Hello everyone! My name is Princess Laurel. I am a Filipino from Manila, Philippines, who is now living and studying in Malaysia at the University of Reading. I have finished a foundation year in Law and have now started my Bachelors with hopes of transferring to the United Kingdom (UK) for year two of my undergraduate degree.

Law was one of those things that was deeply ingrained during my childhood. All my family would encourage me to study it throughout my life, and at first, I could not understand why. But as I went through high school, I realized that I was much more of a humanities student than a STEM student, and I cared for people -I started to seek justice for those who cannot speak for themselves, and that growth turned into a true passion.

My Academic Background

In my later high school career during K-12, I took the Accounting, Business, and Management strand, which after got me to question whether those requirements would actually be sufficient for another country, as the Philippines is not really on the same par with UK university requirements.

I did work hard to get straight A’s during my senior year, and was able to get a 4.0 for my GPA. However, when I submitted my application to the University of Reading, the equivalency was not enough, and so they suggested I do the International Foundation Program (IFP) and progress into the Undergraduate degree after.

In the Philippines, I actually started pre-law before I left, which made it more heartbreaking to leave as I grew and had worked so hard already, being two years into the degree. Nevertheless, it did come with benefits such as cutting down four years of undergrad before going to law school, making it work out for the better.

Why Overseas & Malaysia

Unfortunately, if you look at the QS ranking (a globally respected system that assesses and ranks universities using key criteria), the Philippines is really low. Along with that, it is really difficult for Filipinos to get jobs overseas, and so when my mother realized the rankings, she thought it may be best for me to study outside of the country.

Initially, I didn’t have Reading on my list of possible Universities but instead was supposed to go to Singapore under the Singapore Management University, as I got accepted for political science. However, as I looked into the benefits the University of Reading could offer -especially what the UK could give me as an international student due to their prestigious reputation which will definitely make job hunting fairly easier as their alumni network is strong which would allow me to branch off into excellent job opportunities once I graduate and so I learned that it may be better in the long run.

The reason for choosing Malaysia first instead of going straight to the UK was that the idea of moving to Europe from Asia felt very daunting to me at first. After some research on other campuses, I thought that attending the Malaysian campus, in the beginning, may make it easier to transition into international student life and slowly give myself time to adjust and grow more before taking that step. I was also lucky enough to find my Filipino community in Malaysia, making it feel familiar and less scary to leave home.

I am now starting to feel excited and ready to transfer to the UK. From the history, the buildings, and the diversity I could experience by meeting new people and by being exposed to different views. I feel it’s the right next step for me to make, and that transferring will allow me to evolve and thrive in a new and advanced environment.

My Application Process

When applying, I needed to submit my grade 11 and grade 12 transcripts, along with an English proficiency test such as IELTS. They also requested a letter of recommendation and the standard personal documents. Apart from applying for a single-entry visa at the Malaysia embassy in Manilla, the entire process was easy as the staff at the university’s international team handled all of the travel arrangements. This is slightly different compared to applying to the UK and simpler as the UK campus requires a personal statement, which is a major part of your application around 4,000 words and you are responsible for completing the visa process under university guidance

Challenges Faced

The challenge of this big shift in my life definitely started even before arriving in Malaysia. It was my first time moving out of the country, and I was only 19. I had to do everything alone as the eldest, from having to deal with paperwork, all of those technicalities that come with moving schools and moving countries, and the different levels of anxiety and stress that came with it -this was a large hurdle for me to overcome. The only way I think I was able to cope with it was purely due to fight or flight, and just getting things done on autopilot without thinking about it. A part of me imagined it as a big school project that would be over soon to try and lower the pressure of it being the next big step in my life.

When I actually started, my first term came to be quite difficult. I was two weeks late due to my visa, and so I started off finding the curriculum really different compared to the Philippines. This was mostly because we didn’t have things like academic writing or presentation skills at the same level as international schools have, so I was struggling, especially with citations, referencing, and writing critically.

This really discouraged me at first because I didn’t understand why I kept getting low marks and was not doing as well as I was used to. However, after befriending a few other students who had more insight into the curriculum and who made me aware of the format, it started getting so much easier over time, and I started learning how to improve and how to adjust my way of working to fit Reading’s expectations, making it more doable.

Similarly, another struggle was time management. Back home, we had a very different schedule, while at Reading, the workload is more of independent study, research, and reading, making me feel very overwhelmed and out of control, as it only added another layer of unfamiliarity.

The initial start was a lot of figuring out and adjusting my ways as much as I could mentally, academically, and socially. But I overcame it, I made sure to reach out, ask for as much help as I could get, and not be afraid to make mistakes.

Reading Campus Life

Unfortunately, during your foundation year, students are not allowed to join any clubs or societies to focus more on studies; however, we did have other options, such as volunteering for a course rep or the STAR mentorship. The STAR mentorship is a program where students become mentors to incoming students starting a foundation to guide them through the process of enrolling and helping them network and make connections.

Schedule-wise, we have pretty flexible and free days, which allow us to balance out our academics and social life. We have two to three lectures in a week with one seminar at the end of the week, which I have found to be quite helpful as it gives us the ability to discuss the week's topics and anything we may not understand, giving us the opportunity to ask questions and confirm our understanding with the professors. However, during exams and finals, we are pushed to be organised in handling three core subjects and doing well on the papers.

Overall, the University of Reading is the only international branch campus in Malaysia offering a full UK law degree as it is not a franchise or partner programme but instead just an extension. The University also has a very active community. Whether that is social clubs or academic societies, there are numerous opportunities for students to get involved and build meaningful connections. From debate clubs to cultural events and volunteering initiatives, the campus encourages a well-rounded student experience.

Advantages of a Foundation Year

I think the biggest thing I gained was confidence. During this foundation year, we were encouraged to think for ourselves, be critical, and question a lot. It definitely made me more independent and sure of my own opinions, which I feel is very important, especially for a law student. Openness was a big thing as well. I’ve now learned how to interact with so many different people from different countries and backgrounds, and have been able to learn so much from every experience.

Lastly, the main thing, which I feel is the purpose of the program, was how I improved academically. I learned how to write critically, how to research properly, and how to express my ideas and views clearly and developed which will come to benefit during my undergraduate studies for sure.

Advice & My Main Takeaways

I was scared in the beginning. I didn’t know anyone, I didn’t know if I would do well, I didn’t know how things worked in this new country and school. But I had to remind myself that this is the journey.

Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone comes from different systems, and it’s okay if you’re behind as long as you are open to learning. Also, ask questions. Teachers are there to help, and they won’t know you’re struggling unless you speak up and get involved.

To anyone wanting to join Reading or want to study Law, just make sure that whatever University you choose is one you will not regret or have doubts about, because if you go blindly just because you know they have your course, you may never be truly satisfied. Believe in yourself and the choice that you make, just make sure it feels like the right decision for you, and that your gut trusts it as well. And if it doesn’t work out for you, just know that it was never meant for you and that your perfect opportunity, which is better for you, will come around at the right time for you.