A front view of the state-of-the-art UCTS campus.
IT is the state-of-the-art green technology building features of University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS) that attracted Taiwanese exchange student Tsai Chi-An to study there.
Tsai Chi-An
The 22-year-old undergraduate of the one-year exchange programme is also very impressed with the big campus coupled with the university’s infrastructure and design.
“I was attracted by the green technology building features in the video the school sent me. The video introduces Oculus (a round or eye-like opening or design) and the roof of UCTS which looks like a rainforest canopy.
“I’m amazed with the function of the canopy which is used to collect rainwater. After arriving here, I went round to several classrooms and found the food technology laboratories equipped with completely new and advanced apparatuses,” she told thesundaypost.
Tsai is doing a Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Marketing with the School of Business and Management.
“I have been studying in the university for four months now and will stay on till June. I found UCTS on our university’s (Chang Jung Christian University, CJCU) international exchange website.
“I was stunned by the structure of the building because it is more beautiful than I imagined and I’m impressed with the facilities,” she said.
A view of UCTS’ rainforest canopy.
Exchange student experience
Tsai described herself as a person always seeking new adventures and academic challenges.
“I think the future world will be international and multicultural. We should promote better understanding and embrace the differences we see in others.
I believe studying in a different country will give me an excellent opportunity to enrich my life experience.”
However, she admitted when attending her first class session, it was hard to understand what the lecturer and her classmates were talking about and also confusing in the different ways things were done.
Students are seen in the UCTS library.
She recalled the first month was difficult for her because of the cultural shock, especially the different languages spoken with a combination of different accents.
But as time passed by, she adapted, got along well with her varsity mates, and promised herself to keep studying hard.
Tsai observed that people here are easy-going and friendly, saying they would take you to visit different places and invite you for various events.
“If you want to escape the noise of the city, you need to come here to enjoy the peace and tranquil country life. If you love nature, Sarawak has several national parks that are really amazing. The weather is very hot but once it starts to rain, it really pours.
“You can also find different traditional food here,” she enthused.
A night view of the UCTS campus.
Reason for choosing Sarawak
Tsai revealed she chose to come to Sarawak because of the cultural diversity, the opportunity to travel within Malaysia, the friendly people, the delicious food and the need to improve her English.
She said she planned to work first after graduating in June.
There are now five exchange students in UCTS.
Aside from the excellent facilities, including laboratories, the university provides a conducive learning environment.
Students take a break at the UCTS Student Service Center.
UCTS is the culmination of Sarawak’s vision and commitment to setting up a world-class institution of higher learning to spearhead the development and production of technical human resource for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).
UCTS is committed to facilitating students’ access to an affordable world-class university education that nurtures creative and entrepreneurial leaders through a broad education in science and technology while combining the career benefits of an applied approach for SCORE-related research and career opportunities.
UCTS is the very first university in Malaysia to achieve a GBI (Green Building Index) Platinum Index rating through its futuristically designed campus and state-of-the-art facilities.
UCTS’ campus incorporates planning, design and green architecture simultaneously and effectively to create a fully integrated, comfortable, user-friendly and conducive teaching and learning environment.
Group discussion at the garden of the Student Service Centre.