Gandhi once said 'Be the change you want to be'. Well, if only he mentioned how long and bumpy the road is to get from 'want' to 'be'.

My first days in UTAR were like that of any undergrad. Fresh out of secondary school, I enrolled for a Foundation in Science and spent orientation week mucking about with my fellow juniors before being made to wear T-shirts saying 'UTAR-My Choice'. Funny, I never felt like wearing that shirt again after that day because it already was. While it took some work to adjust to the much faster pace of study, I fondly recall the weekly lab work (yes!) and the enthusiasm showed by the instructors during their lab sessions which I feel are the best parts of the syllabus. While we are on the subject, thank you TZ14. You guys made foundation year fun!

Still, the most profound changes were yet to come. Living outside of home for the first time during my degree opened my world: It suddenly seemed so much bigger with this first taste of freedom. But freedom has its price: Tougher semesters and living outside required me to be more organised and focussed that ever but it got easier as the semesters went on. I remember beaming with pride each time I beat my old high scores. The experience taught me that while one can get caught up in the daily grind, it is important to seize the moment: You're only an undergrad once. I took that lesson to heart and became active in extra-curricular activities both within and outside the university which made undergrad experience much richer.

However 'glorious'  the freedom of my degree years were, there's always the thought of family back home that kept me grounded and focussed on the core objective of my studies. The thought of the hardship my parents went through to achieve what they have right now encouraged me to strive harder for my goals.

If there is anything I regret, it is how there was always more that could've been done in those 5 years.

Thank you UTAR.

A day out during foundation year. This was only the beginning. (The author is behind the biggest guy in the photo. Credit: Michelle Chong Rui Lin) 

UTAR?s delegation to NACES 2014 in UTP. We won the essay writing category! (The author is behind a lecturer. Spot him if you can. Credit: Xiao Yap)