Jointly Reported by:
Ng Sze Yun Sr3A
Photography by:
Kuen Cheng High School Counseling Department
On the 7th July 2022, Kuen Cheng High School invited two alumni, Phoebe Yong and Lee Yun Xuan, both graduated in the year 2021 and are currently pursuing the law degree with a UK transfer program at Brickfields Asia College (BAC), to give a sharing session about their university and course to the Senior Middle Level students.
Left – Yun Xuan, Right – Phoebe
First, Phoebe and Yun Xuan talked about why they chose to study law. Both of them have a huge interest in watching news, especially about social topics. They were encouraged by their family and friends to pursue their studies in law. Although they didn’t want to take the law course at first, they finally decided to study law because the law doesn’t limit a person to one career; they can get an opportunity to contribute to multiple sectors.
Next, they introduced the path to becoming a lawyer in Malaysia. They specifically spoke about the process of studying at a private university. Students need to complete their SPM and Pre-University Program (which is the UEC for Independent Chinese School students) to get into university. According to the Malaysian Legal System, a person needs to hold a law degree (LLB) and a professional certificate, either the Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) or the Bar Practice Course (BPC), before proceeding to nine months of pupillage. After completing pupillage, a person can be called to the bar and become a lawyer in Malaysia. Before proceeding to the next topic, they also introduced a list of private universities that offer LLB programs for the students’ reference.
Later on, they briefed the students about the UK transfer program. The program offers either a 1+2 course, which is one year studying in Malaysia and two years in the UK, or a 2+1 course, which is two years in Malaysia and completes the final year in the UK. Phoebe will be going to Cardiff University in September 2023, whereas Yun Xuan will be going to the University of Reading, which is in September 2023 as well. They then introduced the subjects to be covered when taking the law course, which included Contract Law, Public Law, and Tort Law. Yun Xuan, who took the Foundation in Law, also gave a brief overview of the course. Besides that, they mentioned the exam, which includes an essay, problem questions, coursework, and case notes. They also mentioned that group presentations will be counted toward exam marks for some semesters.
Furthermore, they talked about the course fees at BAC. For students who complete the University of London (UOL) Program in Malaysia, it will cost about RM75,000. Students who take the UK transfer program will need to pay approximately RM55,000 for the first two years in Malaysia and RM150,000 for the final year in the UK. In addition, students need to pay around RM23,050 for the CLP exam, which is held in Malaysia. The BPC exam, which needs to be taken in the UK, will cost approximately RM150,000. Phoebe, who chose the 2+1 UK transfer program, mentioned that she managed to get a scholarship for the first two years in Malaysia, and the fees were reduced to RM30,000 in total.
Lastly, they shared some school life with the students. They also gave some advice to their juniors. Both of them said that economic conditions need to be taken into account before choosing a university. In addition, Phoebe mentioned that time management and discipline are very important as university studies require the students to commit to self-study for some time. Yun Xuan also mentioned that due dates for coursework are very strict; no resubmission will be allowed if students miss the deadlines; therefore, students need to be very disciplined in their studies.They hoped that students would make the best choice for themselves in their future studies.
Before the sharing session came to an end, a Q&A session was conducted. A group photo was taken as a memory of the event. A huge thank you to Phoebe and Yun Xuan for sharing their experiences.
Group photo