IMU Scholarship Helps Chinese Medicine Student Achieve Dream

International Medical University scholar, Chew Wey Chyi, started her studies in Chinese Medicine in 2011. She graduated with her degree in June 2015 and was awarded the Tun Zahir Merit Award for being the top student in her class. Wei Chyi recalls fondly her time at IMU. “I was immensely thrilled when I was informed that I have been awarded the IMU Scholarship for my degree studies in Chinese Medicine in 2011. I was heartened by the generosity of IMU. This scholarship means a lot to me, it was crucial for me to have the opportunity to see high quality higher education without increasing my family’s burden. These scholarships provided students with accommodation and subsidized allowance, which gave us the basic need to kick start a successful university life. I embarked on my IMU journey with optimism in February 2011. I was provided with a comfortable accommodation at Vista Komanwel. The hostel was cosy, fully furnished and clean. It was also very convinient as it was only five minutes away from the University. My roommate, Cindy, a nursing scholar was the other reason that made the hostel as warm as home. With an open heart, we forged a good relationship with one another and made our hostel life as happy as possible. Life in the hostel is different from home. We had to learn to be more independent, take care of our own diet and health, keep the room clean and be responsible for so many different things. It was definitely challenging for me but I managed to get through it. Tradiational Chinese Medicine originated from ancient China and has evolved for thousand of years. TCM practitioners utilised herbal medicine and various practices such as acupuncture, moxibustion and tuina to treat and prevent diseases. It has been a subject dominated by literature in Mandarin. However, with the mindset for continuous academic breaktrough, for the first time in Malaysia, IMU started a Chinese Medicine degree with English as the main teaching medium in every subject. Besides thay, IMU Chinese Medicine programme is also integrated with core Western Medicine subjects, such as Anatomy and Radiology to make students more balanced and all rounded. I started my first class in IMU with excitement. We were the first cohort of Chinese Medicine students which consists of 3 male and 10 female students. All of us come from different places with different backgrounds and personalities. Being in a rather small class gave us the opportunity to know each other more deeply and become truly good friends. A university life without friends is not a life; I was glad to have them by my side for everything that we went through together from baby steps in adapting to university life to enriching our social life when we wnt for trips. Every piece of memory amazed me so much and often makes me feel touched all the time. As an IMU scholar, it was a great experience for me. For instance, by helping with the decoration of the atrium and setting up of the IMU Art Festival, I gained valuable skills in event management that is of great benefit to me. Thesis writing is the most important milestone for a graduating student. It was both an exciting yet formidable challenge. In order to complete the thesis, I had to conduct a survey with the entire cohort of Medical students and gain their perception, knowledge and attitude towards Chinese Medicine. The whole process, starting from survey form creation, analysis of collected data and interpretation of the statistics to preparation of the final report, could only done by perseverance, dedication and collaboration of all parties involved. In the end, all the hard work paid off and I graduated successfully. I appreciated the help and guidance that I received throughout this project from the Chinese Medicine programme coordinator and my course mentor. Last but not least, I truly appreciated the friendships built among the lecturers and students. We formed bonds that are mutually beneficial, and can never be broken. Academically, we had a competition that pushed each other forward. Spiritually, we have found wonderful companions that nurtured our minds. Through IMU, we became better friends, students and eventually Chinese Medicine graduates.” Related stories: Scholarships Stories