Written by: Shereen Ismet | BSc Psychology Part 3
Whether you are a student transitioning from high school, a fresh undergraduate student, or a returning student, we all have a common goal – to have the best time here in Reading! The Reading University Malaysia’s student association, otherwise known as RUMSA, is here to help by enriching your experience at UoRM.
Apart from the last-minute mugging to ace your tests or assignments, a huge part of being a university student is the social aspect of it. After all, university is a place where you build your network, soft skills and most importantly, your memories. Being the last step before entering adulthood, here are the top 5 ways to enjoy your UoRM life to the fullest before it’s too late!
- Join RUMSA-led events
As cliché and as promotional as this sounds, joining RUMSA-led events or activities is a fundamental or rather the easiest step to enjoying life@UoRM! Well at least for me, one of my best memories in UoRM is the annual Halloween event held by RUMSA! Prior to the pandemic, Halloween has always been an event the Reading family take lots of pride in. From the creepy teasers that are played to us in the lecture halls to the amount of effort put into having the best Halloween costumes, the Halloween haunted houses that RUMSA crafts are on a whole new level! Literally! One year, we had a haunted house that span across three levels and the chicken in me cried so hard! Yet, despite my seemingly “bad” experience, I have never once regretted joining it as I remembered sharing so many good memories and laughter with my friends and lecturers!
- Take on responsibilities
With more people having a bachelor degree and achieving excellent results, it is becoming increasingly crucial for us to have more than just academic-related skills. Job recruiters are now prioritising all-rounded candidates that not only have stellar academic results but also show potential in having leadership skills. Especially with the pandemic driving the workforce towards a remote-based working environment, the need for candidates to show that they are capable, independent and responsible has been highlighted. As such, taking on responsibilities such as being a module/course representative or a board of members in clubs and societies would show recruiters that you have the skills that they are looking for. With that being said, this doesn’t mean that you should be taking on responsibility just for the sake of having it “on paper”. Throughout your tenure holding any leadership position, you should be making the most out of it and learning how to manage, lead and communicate with your team. After all, your potential job recruiters will only value your leadership experience if you are able to share insights and learning outcomes from it.
- Learn a new skill
Remember how when we were kids and needed to ask permission from our parents whenever we wanted to learn something new, only to be met by the occasional/often rejections from them? Well, being in University means that we are all young adults now who are capable of making our own decisions. It is never too late to pick up on the skills that you always wanted to learn! Home to more than 20 clubs and counting, join a club and immerse yourself in the family-like environment where you learn from your seniors together with the rest of your club-mates! Who knows, your weekly training or meetups could also be an outlet for stress relief from a very hectic and pressurising bundle of assignments.
- Make new friends
This point almost seems like a no-brainer, yet with the current study-from-home arrangements coupled with the constant fear of making a fool out of ourselves when attempting to make new friends, this seems like a rather impossible task. Coming from a different country to join Reading here in Malaysia, I remembered feeling completely alone during orientation with most people around me having friends from their high schools transitioning to this unfamiliar situation together. However, during my welcome week, I stepped out of my comfort zone and “shamelessly” went up to random people trying to start a conversation with them. I’m glad that because of this action, some of my first friends in Reading are now my closest friends with whom I continue to confide in and study with! Since going up randomly to people is no longer viable physically, Blackboard has made this possible online with their newest update where we can start messaging our course/module mates! So, what are you waiting for? Take the first step and slide into your course/module mates’ private message now!
- Get to know your lecturers
Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to be a teacher’s pet. Unlike other bigger universities, the smaller-scaled UoRM meant that everyone knows each other, including the lecturers! This sort of built a rather “kampung” like environment where everyone has to be nice to each other as we are bound to bump into one another easily. Getting to know your lecturers doesn’t necessarily mean having to hang out with them outside of class for dinner or lunch, but rather being comfortable enough with them to ask for feedback or advice. As a Reading student, you should be assigned to a personal tutor whether you’re in the foundation or bachelor programme. If there is any lecturer that you should start knowing first, that should be your personal tutor as she/he will be your first point of contact whenever you are having troubles coping with both academic or non-academic related issues. By being comfortable enough to share your feedback matrix with your respective PT, your PT will have adequate information to help you achieve your fullest potential by providing you with the necessary advice and guide you towards your goal!
The pandemic has definitely dampened our spirits in the 2020/2021 academic year but let’s fight against it together and make the most out of our 2021/2022 academic year! Stay safe and continue to keep a lookout for our website for our weekly blogs!
Interested to share your experiences with the rest of the UoRM family? Craft a contributed blog post and email it to us at secretary@rumsa.my!