Hello! My name is Mohammed Ali, I’m a 19-year-old South African international student who has recently moved to Malaysia to continue my education at Sunway University, where I hope to complete my Bachelor’s in Software Engineering. 

Personal Background & Education Journey

When I was 9, I relocated from South Africa to the United Arab Emirates, where I attended an Emirati private school for 3 years, then moved once again to a tiny tropical country near the equator called Brunei. I completed high school in Brunei and was there for 6 years, where I did my IGCSE (The International General Certificate of Secondary Education) and got my IB (International Baccalaureate) diploma.

I was lucky compared to other IGCSE students, as during that time I found that it was not that difficult; however, I then found the shift from IGCSE to IB way more difficult. I felt the jump in content was quite significant, and so I had a harder time adjusting to that and was then forced to put in much more effort into my academics.

I found my passion for programming around year 8. That’s around when I began to have computer classes, and I felt my love for it came from problem-solving, which I really enjoy and found that digital skills came quite naturally to m,e which was motivating to try new things within it and learn as much as I could while I had the chance.

Why Sunway University & My process

Going back to South Africa to study was not really something I considered or wanted. My goal was to continue my life overseas, so when I was looking at Universities, I looked extensively in Europe and Germany. I felt drawn to Europe, and felt studying there would benefit me greatly. However, in the end, Sunway and Malaysia did seem like the best option for me. Out of everything else it was the more affordable option, Sunway was in my budget and I then found out they not only offered the course I wanted to pursue, but they also have a partnership with Lancaster University in the UK, so once I graduated I would have an equivalent degree from Lancaster which is the biggest thing that drew me to Sunway.

My application journey was a bit different compared to the standard Uni applicant. I was able to apply through an agent I contacted through a friend, so my process was very smooth, straightforward, and easy. The agent helped me submit and do everything I needed to provide my standard documents, such as transcripts like my IGCSE and IB results, my passport for my application, and for a Visa application, which they took care of as well. Getting the visa was quite easy, I paid around 3600rm for the application, which covered medical insurance as well. However, it is only valid for a year, so I will need to renew it and pay again next year.

Current Studies & Future Plans

I am doing a Bachelor’s in Software Engineering, which will take 3 years to complete. The requirement for my course was 26 IB points with a credit in additional maths, however, I did not take add maths, so I was very lucky to receive an offer letter, but then it was compulsory for me to take an extra math module during my first semester called a micro credential. This is offered if you don’t reach the math requirements or if the type of math you did is not recognized by Sunway, they basically teach you the fundamentals for the course you are pursuing so you are on track with the content in future semesters. Another extra academic class is the required Malay language class. These are lessons that teach us the basics of Malay which is the national language here in Malaysia. So far, we have learned phrases such as asking for prices, ordering food, and overall, only those simple day-to-day living things.

I am a computer guy, and so my knowledge, expertise, and passion is anything that has to do with computers and how they work, so I am pretty flexible with what I may want to do once I graduate. Whether it actually be software engineering or other fields such as cyber security, data collection, etc.

Scholarships & Finances

I am not on a scholarship as of yet. I do however plan on trying to apply for the GPA scholarship shortly by maintaining a 3.5 GPA. There is a lot of financial aid, especially entry scholarships, which don’t have the highest requirements grade-wise. To my knowledge, for IB, more than 29 points would give you 6000 rm off each year, and if you were to get 33 or above, you’d be acceptable for 11000 rm off each year. I have found that they are quite generous when it comes to that.

The living cost has been okay considering other countries, it is a more popular/high-end part of Malaysia, being only 20 minutes away from KL. I am living in an apartment which has a rent of 2000 rm a month, I’ve been managing my expenses and how much money I have with this budgeting app called Wallet: budget & Money Manager, having it laid out in front of me really helps when making those financial decisions -mostly because it makes the money feel more ‘real’.

My Student Life and Uni so far

I have only been here for about a month, so while I have not yet experienced the full Sunway student life, I have been pleasantly surprised with what I have seen. Sunway offers a pretty large amount of facilities, from restaurants, fine dining (by hospitality students), and coffee shops to the Sunway Pyramid Mall, which is only about six minutes away from campus. The thing that shocked me the most was actually how massive Sunway actually is, I haven’t even been to the majority of the places yet, but even the premium facilities available were a true surprise when I first arrived.

Sunway is also way more international than expected. While I have met a handful of Malaysians, I have seen people from all over, which I feel is going to enrich my social life more, especially because of the clubs I have seen they offer. While they have not had an official club fair dedicated to recruiting new students, they have had clubs related to specific courses approach those classes and speak about what they are about.

“Good to know” about Sunway

• Accommodation: It’s good to know that Sunway actually doesn’t offer on campus accommodation. They do have three accommodation buildings very near campus -around 10 minutes away. But they are connected by bridges which lead to Sunway, the mall, and overall run throughout the city, making transport and moving from one place to the next very convenient.

• Highest Ranking for graduate employability: It’s good to know that Sunway is very dedicated to ensuring every student is able to get a job once they graduate. They proudly have a 99% employability rate for getting graduates jobs within Malaysia (because of this, my first job will most likely be in Malaysia as well)

• Internship availability: It's good to know that Sunway finds you an internship position around the end of your second year. The internship is six months long and allows you to make connections and establish relationships within that field and company. It also provides you with the opportunity to gain experience and have a better idea of the type of work that goes into what you may want to do.

My Independence & Advice for New Students

This has been the first time I’ve lived alone, and it has been interesting, to say the least. Fending for yourself and having to cook, do laundry, and overall do everything by myself has definitely been a learning experience, but I have been kind of waiting for this independence, and so I have been enjoying it. The best words of wisdom I think I can give are to familiarise yourself. Familiarise yourself with the content and your course, because it is useful to know and be more aware of what is going to be taught. Of course, they teach everything from the bare bones basics, but it really helps during the lectures and while preparing for them to have that idea, as it makes it easier to consume the content.