As the new academic year begins, we would like to extend a warm welcome to all our new students! To help you adapt to college life, we have invited several UM students and staff members to share their tips on studying and living on campus. Embarking on your college journey , you will soon uncover a world full of possibilities. We hope you will explore the dif ferent opportunities the university has to of fer, find your goals in life, and go all out to pursue your dreams during your time in college!

Making New Friends to Build a Network

The first thing new students should know is that university is different from secondary school in many ways, according to Garry Wong, professor in the Department of Public Health and Medicinal Administration in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS). ʻIt’ s natural that you feel overwhelmed by all the new things around you during your first year in college. You can always turn to your professors for advice and we would be happy to share our experience and knowledge with you,ʼ says Prof Wong, who received the University of Macau Teaching Excellence Award 2021/2022 during the UM Congregation 2022.

The FHS has implemented an Academic Advisory System, which pairs each professor with one or two students to provide guidance. ‘I often have lunch or tea with my students. They also come to my office from time to time for advice on dif ferent things,’ says Prof Wong, who encourages new students to take advantage of UM’ s multicultural environment to make friends with students from different backgrounds to build a network. As a non-resident fellow of Choi Kai Yau College, Prof Wong often has lunch at the college canteen. ‘When I am at the canteen, my students like to consult me on academic issues or matters related to career planning. It is a great place for faculty members and students to exchange ideas,’ says Prof Wong.

Prof Wong has over three decades of experience in teaching and research. He obtained his master’s and PhD degrees at North Carolina State University and has been working at UM since 2014. His research areas include pharmacology , toxicology, neuroscience, molecular biology , genetics, and bioinformatics. His last suggestion for new students is that they should make an ef fort to improve their English skills. ‘English is the primary medium of instruction at UM. A good command of the language will not only help you fully understand your lectures, but will also be a great asset for further studies and writing academic papers,’ says Prof Wong.

Fostering Time Management Skills and an Effective Mode of Learning

Legend has it that ‘know thyself ’ was among the three maxims inscribed in the front of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Dr Chan Wai Kong, a resident fellow at Stanley Ho East Asia College, encourages first-year students to fully explore their potential during their time in college. According to Dr Chan, who holds a PhD in philosophy from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, UM provides many opportunities for students to learn more about themselves, and many of these activities are provided by residential colleges. He also recommends students to join student clubs based on their interests. ‘By participating in these activities, students can acquire interpersonal skills, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and make plans for the future,’ says Dr Chan.

Dr Chan believes that learning in college is freer than in secondary school and that students should be more proactive and self-disciplined. ‘Some students may find the transition to college difficult because they don’t know how to allocate their time without the supervision of their teachers,’ says Dr Chan, who admits that he had the same feeling when he was studying philosophy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Later, he changed his learning habits by doing class preparation and paying full attention in class. After each lecture, he would spend about two hours going over his notes and would consult his professors on topics that he did not understand. Using these methods, he found himself gradually develop into an effective learner. He even began to have spare time for extracurricular activities. ‘University students should learn to better manage their schedule and develop a mode of learning that suits them. The experiences will help them throughout their lives,’ says Dr Chan.

Building a Solid Professional Foundation

Frankie Ho is a recent graduate of UM’s Department of Accounting and Information Management, Honours College (HC), and Ma Man Kei and Lo Pak Sam College. He made the most of college during his time at UM — in addition to excelling academically and joining his college basketball team, Ho also participated in various activities organised by the HC and his residential college, including talks, community services, visits, and exchange activities. ‘These activities provided opportunities for me to interact with people from different walks of life. They have broadened my horizons and made my time at UM more rewarding and satisfying,’ says Ho.

Ho would like to offer the following piece of advice for new students at UM: ‘During college, you will find many opportunities to learn and put your knowledge into practice. I hope you will also take advantage of these opportunities to build a solid foundation in your professional fields and improve your English language skills, so that you will stand out from the crowd in the job market.’

Gaining Real-World Experience

Cheong Wang is a fourth-year student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the HC, and Lui Che Woo College. When he was in secondary school, he learned about the enabling environment for research at UM as a participant in a research camp at the university. For this reason, he applied to UM and was awarded the University of Macau Golden Lotus Scholarship for Admission Examination for his outstanding academic results.

Cheong is currently a member of the University of Macau Student Branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE UMSU), one of the around 100 sub-organisations under the UM Students’ Union (UMSU) and the University of Macau Postgraduates’ Association. Working in the position of treasurer in the IEEE UMSU, Cheong has been accumulating professional experience through organising different events, which also allows him to meet like-minded people.

Cheong believes that it is important for university students to gain practical experience during college because these experiences will help them develop their careers. This summer, he joined an internship at an energy company in mainland China, through which he has learned a lot about the mainland job market. The experience also inspired him to develop his career in the mainland. ‘Graduates of electrical and computer engineering have a bright future ahead, no matter they choose to work in Macao or in other parts of the world’, says Cheong. ‘I plan to work in large-scale engineering projects in the mainland after graduation to further develop my professional knowledge and skills.’

Source: My UM ISSUE 115