Dear passengers, welcome aboard! This train is bound for the\nUniversity of Macau, a place where you will meet new friends, learn new\nknowledge, and have new experiences that exceed your expectations. To help you\nmake the most of your journey, we have compiled a list of seven must-do things\nfor newcomers. Ready to explore? Buckle up and read on.<\/p>
Take Advantage of the\nAll-English Environment<\/b><\/p>
An all-English environment is one of the distinguishing\nfeatures of UM. To help students adapt to this new environment, the English\nLanguage Centre (ELC) offers English language courses at different levels,\none-to-one classes in spoken English and writing, and annual English summer camps\nthat provide an immersive environment to help students practice English.<\/p>
James Hong, a second-year student in the Department of\nPsychology, attended the English summer camp and it made him realise the\nimportance of self-directed learning. \u2018The camp helped us review grammar and\nlearn new vocabulary. I also learned how to effectively express my thoughts and\nhow to get along with other students and my roommates,\u2019 he says. The ELC is not\nalone in helping students adapt to an all-English learning environment; the\nresidential colleges also organize courses in English, writing, and drama on a\nregular basis to integrate English learning in students\u2019 daily life.<\/p>
Attend Lectures by\nMasters<\/b><\/p>
Lettice Zhang, a fourth-year student in the Faculty of\nEducation, comes from a city in the Greater Bay Area. Of all the lectures and\nworkshops she has attended over the past four years, a lecture by the renowned\neducator Prof Zhong Binglin that took place two years ago left a particularly\ndeep impression on her. During the question and answer session, she asked Prof\nZhong: \u2018What is it that we need the most for successful primary school\neducation?\u2019 To which Prof Zhong replied: \u2018A well-balanced development and the\nincorporation of more inspirational elements.\u2019 Prof Zhong believes that is the\nway to help children discover their interests and find the direction they wish\nto pursue. \u2018His words have echoed in my head ever since that day,\u2019 says Zhang. <\/p>
UM often invites academic leaders and well-known individuals\nto give lectures. In the last academic year, Zhang attended lectures by Prof\nKai-Fu Lee, a world-renowned expert in artificial intelligence, and Prof Wang\nAnyi, a well-known writer and a recipient of an honorary doctorate from UM.\nHowever, she has gained much more from these lectures than mere intellectual\nstimulation; she has also collected more than 50 smart points, which qualified\nher for a grant of 10,000 patacas when she applied for an exchange programme in\nCanada.<\/p>
Try to Get into the\nHonours College<\/b><\/p>
If you want to take your learning experience at UM up a notch,\nyou should try to enter the Honours College (HC). Ceci Chio, a third-year\nstudent in the International Integrated Resort Management programme, was\nadmitted directly into the HC because of the Golden Lotus Scholarship for freshmen\nshe received. What she loves the most about the HC is that it helps improve her\nleadership, teamwork and communication skills. \u2018Each year, the HC organises a\ntalent show, and everyone in the class is responsible for a different aspect of\nthe event,\u2019 she says. \u2018The difference in our culturalbackgrounds requires us to\nwork closely with one another and make thorough preparation beforehand. \u2019<\/p>
The HC also offers various leadership training courses and\nthe opportunity to study in exchange programmes at top universities overseas.\nAcademically excellent freshmen are admitted directly, while other students\nwith outstanding performance can also apply. The application period is from\nMarch to June every year.<\/p>
Join Student\nOrganisations to Discover Your Potential<\/b><\/p>
Okay, enough talk about studies. No college life is complete\nwithout extracurricular activities. Cheryl Cheang, a second-year student in the\nFaculty of Education, clearly lives by this principle. As soon as she entered\nUM, she joined the House Association and the cheerleading team of her\nresidential college. Later, she joined the Members Affairs Department of the\nStudents\u2019 Union, which is mainly responsible for liaising with commercial\noutlets on campus on behalf of the students. Cheang is now the president of the\nRC House Association. She is grateful for the people she met in the House\nAssociation and the new experiences that helped her grow. \u2018Had I not joined the\nHouse Association, I wouldn\u2019t be the person I am today,\u2019 she says. \u2018Joining\nthese orgaisations gave me a lot of opportunities to discover my potential and\nacquire useful skills, such as event planning skills and time management\nskills. It has also helped me become a more responsible person. \u2019<\/p>
Participate in an\nExchange Programme<\/b><\/p>
Ah, the tantalising topic of travel! If you love travel and\nhas a GPA of 2.0 or higher, you shouldn\u2019t miss the opportunity to go on an\nexchange programme, as it offers you a unique travel experience that allows you\nto not only visit an exciting new place, but to also make new friends, learn a\nnew language, and experience authentic local culture. Liu Dian, a fourth-year\nstudent in the Department of English, studied at both Boston University and\nSouthern Illinois University in the United States. During her time there, she\nfound that American students were very active in class and usually competed to\nanswer the teacher\u2019s questions. \u2018I found it impressive, and now I do the same\nat UM,\u2019 she says. When she studied at Boston University, she lived by the Charles\nRiver, which faces the main campus of Harvard University. The vibrant academic\nambience motivated her to constantly improve herself.<\/p>
UM students can choose to participate in exchange programmes\nat more than 150 institutions of higher learning around the world. First-year\nstudents can apply for an exchange programme in the second semester of the\nfirst year of study (in February). Consult your faculty, Global Affairs Office,\nor the Student Affairs Office for details.<\/p>
Avail Yourself of the\nResources in the Library<\/b><\/p>
UM\u2019s library is the largest in Macao. Apart from boasting\nthe largest collection of print books in Macao, the library also has an\nantiquarian books section, a section devoted to books on Macao-related topics,\na 3D printer, and abundant electronic resources such as e-databases, e-papers,\nand e-journals. There are also group discussion rooms and individual study\nrooms to cater to different learning needs. Valerie Wong, a fourth-year student\nin the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, was keenly aware of the\nbenefits of a well-stocked library when working on her thesis. \u2018My\nthesis was a study of Macao culture. There is an entire section in the library\ndevoted to books about Macao, which greatly facilitated my thesis-writing. Now\nthat I think about it, I spent almost all my non-sleeping, non-eating time in\nthe library,\u2019 she says.<\/p>
Exercise to Stay Fit\nand Healthy<\/b><\/p>
Whether you are a bookworm or the life and soul of the\nparty, you need a healthy body to sustain you through the busy schedule of your\ncollege life. As Leong Ka Wai, a fourth-year student in the Department of\nCommunication, will tell you, exercising has not only enriched her life, but\nalso gives her more energy to face the challenges in her study and daily life.\nLeong is a member of the UM Dragon Boat Team. In June, she and her teammates\nwon the university standard dragon category of an international dragon boat\ncompetition held in Macao, and Leong also received the Best Drummer Award. She\nalso loves dancing and going to the gym. She joined the cheerleading team of\nChoi Kai Yau College in her first year, and later became the captain of the\nteam.<\/p>
It wouldn\u2019t be an overstatement to say that UM is a paradise\nfor sports lovers. The university has an outdoor athletic field, tennis courts,\nbasketball courts, an archery range, and a four-storey Sports Complex that\nhouses a swimming pool, rock climbing walls, a gym room, a dance room, a\nbadminton court, and table tennis rooms. With so many sports facilities within\nwalking distance of your RC, what excuse do you have for not building those\nenviable six pack abs?<\/p>
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Okay, we\u2019ve come to the end of the promised list of seven\nmust-do things at UM. And you, dear passengers, have come to the destination of\nthis train. Please take your belongings, excitement, and passion with you, and\nleave your trepidation behind. We wish you a pleasant journey at UM, and we\nlook forward to hearing your version of must-do things for a memorable college\nlife.<\/p>