Getting a place in Oxford
FOR many Cambridge A-Level hopefuls, the prospect of attending the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom is the ultimate dream of their academic journey. For INTI University College’s A-Level graduate, Cheong Ruoh Yang, it is a dream no longer as he has been admitted into the university, which is under the Russell Group, and is completing a Master of Engineering Science programme there.
Attributing his successful admittance into Oxford to his parents’ support and encouragement, Cheong said he studied hard to fulfil the university’s high academic requirements.
However, getting into the prestigious university was only the beginning of a series of challenges for Cheong, who struggled to keep up with the pace of academic rigor in his first year, while adapting to the local customs and culture of the UK.
He persevered and overcame these challenges, and focused his energy and attention on getting his studies back on track, knowing that his admittance into Oxford was a golden opportunity.
“I doubled down on studying efforts and used my time more efficiently. I made it a habit to schedule my study time to better manage my time.
“After a year of readjusting, not only did I manage my time more wisely, I also rediscovered my passion for engineering. It made me more interested in my work compared with when I began my studies last year.
“Having a goal also helped me focus on my studies. I created targets to help myself when studying. As for adapting to local customs, I gave myself some time to adapt and things worked out,” he said.
Cheong emphasised on the importance of
Having a goal also helped me focus on my studies. I created targets to help myself when studying.
mental health and wellbeing while studying at Oxford due to the highly-competitive nature of the student community.
However, he said there was no shortage of support and services available for local and international students to cope with their new environment, manage their academic progress and get career advice.
While Oxford students are often the creme de la creme of students who were the top of their classes in school or named valedictorians, Cheong said although competition was high, it was not impossible to manage.
He said, as a Malaysian student, he was able to get assistance in coping with the expectations and demands of being in Oxford.
“The good news about being a Malaysian studying in the UK is that the Malaysian student com- munity can be found almost everywhere.
“Even if you cannot find one, you can always look for Singaporean students. Having a place or a group of people to fall back on helps with the assimilation process.”
Having spent over a year now at Oxford, Cheong advises fellow students, who hope to enter prestigious international universities, to never give up or shy away from applying to these places.
“Many students do not attempt to apply to toptier universities as they feel that they would not be accepted. In their minds, they have already set themselves up for rejection.
“I applied to Oxford due to parental pressure and, at the time, I felt that I would not be able to make it. Yet, look where I am today.”
He also advised students to seek guidance on the application process from students who have been accepted into these universities.
Cheong, like many INTI Cambridge A-Level graduates, has received offers and been accepted into one of the world’s highest-ranking and globally-recognised university. Other graduates have been accepted into Imperial College London, Cardiff University, Nanyang Technological University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among others.
INTI’s Cambridge A-Level programme opens doors to higher qualifications at global prestigious universities in areas of Actuarial Science, Accounting, Finance, Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Engineering, Law and many others.