Berita Kampus

Life in UK as a TAR College Scholar

As part of its quest for faculty development, TAR College sponsored its staff to pursue postgraduate programmes overseas. We caught up with Ms Cheng Wei Fong, one of the numerous staff who have benefited from the programme.

BK: What course did you pursue? How was it like to attend classes again after so many years?
“I pursued the Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the University of Leeds. Being a student again was not easy, as my assignments included writing long essays. However, I was lucky to be assigned to an academic tutor who guided me in my work, and I also had caring classmates who constantly gave me encouragement and support. Many forums and workshops were organized and they were very helpful to my studies. I also enjoyed attending tutorial classes because we were always engaged in critical and interesting discussions on TESOL.”

BK: Eating out in UK must have been costly. Did you cook your own meals?
“I found cooking to be quite challenging. It was quite common for students to cook their own meals as it was quite costly to eat out. I too, had to put my culinary skills to a test and it turned out to be a wonderful experience because I learnt not only to cook Malaysian dishes but also dishes from other countries, as my flatmates were from different parts of the world.”

Wei Fong posing in front of Parkinson Building, a prominent landmark of University of Leeds

Wei Fong posing with her fellow classmates at the tutorial.

BK: How would you sum up your time in UK?
“Studying in the University of Leeds for the past 12 months has opened my eyes to many new ideas apart from experiencing a diverse culture due to the huge population of international students in the university. I had not expected that doing a Masters course would be so much fun and yet challenging. Thus, I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity given by TAR College to fulfill my dream to pursue a Masters course in the UK. Now, I look forward in sharing my knowledge and experience with my colleagues and students.”

Hooray! No classes today, time for some Christmas shopping!

The magnificent great hall - where graduation ceremonies take place.

Berita Kampus is a publication of the Department of Development and External Relations of TAR College (the Publisher). No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means - electronic or mechanical including but not limited to recording, taping, or information storage or retrieval systems - without prior permission of the Publisher. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information published, the Publisher shall not be held responsible for any errors and or omission therein.