost
Ah, the most awaited topic. Your money budgeting. The thing that determines what kind of food you will be eating at the end of the month. Don’t worry, friends. Usually, food cafeterias in the university are usually cheap. But yes, of course you would want to eat something fancy once in a while right?
Our tip? Create a financial plan. Calculate your budget per month, and make sure you follow it. There is no point in creating one if you lack the discipline to follow it. Remember, you cannot just go back home when your money runs out from having a fancy lunch.
In the financial plan, make sure you consider:
- Food
- Snacks
- Internet
- Rent (if applicable)
- Saving
Make sure you also save some money by the end of the month in case there’s an emergency, or when there are impromptu trips that your friends have planned.
Conclusion
All in all, university life is not about who had the best or the worst; the most important thing is that you had it. It can be tiring, especially for someone who’s introverted. But like we mentioned before, never stop trying! We hope that this article can expose you to what university life is like to some extent.
