Most local university students feel that their studies are different from what they expected, a survey released by the General Association of Chinese Students of Macau shows yesterday.
The survey was conducted between December and January. It collected 728 questionnaires from local undergraduate students, with the aim of finding out their overall satisfaction with their university life as well as life planning.
According to the study, the survey sample of the undergraduate students consisted of 523 students, or 72 percent of the total, studying in Macau; 194 students, or 27 percent, studying on the mainland; and 11, or about 1 percent, studying in either Hong Kong or Taiwan.
A total of 38 percent were freshmen, 26 percent were sophomores, 21 percent were juniors and 14 percent were seniors.
Celine Wong Sin Leng, vice president of the association’s executive committee, told a press conference at its centre in Avenida de Venceslau de Morais that half of the students reported that they are satisfied overall with their university life, while 14 percent aren’t satisfied and the remainder described their situation as “so-so”.
Wong noted that 59 percent of the surveyed students said that they had acquired “interpersonal and communication skills” at university, 55 percent said they had obtained “professional knowledge and skills”, and 41 percent said they had gained “competence and social experience”.
When asked what factors they considered first when they chose their university, Wong said that 22 percent of the students opted for “living or learning environment”, 20 percent opted for “country or region”, and 19 percent opted for “the reputation and the ranking of the university”.
She noted that 66 percent of the students were studying at their “first-choice” university.
However, Wong noted that 57 percent admitted that what they are studying is different from what they expected before they entered university.
Anita Tai Ka Peng, the association’s executive committee president, said that this might be due to the fact that they didn’t have the correct understanding about their major, or they just had the wrong idea.
The association noted that some students thought studying Public Administration would automatically get them a job in the government, which is not true.
Tai expressed the view that some high school pupils didn’t know or understand themselves enough before deciding what to study. She urged local schools to help their pupils understand themselves better.
General Association of Chinese Students of Macau President Anita Tai Ka Peng (left), and Vice-President Celine Wong Sin Leng (right) pose at the group’s centre during yesterday’s press conference. Photo: Joel Chu
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