Notes on Visits to Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.
Hong Kong
The British Council exhibition was fairly busy. However according to Jon, from the International Office, it was somewhat quieter than previous years. There was plenty of interest in Warwick as a whole and plenty of interest for the School of Engineering. We picked up 3 students for engineering in clearing. 16 boxes of undergraduate prospectus were given out so there is reason to be positive about next year. The new Automotive Engineering and Computer & Information Engineering degrees proved interesting to prospective students.
Kuala Lumpur
The British council exhibition in KL was somewhat quieter than HK. However the prospective students were well informed and asked directed questions about a number of degree courses at Warwick. Perhaps the most interest was shown in MORSE as there is a big push in Malaysia for students to study Actuarial Science. Engineering was also strong with much interest in the new Automotive Engineering and Computer & Information Engineering degrees.
Taylor’s college
There was a visit to Taylor’s College were I met the new Head of The School of Engineering Mushtak Talib Al-Atabi. He was very easy to talk to and provided an insight into the School of Engineering. He is currently studying for a PhD with Sheffield University into the fluid dynamics of gall stone growth.
We discussed the new engineering degrees and he was very positive about the new format. He believes the students will like the opportunity of only making a firm degree choice after 2 years of study.
His main question is whether we would take students into our 3rd year from a new 2+2 degree structure set up with Birmingham University. The current 1 year course with Sheffield comes to an end this year. It has been replaced with the 2+2 degree structure from Birmingham. Students can either do a 1+2 for a BEng or 2+2 for MEng for most degree streams except for civil engineering which is offered as 1+2 or 1+3. Birmingham accredit the 2 years at Taylor’s also supplying the second year exams. He agreed to send through to me the first and second year syllabi so that we can judge for ourselves the content of the years.
The current numbers studying final year at Taylor’s are approximately 20 mechanical, 20 electronic and 20 civil.
Taylor’s College is also pushing to become a University-College and is therefore looking for research links with the outside world. This seems to be common throughout Malaysia but is something we should not just cast aside.
The final point he brought up was the matter of bursaries. The costs of studying in the UK are growing and it is now somewhat cheaper to study in Australia, apart from the fact that the weather is better!!
Sunway University College
The visit to Sunway College was very informative and we had a good tour of the facilities and of the college. The computer facilities were excellent, mostly Dell as it happens, however the laboratories were somewhat lacking. I met with Hor Poh Choo Director of Programme ‘A’ Level and Helen Khoo Senior Lecturer. They were both very positive about Warwick and the UK in general. However they did say that Australia was gaining ground rapidly, mainly due to the costs of studying in the UK.
They also raised the question of bursaries. They pointed out that the bursaries do not have to be very high approximately £1000 to £1500 per year, which is the sort of bursary offered by Birmingham on the 2+2 course with Taylor’s. It is not so much the total amount of the bursary but the fact that they have gained one. It seems that it has a certain amount of kudos to say to one’s family and friends that one’s son or daughter has obtained a bursary from a British University. The other point they made was that the bursaries should be up front i.e. the students are told at the start of their studies that there are x number of bursaries for x amount. Not only does this give the students something to aim for but also should help to increase application numbers. Hor Poh also stated that if this was the case the college would be able to help us at Warwick decide who should get the bursary with the conditions set, as they know the students.
HELP College
HELP College ran a mini fair for students who will be applying to university for starting in October 2006. There were approximately 15 universities present who were chosen with regard to the number of enquiries by the students to the particular institution. It provided an opportunity for the Warwick to sell itself to students looking to apply to university for 2006. I was also asked to give a presentation on studying at Warwick and what was required in a personal statement to be used on a UCAS application form. The presentation went down very well.
The students were very knowledgeable about the universities present and also about the courses they wanted to study. The students were able to ask questions of us regarding the courses and if they were on track to meet entry requirements etc. We were able to put their minds at ease, assuming they were on course, or if they were falling behind point out where they could best make up the lost ground. It was an excellent opportunity for Warwick and the opportunity should be taken again next year
Meeting with Khaliludin Ramly
Khaliludin Ramly runs a company called KR Search. His main work is with Shell in which he assesses the student applications for Shell sponsored degrees. He has some 3000 student applications which he trims down to approximately 60. These students are then assessed within Shell and Shell fully sponsors some 10 to 15 students per year to study in the UK. All expenses, including living expenses, are paid by Shell.
They have two main areas of interest engineering, all streams, and finance and accounting. The criteria for being chosen are quite stringent. The student must come from a poor background, they must be at the top of the academic tree every year of study and they must participate, to a high level, in activities outside of the academic area.
He has asked for some engineering brochures to be sent to him for his Nov-Dec trips around schools and colleges. He also wants a formal letter of introduction to enable students to be able to consider studying at Warwick.
General Comments
The trip to HK and KL was very successful and some students were picked up in clearing. I think the main benefit was in selling the university and the school, to prospective students, for entry in 2006. This was particularly true at HELP College where students are still studying for their ‘A’ Levels. I would suggest that this is a very important part of the recruitment process and if we are not there to sell the school and university we will suffer the consequences. This is particularly true with the rise of Australia as a cheaper student destination.
The costs of studying here in the UK are very high. In fact the University itself puts the cost of studying science based subjects at Warwick at K20+ per year, including academic fees, living and entertainment costs. This coupled with the current exchange rate with Malaysia makes studying here particularly expensive
One way to mitigate the rising costs in the short term would be the use of bursaries. The bursary would not have to cover the full cost of the degree; even a small bursary of £1000 to £1500 per year would have a significant appeal. If the bursaries were to be advertised at the start of the academic year then there would be a higher profile for Warwick and competition from the students to obtain them. The colleges could also get involved with the choice of student to receive them using our guidelines. Of course it is not up to me if we should offer bursaries but I think in the current situation of high fees it would be a good marketing tool for school and the university.
In the longer term maybe we should look at closer ties with one of the colleges along the lines of the 2+2 degree offered by Birmingham with Taylor’s. While Birmingham does not keep necessarily keep the students, on the 2+2 degree in the 3rd and 4th year, it does raise the profile of the university. Also the costs to the student are kept down as they only have to travel abroad for 2 years instead of 4. With the new degree structure we have in place we should be able to accommodate a 2+2 type degree with relative ease.
Conclusions
· Attendance at both HK and KL fairs help with the profile of the University and the School for entry in the following year
· Attendance at HELP College is a must if we are invited next year.
· Australia is becoming a threat due to the costs of studying in the UK
· Should we provide bursaries for students? If so how many and how much?
· Should we consider a closer tie with a college along the lines of the Birmingham-Taylor’s 2+2 degree?
· We should cultivate the tie up with Shell via Khaliludin Ramly