SPM school leavers are advised to enrol into foundation programs soon at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus as classes begin on 2 April.
Besides the five credits required for entry into the programs, SPM graduates must have at least a ‘B’ grade in English.
Those who obtained ‘C’ grade and below will need to take up additional English classes at the university, which will need to be completed before they can start foundation studies.
They are advised to sign up early as the English programs, which are designed to help students cope better with their studies, begin on 9 April.
Swinburne Sarawak offers four foundation programs: business, design, engineering/science and information technology/multimedia.
After successful completion of a foundation program, the student may pursue degree studies in these disciplines at Swinburne Sarawak or at its Melbourne campuses.
Those joining the 2 April intake will be able to proceed to degree early next year.
The one-year programs are designed to help students prepare and meet the requirements for their bachelor degree studies. They also learn teamwork, leadership, time management, culture sharing and how to manage their independence.
“The subjects are well delivered. The advanced teaching and learning methods make the delivery very effective,” said Anastasia Mathew, a foundation in business student who completed her SPM at SMK Green Road in Kuching.
“As most assignments are done in groups, we learn to work as a team and there is active interaction between lecturers and students. This makes studying a lot more fun,” she said.
“What we studied in foundation is followed up in degree (studies),” said Voon Soon Loon, a first year civil engineering undergraduate.
“So things like group project presentation helped to prepare and gave me an idea of what to expect (in degree). It’s actually quite fun and we learned a lot from each other as well as from the lecturers.”
“The lecturers were good in teaching and it (foundation) has also taught me to be more independent and responsible,” said Brigitte Chin, of her experience. Having completed foundation last year, she is now in the first semester of a bachelor degree in accounting and finance.
A range of scholarships and financial aid is available at Swinburne Sarawak. Newly enrolled students whose SPM result satisfies the criteria may be eligible for scholarships.