Taylor's Alumni in Focus – "Tears and Laughter", Their GREAT Study Experiences in Britain

Taylor’s University opens up doors to a range of international study options, and three former students from the Taylor’s Law School reflected on their time studying and living in the UK.

(L-R) Taylor’s law alumni Yip Yiu Junn Ivor, Michelle Wu and Joyce Ong at the ‘LAWsome’ day at TU.

Three alumni of the Taylor's Law School (TLS) recently returned to Malaysia from the UK, and came to Taylor's University to speak on a panel that was part of a "LAWsome Day" event that focused on the benefits of legal studies in the UK. These three students started their law studies at Taylor's University, and then articulated into one of the seven strategic partner universities that TLS has in the UK.

The three alumni included Joyce Ong who progressed from Taylor's and graduated from the University of Reading, Yip Yiu Junn Ivor who graduated from the University of Leeds and finally Michelle Wu, who graduated from the University of Manchester. The students reflected on their many experiences in the UK – which varied from making new friends, to doing things that they had never done before to the challenges of managing their own time. On their initial experiences of living in the UK, Joyce commented that "initially it took me a while to get used to the fact that it was so dark in the winter!"

Meanwhile, Michelle Wu who spent three years in the UK spoke about the need for long hours of hard work that characterise law degrees - but that added "balancing that with a social life was important and remembering to leave enough time to cook, clean and also to do the laundry. My Mum had always done that for me in Malaysia and so at first it was a challenge. It took up so much time!" She also added that "the first Christmas I was away from home I cried on the phone as I was missing my family so much" but she soon adjusted to her more independent life in the UK, and ended up spending a total of three years there as she was called to the UK Bar. "I would love to have stayed on longer" she said, "and was there right up until the end of my visa as I loved it so much".

All of them agreed that spending time away from home had seen them grow up, and mature. But of course, the academic work was critical to their experience. Ivor commented on the fact that as part of his degree at the University of Leeds he had to do a final year dissertation – which is required of all students at the university. He said that while he found it academically challenging to do, it also gave him the opportunity to focus and research around a topic of interest to him. Again he stayed up until the last moment, and laughing said "I was also counting down to the very last day on my visa, as there was so much more he wanted to do and see in the UK and Europe".

The 'LAWsome Day' event at Taylor's University was opened by Paul Rennie, the Deputy British High Commissioner, and supported by the UK's Education is GREAT campaign. To find out more about the Taylor's Law School and their seven strategic partner universities in the UK,