Savvy, discerning students shop for college

Savvy, discerning students shop for college

Hariati Azizan, The Star/ANN/Malaysia

Any economist will tell you that in a buyer's market the consumer is king. With over 600 private and public institutions of higher learning to choose from in Malaysia, it is no surprise that students are more discerning.

StarEducation's Campus Poll 2004 reveals that a student's choice is influenced by personal interest, knowledge about the course, career prospects and the institution's academic reputation and standing with prospective employers, as well as its campus environment and facilities.

Students now are more well-informed and prefer to shop around for a qualification. They are no longer content to simply settle for courses offered by public universities or take up programs based on financial constraints or scholarship offers. In fact, many would rather pay more to take up a program of their interest.

More and more students are also working part-time to finance themselves. It is hardly surprising then that the colleges with the best bargains and offers are hot with students.

The higher education landscape in the country has nonetheless changed tremendously over the past year. With a new ministry, major changes are in the works, particularly with the revived push to make Malaysia a regional center for education excellence.

However, in the beginning of the year, private colleges recorded the lowest intake ever in the wake of competition from the introduction of national service and second coming of Form Six. A revitalized economy has also re-ignited interest in overseas studies.

And as in past years, the limited number of public universities were inundated with applications, particularly for their medical programs.

Institutions of higher learning, public and private, can no longer take things for granted and will need to meet the needs of their customers, the students.

The mystery remains: What makes students tick when it comes to selecting courses and institutions? Are they more influenced by the bigger picture of the national economy and employment market, or the revolutions in the education scene, or the fashion and trends of the day?

Hence, to complete the jigsaw, StarEducation conducted the Campus Poll.

According to the Campus Poll 2004, Malaysian youth have a say in their future.

A resounding 100 percent claim that their choice of area of studies is based on their interest, compared to 22.7 percent who cited parental advice and choice. Their source of information includes word of mouth -- friends and seniors -- as well as the media and Internet. Interestingly, 10.1 percent of the respondents say that they got their information from education fairs and institutions, an increase from last year's figure of 1.4 percent.

No surprise -- the trend reflects the growing consumer power of the young. With increased access to information, many have realized that what they choose to study and which college they go to do matter.

Last year, 85.5 percent of the respondents claimed that they were interested in their areas of study while they were still in school. Although Campus Poll 2004 has not ascertained this data, it can be concluded that this empowerment is a result of efforts taken by schools and the Education Ministry to equip students with knowledge of career choices and opportunities available.

The poll indicates that a majority of respondents ultimately made their decisions based on their knowledge about the course, and personal interest, followed by course appeal and career prospects. In contrast, less than 10 percent jotted down parents' choice while a fraction was swayed by the fact that the course was easy to pass, scholarship offer or lack of choice.

Unlike in the past poll, word of mouth does not figure as strongly than 10 percent are influenced by their friends and feedback from seniors and older siblings.

A total of 1,472 undergraduates from the Klang Valley area participated in the poll. More than 63 percent of the respondents are from private institutions while only 25% are from public universities. The other 12 percent did not divulge any personal details.

The poll was conducted over a three-month period from April this year. Responses were received by mail from readers as the Campus Poll was published in StarEducation as well as various sections of the main paper. An online poll was also created on The Star website to encourage those who have access to the Internet to participate. In addition, questionnaires were also sent to about 20 private institutions and public universities for their participation.

Hence, the poll is not definitive due to the sampling limitations which comprise readers of the paper, wired students, and those from selected colleges. What it aims to do is to give an idea of how choices are made and the forces that drive them.

As the poll shows, the academic reputation of the institution rather than its cool image and social life is a prime concern for students when deciding on their destination for higher education.

Good facilities and a conducive campus environment also top students' list of priorities, followed by emphasis on research. Employment concerns seem to be on many students' minds too with many citing industry links and good reputation with employers as influencing their choice. In contrast, other factors like distance from home, and friends and family play a small part.

In the criteria for course choice, training for future employment is a concern of respondents who opt for close links to industry and a lot of practical work. Other aspects looked for in course content include a variety of activities, interaction in class and a lot of IT skills.

Medicine, dentistry, engineering and technical disciplines remain popular among respondents. The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that students are taking heed of the government's push for the sciences. On a more optimistic note, there is a growth in the level of interest for biotechnology (up to 23 percent from 7.6 percent last year).

Apart from finance, business and economics (18 percent), the arts and humanities record a low interest. In a reflection of the uncertainties in the IT industry, the percentage of students choosing multimedia and interactive technology has also declined (down to 9 percent from 14.3 percent last year).

The report card

Education providers, both public and private, will be happy to know that the majority of students are satisfied with their programs.

Only 3.6 percent are dissatisfied with their course, while 1.2 percent say that they are very dissatisfied.

When asked if they would like to switch courses, more than half of the respondents say "No". Only a quarter of the respondents say that they would switch courses if given the chance.

Interest again is a main priority as 15.5 percent say they would change courses as they have only just discovered their real interest. Another 6 percent say that changes in trends have weakened the career prospects of their current program, prompting them to explore other opportunities. Although the poll alludes that parents' influence has decreased, they can rest assured that their children are making the right choices.

The small percentage of students misled by information from advertisements, friends or errant colleges indicate that students are becoming more savvy in selecting the right program and institution for them.

Only 9.5 percent say that they would like to revise their earlier decisions due to inadequate research.

Apart from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), the usual suspects again top the list of preferred public universities, namely Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

According to the Campus Poll 2004, a majority of students are satisfied with their institution.

Topping the list of reasons for their satisfaction is the quality of lecturers. The standard of facilities ranks second, while affordability, friends and a happening social and campus life are minor considerations.

It has to be noted that interest in research has grown, as this year's poll record show that 3.3 percent put the institution's emphasis on research high on their list of criteria.

If the poll is any indication, parents can be confident that their children are concerned about academic standards, the condition of the campus and its environment, as well as their career prospects.

Only 17.5 percent of the respondents say that they are dissatisfied with the institution that they have chosen. Their grouses mainly concern facilities, campus environment that is not conducive for studying and the quality of lecturers. In contrast, the social life on campus rates low in the minds of a majority of the respondents.