For many young Cambridge A-Level hopefuls, the prospects of attending the University of Oxford is the ultimate dream for their academic journey. Fulfilling that very dream, INTI’s A-Level graduate, Cheong Ruoh Yang successfully gained admittance into the Russel Group university and is now trailblazing his way to complete the Master of Engineering in Engineering Science programme there.
Attributing his successful admittance into the University of Oxford to the strong support and encouragement he received from his parents, Cheong studied hard at INTI to fulfill the high academic requirements by the university, and further demonstrated his capabilities and passion beyond academics.
However, getting into the prestigious university was just the beginning for Ruoh Yang who initially struggled to keep up with the pace of the academic rigor in his first year, while trying to adapt to the local customs and culture of the UK. Overcoming this great challenge, Ruoh Yang focused his energy and attention to getting back on track with his studies and persevered through the struggles he faced, knowing that his admittance into Oxford was a golden opportunity.
“I doubled down on my studying efforts, making more efficient use of my time. I also adopted the habit of scheduling my study times and timetabling to better manage my time. After a year of readjusting, I have also managed to rediscover my passion for engineering, making me more interested in my work as opposed to just going through the motions when I began my studies last year. Having a goal to work towards also helped me focus on my studies, and I started creating small targets to help myself when studying. As for adapting to local customs, I just gave myself some time to adapt and things worked out,” shared Ruoh Yang on coping with the initial challenges he faced.
With great emphasis on mental health and wellbeing while studying at the University of Oxford due to the highly competitive nature of the student community, Ruoh Yang shares that there’s no shortage of support and services available to both local and international students to cope with the new environment, manage academic progress and even gain career advice. Sharing that Oxford students are often the crème de la crème of students who represent the top of their classes or were named valedictorians, Ruoh Yang maintains that while competition is high, it is not impossible to manage. He also shared how, as a Malaysian student, he was able to get assistance in coping with the high expectations and demands of being in Oxford.
“The good news about being a Malaysian studying in the United Kingdom is that the Malaysian student community can be found almost everywhere. Even if you can’t find a Malaysian student community, you can always look to the Singaporeans for help. Having a place or a group of people to fall back on does help with the assimilation process into the local culture in Oxford,” shared Ruoh Yang.
Having spent over a year now at the University of Oxford, Ruoh Yang advises fellow students who are hoping to enter prestigious international universities to never give up and never shy away from trying to apply to these places.
“Too often have many students not even attempted to apply to top-tier universities as they feel as though they won’t get in. In their minds, they have set themselves up for rejection. I applied to Oxford mainly 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! So, my advice to Malaysian students is to go for it because the admission probability for those who do not try is an automatic zero,” said Ruoh Yang, who also advises students to seek counsel and guidance on the application process from seniors who have already been accepted into these universities and are willing to lend a helping hand.
Ruoh Yang, like many of INTI’s Cambridge A-Level graduates have successfully received offers and have been accepted into some of the world’s highest ranking and globally recognized universities such as Imperial College London, Cardiff University, Nanyang Technology University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Cambridge A-Level programme at INTI opens doors to higher qualifications in areas of Actuarial Science, Accounting, Finance, Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Engineering, Law and many others at prestigious universities around the world. With dedicated and expert academicians, INTI’s A-Level students have excelled and progressed to various parts of the world in pursuit of their passions.