Source: My UM
According to statistics from theStudent Affairs Office, more than 400 UM students who graduated between2013 and 2015 chose to pursue furtherstudies. Some of them were accepted by universities ranked among the top 30 inthe world, including the University of Cambridge, University College London, Nanyang Technological University, Cornell University, Columbia University, the University of Michigan, AustralianNational University, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. This year, UM students continue to sell like hot cakes with overseas universities, with some receiving offers from world-class graduate schools even before graduation.
Lei Cho Hang, a fourth-year student from the Faculty of Education majoring in English, has received offers from four universities in the United States, namely New York University, Boston University, the University of Southern California, and Columbia University. In the end, she accepted the offer from Columbia University, which was ranked No 22 in the QS World University Rankings 2015/2016. ‘I chose Columbia University because it related to critical reading skills,’ she says. ‘I hope to learn better educational methods and bring them back to Macao. I hope to become a good teacher who can have a positive influence on her students.’
Yue xubo is a fourth-year student of biomedical sciences from the Faculty of Health Sciences. He has received of fers from both the University of Michigan and Columbia University for their successive master ’s and doctoral programmes. The biostatistics programmes at these two universities are ranked No 4 and No 5, respectively , in the US. When Yue told the good news to his parents, they were very happy and said, ‘The four years you spent at UM was worth it!’
After comparing the resources at the two universities and seeking the advice of Dr Peter Yu, dean of students at UM who wrote the recommendation letter for him, Yue picked the University of Michigan. ‘The two universities are very close in rankings, but the University of Michigan provides full scholarships, which means I don’t have to pay the tuition fees of over 1 million patacas,’ he says. ‘More importantly , the University of Michigan provides abundant research funding for students. I hope that in the future I can make a contribution to public health through biostatistics.’
Yue is a computer aficionado. During the four years at UM, he completed 16 courses in computer and mathematics, and achieved good results in all of them. During his spare time, he worked to improve his English and served as the president of the Toastmaster Club. Of his more than 20 future classmates at the University of Michigan, ten will be from Peking University , and two will be from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ‘My future classmates are all supposed to be the best of the best; so I feel a little stressed. But my background in biomedicine and computer sciences should give me a competitive edge,’ he says.
Zhang weihong, a fourth-year student of accounting from the Faculty of Business Administration, applied to business schools at five universities in Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong, all of which are ranked among the top 30 in the world. So far Zhang has received of fers from Australian National University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). ‘Hong Kong is an international financial centre, and I hope that after graduation I can find a job in Hong Kong, preferably a job in an international investing bank so I can gain some hands-on experience. That’s why I chose HKUST’ s business school, which is ranked No 1 in Asia. I hope to have a successful career in finance in the future. What made Zhang stand out from all the applicants from all over the world? ‘UM’ s Bachelor of Science in Accounting with Specialisation in Professional Accountancy has received accreditation from CPA Australia and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). The programme gave me a good grounding in accounting,’ he says. ‘And although I’m not a finance major , I took many finance courses. I showed my report card of these courses to the interviewers to prove that I am passionate about finance. Also, I was the treasurer of the HC Student Association. During my third year , the HC gave me an opportunity to study at Boston College, one of the top institutions in the US, for half a year , and I achieved a GP A of 3.74. I told the interviewers at HKUST that I can perform well even in a new environment or faced with strong competitors.’
Dr Peter Yu says that being accepted by world-c lass universities for postgraduate studies is no mean feat, adding that it shows the quality of UM’ s undergraduate education has received international recognition. Dr Yu himself has received education in the US and the United Kingdom. He worked in student af fairs at the University of Virginia for nearly 20 years before joining UM in 2012. He is well liked by UM students and is often invited to write recommendation letters for them. ‘Usually when I write recommendation letters for the students, I would focus on their participation in extracurricular activities, their leadership skills, and their ability to get along and work with others,’ he says. ‘Graduate studies involve a lot of teamwork; so American universities value students’ communication and collaboration skills.’ For those who wish to pursue further studies abroad, Dr Yu suggests that they should do well in their majors and in English, show their talents through extracurricular activities, and improve their self-discipline and self-management skills.
