Gearing up for Oxford Admissions at Sunway

Gaining admissions to the University of Oxford can be difficult, but not impossible. As the world becomes increasingly connected, information on applying to one of the world’s leading universities has become more accessible, not only via the internet but also face-to-face. The Oxford University Malaysia Club Outreach (OUMC), the official union of Malaysian students at the University of Oxford, brought their alma mater back home, allowing more prospective Malaysian students to learn tips and tricks into Oxford.

The recently held OUMC Outreach Seminar at Sunway College featured Dr Anne Mullen, Senior Tutor and Tutor for Admissions and Graduates, St Anne’s College, and a number of current Oxford students pursuing their studies in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Economics, Engineering, Law, Psychology, Philosophy, and Mathematics. They shared their experience of getting into Oxford including the assessment process and effective ways of responding to interview questions.

Dr Anne Mullen sharing admissions advice to the University of Oxford

Ng Wai Lam, Outreach Director of OUMC who is currently pursuing his Bachelor degree in Biochemistry, said “Oxford is an amazing place. If you are into history, you will be walking the very same streets as JRR Tolkien, going into laboratories where scientists came up with Nobel Prize winning discoveries. If you are not into architecture, you will not only be walking past or into castles that look like something out of Harry Potter, but also dine in and live in them as well.”

Contesting the public stereotypes of ‘nerdy’ Oxford students, Dr Mullen said “People always think of Oxford as ‘I-just-can’t-do-anything-else-but-academic-work’ -- wrong; we (University of Oxford) encourage you to find your academic balance and other stuff. That’s why the way we select our students is a painstaking process. It is a process whereby the individuals are chosen by tutors for the subjects you love. We stand by you when things get tough, we sustain you in your degree programme which is fundamentally your passion, and we develop the skills in you. Not all Oxford students are geniuses. They are strong academic students who are prepared to work for the subjects they love. These are the focused individuals we are looking for.”

Mika Low found the OUMC Outreach Seminar informative and helpful

Amongst the audience were pre-university students and high school students from Sunway and other institutions. Mika Low, a 17 year old participant who is currently preparing for his SPM exam is motivated to apply for University of Oxford.

Sunway College A-level students at the OUMC Outreach Seminar - From left: Lau Le Dye, Nor Adliana binti Adenan, Yaasvini Thlagaraj, Sharmila Devi D/O Ravindran

The workshop concluded with Dr Elizabeth Lee, Senior Executive Director of Sunway University and Sunway Education Group revealing that the collaboration between Sunway College and OUMC will continue with more of such outreach seminars at Sunway.