Universiti Malaya – Wales

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My practical experience was interesting as we completed it at the University of Malaya thanks to IUMW and UM’s unique partnership

TIEN XIN YI
Graduate Research Assistant, University of Malaya Bachelor of Science (Honours) Biotechnology, 2017 – 2020

“My practical experience was interesting as I was able to do it at the University of Malaya thanks to IUMW and UM’s unique partnership. Through this, I was able to learn with industry experts and able to decide in which department I’d be best suited. One great memory for me is one of the friendly research assistants who personally guided me and my peers to do reverse pipetting; I think that was admirable as it can be a long and troublesome process but he did it for us, and patiently took his time to teach us. Time management skills were also one of the main skills I had acquired as I had to juggle between classes in the morning and my practical sessions in the evening. It is important to stay focused and energised throughout the period with good time management skills.

I’ve also had some great experiences outside of the classroom – I remember paying a visit to Taman Tugu for my class and holding Biotech’s Bonding Day at the University of Malaya where we did kayaking activities. I also attended the Kokedama event where IUMW hosted a workshop on how to make the Kokedama plant!

Throughout my time at IUMW I used to enjoy spending time with my small group of friends as we tend to have lunch together and play games together too. But if there is one thing I would like to change would be my attitude towards my studies. I was never really the studious type but after I did my Bioinformatics assignment I actually realised that it wasn’t all that bad after all – and how important it is to learn for my career! So, don’t push away the knowledge. Because I realised that Bioinformatics is very important in the research world. Uni is the best time to start figuring out what your career path may be. Ponder on what you are really keen on. Choose the field you are really interested in and suits you best.

Honestly, I also believe it’s really important to build your social skills whilst studying. You should enjoy your social life and studies too and I think that our lecturers are giving a good amount of assignments but we tend to procrastinate hence, why it can get overwhelming.

Biotechnology is an awesome field to be in; biotech is technology hence, it will always grow in the future! For myself, I hope to be able to obtain a doctoral degree in my field in the future.”