Most KYUEM students pursue degrees abroad

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KUCHING: At Kolej Yayasan UEM (KYUEM), 95 per cent or more students will pursue their studies overseas upon completion of their A levels in June every year.

A press statement said KYUEM gets students thinking about universities and courses at least a year in advance.

While a majority of students go to some of the best and most prestigious universities in the United Kingdom, others choose top-notch universities in the US, Australia and Ireland.

To help students gain entry, KYUEM concentrates on helping students gain the strongest possible results in their A level exams during their 18-month or two-year course.

The June 2011 examinations results were outstanding with just under 81 per cent of all grades awarded at A*, A and B.

This represents a very high level of achievement by all students. 23.7 per cent of all grades gained were at A*, while 58.3 per cent of all grades gained were at A* and A.

A total of 28 students (13.1 per cent of total entry at KYUEM this year) gained four A grades or better, while 92 students (43.2 per cent) gained three A grades or better.

At AS level, the first half of the A level qualification, KYUEM’s results were even better with 83.8 per cent of all grades at A or B level. (There is no A* grade at AS level.)

The UK, US, Australia and Ireland have some of the best universities in the world and each has its own ethos and atmosphere.

Some, such as Oxford and Cambridge, consist of individual colleges and each may have quite a different atmosphere.

A student will have to choose from hundreds of different courses that vary widely in content, style and teaching method. It is tempting to apply to what may be regarded as the best universities, but it may be important also to consider some practical issues.

London, for example, is a very exciting but also a very expensive place. Most universities, however, provide accommodation for international students at least for the first year of their studies.

Without proper guidance, choosing a university overseas can be extremely stressful. KYUEM guides students step by step right from choosing suitable university options to completing the application forms.

Presentations, workshops, mock interviews and forums are organised to get students to start their research work, choose universities and write the personal statement, which is a vital part of the application form.

A dedicated team, comprising the counsellor, tutors teachers and the headmaster, assists students in the counselling process.

Special attention is given to interview techniques for those applying to read medicine and to universities such as Oxford and Cambridge where the interview is a compulsory part of the selection process.

Students also follow small group meetings with a subject specialist on a weekly basis, discussing subject relevant issues often outside the textbook context.

Securing a place to do medicine in a UK, Irish or Australian university is extremely challenging and requires more than just good academic grades.

Students are strongly encouraged to undertake work attachments during the semester breaks and to participate actively in the variety of sports clubs and societies the college offers.

This adds to the richness of the students’ experience at KYUEM and forms an ideal preparation for entry to top universities.

As a part of the preparatory work, students applying to read medicine make presentations and discuss in small groups various medical issues from ethical, legal, religious and other perspectives.

Practising doctors and academics are regularly invited to these forums.

The students gain a great deal from discussing and reading materials beyond the textbook.

KYUEM students also get first-hand information from senior academics and university admissions tutors from universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, University College London and the London School of Economics and from renowned universities in Australia and New Zealand who visit the college regularly.

Besides that, KYUEM alumni still studying in the UK and graduates gather annually for a weekend at the college, and share details of their experience studying and living in their respective universities.

Networking with international officers and admissions tutors, visiting top universities in the UK and other countries, and entertaining a large number of university visitors to the college regularly are given great attention.

As a result, a large proportion of KYUEM graduates move on to their university of first choice. This is well illustrated by the college’s successful Cambridge and Oxford entries where to date KYUEM has already placed 65 students.

This year five students have received conditional offers from Cambridge University, respectively to read Medicine at Queens’ College, Economics at Trinity Hall, Law at Selwyn College and at Newnham College, and Engineering at Churchill College.

Since its establishment in 1998, the college has achieved over an 80 per cent success rate each year in placing students in the UK’s leading universities and with the Irish Universities Medical Consortium. A few students each year also seek admission to top universities in Australia and the US.

KYUEM is now also open to international students and welcomes applicants with excellent academic records and outstanding co-curricular backgrounds to apply for the July 2012 intake.