Monday August 16, 2010

Tiong gets it right in Harvard

Story and photo by YU JI yuji@thestar.com.my

AT just 23 years old, June Tiong - straight As student, ex national squash player and Harvard University undergraduate - has a heck of a CV.

Few young adults have accomplished more, but her success has not been without setbacks.

As a squash player, Tiong had always played one age-category above her own. By 17, she was ranked fourth in Malaysia’s junior category.

But her first heartache did not arrive on court, it came when she was rejected a government scholarship. Perhaps rebelling, Tiong quit playing squash for the country, and proceeded quietly to Form Six.

On solid ground: Tiong had a second chance at higher education when Harvard University granted her a scholarship.

Such stories are not unheard of, but zooming in on Tiong, what was apparently not good enough by local standards was good enough for Harvard University.

About three years ago at 2am, Tiong, fast asleep, received a phone call informing her that the world’s most prestigious university had granted her a scholarship.

In an interview with StarMetro on her summer break, the Chemistry undergraduate talked candidly about the importance of speaking up, her “awesome” roommate who cooks for her, and whether she wants to return home for work.

Question: Can we begin with your family background?

Answer: Sure. I’m the youngest and I have two other siblings. One is working in Kuala Lumpur, and the other, a student at a private college here. I was a student at St Teresa Kuching, before doing my Form Six at St Joseph’s.

Q: What were your SPM and STPM results?

A: Nine A1s and one A2. In STPM, I got three As and one A minor.

Q: Did you apply for government scholarship and what did you apply for?

A: Yes, I did. I applied for the Public Service Department scholarship, but they rejected me. I applied to do pharmacy.

Q: Did you find out why you were rejected?

A: I was rejected because they told me my results weren’t good enough.

Q: Were you offered a place at a local public university after Form Six?

A: Yes, I was offered a place at Universiti Malaya.

Q: How did you feel when you found out you were rejected for the scholarship after Form Five?

A: Well, honestly I thought it was sort of unfair, especially given my sports achievements. I also felt that, even with just my academic results, they were pretty good.

After that, I told myself, well, fine. I can’t dwell on this. Behind every cloud there is a silver lining, I kept telling myself; and furthermore, I got to stay home for another two years for Form Six.

Q: Was there a particular area of study you enjoyed?

A: Not really. Not in primary school, and at secondary school, as you know, everyone goes through the same drill. I was in the science stream. I don’t recall having a particular favourite subject.

Q: But every young kid has an ambition. What was yours?

A: I went through a lot of phases. [Laughs]. First I wanted to be a doctor, then I wanted to be an architect, and at some point later, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I’ve been through many kinds of ambitions.

Q: So why chemistry at Harvard now?

A: Well, besides chemistry, I’m also trying to get a second major in archeology.

Q: How did you get into Harvard?

A: After STPM I was applying for several things along with several friends. My coach also chipped in to help. At that time, he was promoting squash to other young kids. I was helping out a little bit. One day, he told me, “Oh June you should be applying to universities in the US too. Your squash achievements will help.”

He had contacts. He had advise from sports coaches he knew at Yale and Princeton.

Q: Was there an interview? I can’t imagine Harvard accepting undergraduates without interviews.

A: Yes, there was one. But even before that, there was a lot of paper work to do. Only short-listed candidates will then be given interviews. I was granted just one interview. That was in Kuala Lumpur by a Singaporean interviewer.

Q: Were you the only Sarawakian at that interview?

A: No, another girl from my school, Jacintha Tagal, the daughter of the late Dr Judson Tagal (Ba’ Kalalan assemblyman who perished in a helicopter crash at Bario in 2004) got into Harvard the same year with me. So, it was like, awesome.

Q: Okay, so why chemistry? That’s about as far away from architecture as you can get.

A: I guess coming from a Malaysian education, being in the science stream, made me think about a career in science.

Q: What year are you in now?

A: I’m in my third year. It’s a four-year course.

Q: Any more Malaysians in your year?

A: There’s three of us, another is a boy from Kuala Lumpur. Next year, there will be a total of seven of us.

Q: How is it like to study in Harvard?

A: It’s pretty stressful but it is also a lot of fun. The style of learning is also very different from Malaysian education. They really want you to ask questions in class. They encourage you to think out of the box. We have assignments every week that goes towards your final grade. Basically, it’s a continuous grading system. Classes are very diverse too, in the sense that, even though I’m a chemistry undergraduate, I’m taking up archeology, photography, history and even classes on Confucius.

Q: Do you feel pressured being at Harvard? I mean just living up to expectations?

A: No no, I’ve never felt that way. I have the coolest parents ever. They’re always telling me to go have fun. They’re like, “Go watch a movie. Stop stressing out,” and I’m like, “Mum, I don’t have time”. [Laugh].

Q: That’s what I mean, you must feel like you’ve got a lot to accomplish. No?

A: I don’t feel that way. My parents have always told me to enjoy life, and that’s what I’m doing now.

Q: Growing up, did you ever attend tuition?

A: Not really, except for Additional Mathematics.

Q: So you’ve always self-studied?

A: Kind of. I used to have a friend who studied all the time. She kept inviting me but I was always ‘too tired’. [Laughs]

I’m someone who derives a lot of energy from my friends and family.

Q: From a Malaysian education background to Harvard, were you well prepared?

A: Honestly…not at all; at least not for the first few months. I had difficulties speaking my mind. We had to participate in all kinds of discussions, and for the most part, I just didn’t know what to say. Malaysian education doesn’t really prepare you for that.

It would be good to have more group discussions within Malaysian classrooms. I suppose it’s really about encouraging young kids to talk. I feel a lot of Malaysians are not ready to have discussions. I mean, once you go into the working world, all of us have to deal with meetings, presentations, or just to come up with good ideas.

Q: Let’s move onto sports. Are you still playing squash?

A: I started playing at the age of 10. My mum felt I was too meek. After playing, I started to open up. I played in the junior circuit competitions once a month. I had the opportunity to go to many places, but by 17, I had quit. At that time, I was ranked fourth in the country in the junior category.

Anyway, so now, I’ve started playing for my school again. It’s an inter-varsity league kind of thing.

Q: Having excelled in sport, growing up did you ever want to make it your career?

A: No, never. I just don’t think I have that much passion in it. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing. As a career? No, I don’t think I can be that good at it.

Q: It’s often said that the Malaysian education system neglects sports. What are your opinions?

A: For sure the government needs to emphasise more on sports. In the US, sports is really big. It’s part of their education. As for me, I know very well that it was a stepping stone into college.

Q: Are you the only Malaysian on Harvard’s squash team?

A: Yes, I am. But it’s really a team thing. We train three hours every day, and absolutely do not drink alcohol during the squash season.

On the weekends we have matches. I think there are two other Malaysians playing squash for other Ivy League schools.

But to go back to your question about sports in schools, a lot of people assume that the reason I’m still playing squash at Harvard is because I have to; because I got in under a sports scholarship. But that’s not the case. I don’t have to play the game. I continue to play because it is fun. And making learning fun is really important.

Q: To cap off the interview, will you come back to Malaysia to work eventually?

A: Yes I would love to. But I would like to work overseas for a couple of years first. Maybe the US, maybe Europe, maybe Australia. I think that kind of experience and exposure is very important. Ultimately though, Malaysia is home. It’s about friends and family really. Food is a plus too.

Q: Is it possible to get Malaysian food in Harvard?

A: Yes there is one actually but it’s a bit far away in Boston and I don’t have that much time to travel. Anyway, Jacinda is my room-mate and she loves cooking. [Laugh]. She’s always like, “Hey dude, here’s Malaysian food,” and I’m like, “Woah, okay. Awesome”.

Even talking about food, I’ve come back to friends and family again. My parents, my friends, my coach has always told me to do well in school, do well in squash, and the world is your oyster.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?sec=sarawak&file=/2010/8/16/sarawak/6824505

Sunday May 21, 2006

Aiming for the major leagues

BY TAN SHIOW CHIN

Aiming for nothing but the best. TAN SHIOW CHIN speaks to some high achievers who earmarked top American universities from the start.

IF you are a high achieving student, which would you aim for – a top university in the United Kingdom or an Ivy League university in the United States?

For most Malaysian high achievers, the ultimate dream seems to be to gain entry into top British universities like Cambridge and Oxford. Despite the pervasive influence of American technology and pop culture in our country, not as many top scorers aim for Ivy League universities.

Adrian (centre) with his family who visited him at Harvard last year.

And yet, these Ivy League universities – Dartmouth University, Brown University, Princeton University, Cornell University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) – have a similar global appeal, and in some instances, surpass that of Cambridge and Oxford.

For a few students, however, studying in an Ivy League university has been a dream, right from their early school years.

Cutting-edge technology

Ever since he was nine years old, Chear Tze Jian has wanted to study in an American university.

“I saw a TV programme about an American college that designed computer games. I love computer games, so I decided there and then that I would study in America.

“Then, when I was in secondary school, my teacher told me about a girl from Teluk Intan who got into MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and she became my inspiration.

“The US is tops in the computer field, particularly MIT,” he explains. His parents, English teachers Chear Yang Kong and Lai Ah Keen, strongly encouraged him in his ambition to study in the US.

Says Chear: “Tze Jian has always shown great interest in computers. We told him that the best place to get a good education in this field is the US.

“We also advised him that as government servants, we cannot afford to send him ourselves, so he has to get a scholarship to go there.”

“I have to thank my mum and dad for helping me to fulfil my ambition (of studying in America),” says Tze Jian, 19, a Public Services Department (PSD) scholar at Intec, Universiti Teknologi Mara, who will be leaving for the US soon.

To give him confidence, his parents encouraged him to take part in public speaking competitions.

“We encouraged him to participate in public speaking and poem recitals so that when he goes for interviews, he can carry himself well,” says Chear.

A self-taught programmer who has been designing software on a freelance basis for various foreign companies since the age of 14, Tze Jian did not manage to get into his dream university – MIT – but has been accepted into Cornell, Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and the University of Illinois.

“I'm happy to go to Cornell but I hope to be able to transfer to MIT after my freshman year,” he says.

Drawn to liberal arts

Another MIT aspirant from a young age is Wan Nadiah Wan Mohd Abdullah Yaakob, 22.

“When I was 13, I said I wanted to be a structural engineer and my father told me that MIT was an excellent school for engineers,” she says, in an e-mail interview.

Nadiah (right) and a friend outside Annenberg Hall, cheering on new housemates at John Winthrop House during Freshmen Housing Lottery Day.

”He regularly made business trips to the US and had friends there. I used to hear about the places they graduated from and how good they were.

“As I got older, he told me that he would allow me to study overseas only if I made it to the very best schools, otherwise, I would be wasting my time and his money,” she says.

Her father, Konsortium Logistics Bhd vice-president Wan Mohd Abdullah Yaakob Wan Senik, says: “When Nadiah was in Form Five, she said she wanted to do biotech, so I told her to aim for Harvard.”

Nadiah, who is currently pursuing biochemical science in Harvard on a PSD scholarship, adds: “When I was applying for the PSD scholarships, everyone expected me to aim for the UK.

“However, after 12 years in a British-style education system, I felt I was constricted in my choice of subjects. I was in pure science but I enjoyed history and languages; I knew that if I went to the UK, I would be made to choose one or the other.

“I decided to aim for the Ivy League universities because they have the best liberal arts programmes.”

Although she was also accepted by Yale, Brown, Penn State and John Hopkins University, she chose Harvard because of its long history, accomplished student body, and excellent biology programme.

“My experience here has exceeded my expectations. The liberal arts system puts you in the driver's seat in determining the kind of educational experience you want.

“I've met people who have done amazing things and they continue to inspire me.

“We benefit from personalities like the Dalai Lama and Mohd El-Baradei, who come to Harvard because of its reputation. There's always an event every week and this contributes to the amazing environment on campus,” she says.

Top of the game

For the longest time, Adrian Ow Yung Hwei, 22, has wanted to go to Cambridge.

“I only started thinking about the US when I was 17.

“I'd done some reading, and I sensed that UK universities had been lagging for a while.

“The top American colleges seem more selective and were definitely making more academic waves. And in the US, Harvard was clearly at the top of the game,” he says in an e-mail interview.

TZE JIAN: I knew I wanted to study in America ever since I was nine years old.

His parents, Ow Chee Fook and Ho Swee Phoon, were not even aware that he was aiming to go to such prestigious universities.

Ho, an English lecturer, says: “We didn't know he was aiming so high until we saw his university applications.”

But she adds: “When he started reading at three, we knew he was brilliant but we didn't know how brilliant because he didn't study very hard (in school).

“We didn't push him because his grades were good enough, and the whole learning process is not just about grades in school.”

Says Adrian: “I think my parents created an environment which emphasised letting me do what I wanted to do, within the constraints of discipline and reasonable expectations.

“I wanted to go to Harvard because I felt I could get a good undergraduate education there – my parents should take credit for teaching me to want things like that.”

The economics major, who was also accepted by Yale, Cornell, the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan, admitted that he chose Harvard largely because of its reputation.

“I expected Harvard to attract the best students, expose me to exceptional teaching, and give me a great time.

“My experience has exceeded my expectations. I think this is a phenomenal place to be for anyone interested in being stretched to the limits of their capacity,” he says.

What does Ivy League mean?

THE term Ivy League commonly refers to a group of eight US universities renowned for their academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, tradition and reputation for social elitism.

They are the Dartmouth University, Brown University, Princeton University, Cornell University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Yale University and The University of Pennsylvania.

Among the earliest founded US tertiary institutions, these universities compete in a common athletic grouping for which sports writer Stanley Woodward originally coined them the term Ivy League in the 1930s.

Named after the ivy plants that cover their historic buildings, these universities are also often simply called the

Ivies.