UTS College Outstanding Graduate Prize winner, Isanne Chan is now in second year of Bachelor of Advanced Science at UTS. Her major is Pharmaceutical Sciences. This is surprising when she shares that chemistry was her least favourite subject when she began her Diploma of Science at UTS College. “I used to hate chem,” she says, “but the way our teacher, Everett, taught it was very interactive. He made it a lot easier and a lot more interesting. I was a big chem fan by the end of the course.”
A practical mindset
When Isanne completed high school in Singapore, her A-levels (similar to the Australian HSC) weren’t what she was hoping for. Fortunately, her mother is a UTS alumna, and already knew UTS College could provide the pathway her daughter needed. “I decided to give myself a second chance and enrolled at UTS College,” she says. “I’d been looking at UTS and another university, but I preferred the practical approach at UTS and UTS College. There’s less about theory and more about application, which is better for me.” Isanne’s practical mindset also influenced her choice to enrol in Diploma of Science. She says, “I like the logic of science. It makes sense to me. There’s a definite answer.”
UTS College helped Isanne adapt to the challenges of studying abroad. “There’s a lot of assistance,” she says. “The tutors are all very helpful. I think they’re my best memory. They were patient enough to answer all my questions, especially Sonya, Chris, and Everett. And because the class is small – there were less than 20 people in my class – we get more one-on-one time. There are opportunities to ask questions. Also, the structure of the program flows well. One week you focus on one thing and the next week you do something that’s connected.”
A style of learning that works
Isanne says Learning.Connected, the style of learning at UTS College, worked well for her. “I’m not very good at sitting down and listening. I find lectures very hard to follow,” she says. “So just having tutorials and the whole ‘pre-preparation’ idea was great for me and when I went to the tutorials, everything was so much clearer. You learn to prepare for class. I think it really helped me build a strong foundation for science.”
Overall, she found it a less stressful way to learn, but of course there are always moments. How did she manage them? “I keep telling myself it’s something people have done before. It can be done,” she says. “You just need to change the way you do things. Basically, just do it. Complete the task one step at a time. If I spend time thinking about how I’m not going to be able to make it, I’m wasting time instead of actually finishing the work. I don’t believe anyone would give us a curriculum that’s unachievable.”
Sense of achievement
It's advice that definitely worked for Isanne. She graduated from her diploma with the highest GPA (grade-point-average) in her cohort. As soon as she got the news, she called her parents in Singapore. “I wanted them to know it was the right decision to send me here,” she says. Isanne says moving on to UTS gave her the biggest sense of achievement. “It felt like a reward for working hard at the College after one year, like ‘you’ve worked really hard and very long and now you’ve reached your first goal.’” Isanne’s also enjoying life on the UTS campus. She says, “I don’t have a favourite spot, but I really enjoy the Hive Lab. I like how it’s structured. It’s a good shape so you can hear the tutors. You can see them properly and make eye contact if you need some help. I like the shape and it has a lot of nice equipment. It’s a cool lab.
Moving on to UTS has shown Isanne how well her diploma prepared her for the demands of university. She says, “UTS requires you to do a lot more learning and preparation for yourself. There are no tests every week to make sure you’re on track. But the College taught us how to prepare ourselves. I now know how I’m supposed to study every week and what I need to do for each topic.”
While she’s considering becoming a teacher, Isanne is keeping an open mind about the future. “I feel like I need to focus on the present at this stage. I’m concentrating on studying well, making sure I get the concepts right, so I have a strong, stable foundation to decide what I want to do,” she says. “I know I’ll do something based on science, but for now I’m going to see where life takes me.”
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