Sunway College CIMP – the preferred choice
“CIMP taught me that there’s more to the world than what we usually see or hear – whether it be from the media or word of mouth”, said 18-year-old Nichole Gan Min Huey, who completed the Canadian International Matriculation Programme (CIMP) at Sunway College last year.
“The programme also taught me to not only listen but to understand and analyse things; to look into topics and expand our knowledge base,” Gan said.
“CIMP was my preferred choice because I liked how the programme incorporated subjects from various fields of study into one programme”, she explained.
“Students could take their pick between science, social science, and even business subjects and this variation and freedom to pick subjects made CIMP my most preferred Pre-U course offered in Sunway College.”
What Gan found most challenging about the programme was always having to keep up with the multiple tests, quizzes and assignments at various points in time.
“Although CIMP is only 30% exam-based and is 70% assignment-based, the unit quizzes and tests given to us every few weeks are a part of our assignments and help make up the 70% of our final grade.
“We had to constantly ensure we put in the same amount of effort and commitment into every quiz, test and assignment handed to us in order to secure our desired final grade.”
Challenges aside, Gan said the best bits were the new experiences and people one gets to meet, the diversity and amazing teachers.
“I would definitely recommend the programme to others mainly because of how much I enjoyed my time in CIMP.
“Not only did I learn about things directly related to the subjects I was taking, I was also able to learn about new cultures, traditions and ideas from the people I was surrounded by.
“The teachers in the programme were extremely helpful and encouraging, which definitely played a part in my growth as a student and person.”
Gan is currently enrolled in the University of Western Australia (UWA).
“I've been a student in UWA for a year now and I've had my fair share of stressful moments, which were mostly from daunting assignment deadlines. Surprisingly, I managed to adapt to university life reasonably well, thanks to CIMP.”
Gan is currently planning to major in Archaeology and Anthropology and Sociology and have two years until she graduates with an undergraduate degree.
Being an international student largely means spending a fair share of time away from family and friends back home.
Gan was homesick after about two months of being in Perth but spending time with friends had helped her overcome that.
As a university student, Gan largely learned to be independent and she picked up skills on time management, prioritising, researching and note-taking. “I’m still very excited and scared about what the future might entail but I’m not going to worry about the present for now,” she said.
Gan’s advice to future students of CIMP is not to take the programme lightly just because it is 70% assignment-based.
“There’s more to CIMP than meets the eye so be hardworking, do the best you can, and of course, enjoy your time in CIMP meeting and getting to know people.”
For further information about the Canadian International Matriculation Programme (CIMP) or other pre-university programmes at Sunway College, call 03-7491 8622, e-mail to info@sunway.edu.my or log on to sunway.edu.my/college/pre-u.
Visit the campus on Dec 17 and 18, 10am to 4pm for the Sunway Education Open Day.