I am Tan Wan Qi from BP119 and currently in Australia pursuing a Bachelor of Pharmacy programme with Applied Honours at UTAS. Prior to this, I was studying my first two years of the pharmacy programme at IMU. To me, studying and completing the first two years of Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) at IMU was the best choice I’ve ever made. As you all know, IMU is Malaysia’s first and most established private medical and healthcare university with over 30 years of dedicated focus in healthcare education. IMU achieved the SETARA-2018/2019 Tier 6 status (Outstanding) under the Mature University category. I am proud and honoured to have been part of this University.
Moreover, the IMU BPharm (Hons) programme provides the option of completing a 4-year professional degree at IMU or a credit transfer option to the University of Otago (New Zealand) or the University of Tasmania (Australia) after completing the first two years at IMU. Studying abroad is never easy, but I believe the academic and personal development rewards are monumental. I consider myself an adventurous person who constantly challenges my boundaries and grabs any opportunity that arises along the way to enrich my own experience. Thus, after completing the first semester of my second year at IMU, I decided to apply for a change from the local pathway to the credit transfer pathway as IMU has equipped me to be a competent candidate to continue pursuing my final two years of the Pharmacy programme at the University of Tasmania, Australia.
I feel fortunate that the weekly lectures, practical-based workshops and pharmacy skills development sessions I attended are valuable in preparing me for the transition to the partner pharmacy school.
Additionally, I am grateful for the dedicated and helpful lecturers at IMU that are ever ready to help and clear my doubts via face-to-face meetings or email communications.
As time goes by, the multitude of adulting challenges I have encountered transformed me into a more independent and responsible adult. I initially struggled with decision making, goal setting and deciding on my future goals as I was acclimatising to the new environment. Now, I can handle all these challenges in life with ease. I am confident that these experiences have expanded my horizon and simultaneously unfolded a brand-new world of educational opportunities for me. On the other hand, from the first visit to a community pharmacy in Australia, I have gained a brief idea of how pharmacies operate here compared to my working experience as a pharmacist assistant during the six-months gap before getting transferred to my current university.
I made a lot of new friends from various countries during the event. I’m super excited for the coming months with the Winter Snow Trip as it is something new to me, something non-existent back home.
For those of you who are still indecisive about which pathway to choose, here are my humble opinions. “Don’t be afraid of uncertainty!” Challenge yourselves when opportunities emerge. 2+2 programme will be fruitful for your entire pharmacy course and make a remarkable difference in your life!
