University Life

4 Challenges Every Malaysian University Student Will Face

1. Independent learning and research assignments. They had little or no experience with such assignments, which are typically found in Western universities.

2.Time management. In secondary school, they had not needed to manage time so effectively. In university, they now faced a large number of assignments which increase in difficulty over the semester. Assoc Prof Tong and Ahmad noted that “time management is a life skill that takes time to develop” and it would be best to teach students this skill while in secondary school.

3.Most students wished they had a better command of English, especially in reading and writing. Though many had graduated from a pre-university program conducted in English, they felt a stronger command of English would help them handle the high volume of reading, lengthy writing assignments, and oral presentations.

4.The “spoon-feeding” school systems which most Malaysian students are accustomed to, led to “a general lack of critical thinking skills.” Despite scoring well in high school or university entrance exams, first-year university students may not yet be effective critical thinkers. A critical thinker raises important questions and can articulate well-reasoned solutions.