Chancellors Scholars Visit to Lancaster

Sunway University College sent the first batch of its Chancellors Scholars, Tay Ee Lin and Chan Jinn Yep on a two-week study visit to Lancaster University, UK. The visit, which took place in March this year, was jointly sponsored by both Sunway University College, Malaysia and Lancaster University, UK.

The objective of the trip was to provide an opportunity for outstanding Sunway students, of the Sunway degree in affiliation with Lancaster University, to get a glimpse of campus life at Lancaster University and learn about British culture and heritage. The two third year students also visited departments relevant to their studies and experienced how lectures and tutorials are conducted at Lancaster. Such trips also provide an opportunity for students to build a network of contacts in Lancaster which might be helpful in their future career planning or postgraduate study.

Ee Lin (left) and Jinn Yep (right) on the Lancaster University campus.

Tay Ee Lin, currently pursuing her BSc (Hons) Psychology not only had the opportunity to attend third year classes and research discussions while at Lancaster but also visited the infant assessment observation laboratory and attended the National Science and Engineering event conducted by the staff from Lancaster’s Psychology Department. Chan Jinn Yep on the other hand, a BSc (Hons) Business Management student attended classes and tutorials at the world renowned Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) which is ranked 4th in the UK and 27th in the world by Financial Times Global MBA 2009.

The students were based at Bowland Hall on campus for the whole two weeks but also had the opportunity to visit nearby Liverpool, Manchester and the Lake District. One weekend was also spent in York visiting castles, cathedrals, museums and various other places of interest.

The two weeks saw both Ee Lin and Jinn Yep get a different perspective of student life through joining university activities organised by the Lancaster University Student’s Union (LUSU) and a community project organised by the Lancaster University Volunteer Unit (LUVU). The LUVU project involved introducing local standard 3 school kids to environmental issues though music and art. Both students were impressed with how strong and active the Student union at Lancaster University was and how they were able to mobilise students to participate in university-wide projects. They were also especially pleased with how environmentally conscious students were at Lancaster.

Ee Lin (right) and Jinn Yep (left) meeting with Professor Robert McKinlay, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Lancaster University during the visit.

Jinn Yep shared “The two-weeks in Lancaster was indeed a very fruitful one. All through the journey, I learnt a lot and have been inspired with many new ideas for what I am going to do in future. I was particularly impressed with the “green” mentality which I hope can be implemented in Malaysia, eventually spreading to our local community. If this really works out, it will benefit not only the students but the community at large. I thank Sunway University College and Lancaster University for providing me with such a valuable experience during my university life”.

“On the whole, visiting places indeed gave me an opportunity to see the world at large. It allowed me to meet new people, experience different cultures, see how things are carried out in a different system and in a way it has triggered my thoughts from a whole new different perspective. This trip also made me walk out of my comfort zone and carry myself well in a new environment. While being away from home, naturally I just want to carry and present myself well to give a positive image to others about my country and more specifically, the university I am representing. For me, I realised that this trip wasn’t just as simple as seeing new things, familiarising with new culture or learning about history; I also learnt to interact and communicate with people of different nationalities and in various settings” said Ee Lin.

The Chancellors Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship from Sunway University College. It is named after the two distinguished Chancellors; Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Jeffrey Cheah AO, Chancellor of Sunway University College and Sir Chris Bonnington, Chancellor of Lancaster University. It commemorates the affiliation between Sunway University College and Lancaster University in offering Sunway developed joint degree programmes in Business, Computer Technology, Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Management and Psychology.

In addition to academic excellence, applicants are expected to excel in extra-curricular activities, possess leadership qualities, are self motivated and display an overall positive attitude.