Student Interview

Interview with KHEK CUI TING 2nd year student, Biomedical Electronics Engineering, Republic Polytechnic

Can you tell us more about yourself?

I am someone who feels that I need to be different from others, and because of this belief, I try to do things differently. I’ve picked up drum instead of piano, I try hard to perfect my Malay instead of my own mother tongue and most importantly, I’ve chosen to study engineering at the polytechnic.

You mentioned that you play the drums. Can you tell us more about it?

Playing the drums can be difficult at the initial stage because you have to use all your limbs to do different things at the same time. But as time goes, you will be familiarize with the drum set and thus can perform many different genre of music. Always bear in mind that “when you can’t, you must!”

Why did you choose engineering and what’s so interesting about engineering anyway?

Engineering is just like a drum set; a drum set consists of snare drums, high-hats, toms and etc. Similarly, Engineering also branches out to many different areas ranging from Civil engineering to Biomedical engineering. For myself, I have chosen Biomedical engineering as my course of study simply because of the combination of Biology, Mathematics and Physics which are the subjects of my interest but at the same time, challenging.

Isn’t engineering challenging and difficult? How do you cope with it?

I believe no matter which course you go into, there are bound to be challenges awaiting you and likewise for engineering. Engineering courses may seem difficult at the start but as you are learning, you will realize the beauty of it. I guess it is really difficult to put them in words unless you are experiencing it for yourself.

Also, I believe that life without challenges will certainly be dull and as such, I have opened my world to challenges. Do not be afraid to try things and even if u fails, it does not matter. What matters most is the process of learning!

You seem to be having a great time at the polytechnic. Tell us how poly life is different from life in secondary school?

To be frank, I have always looked forward to tertiary education. First thing that came into my mind was I don’t have to wear the uniform! Other than that obvious difference, we are nurtured into independent as well as active learners in poly. This simply means that we spent more time working with peers on projects rather than listening to teachers in class. And in polytechnic, you can look forward to better facilities like better equipped gym, swimming pool, multiple-stories library, sophisticated lab equipment and so on.

What do you have to say to your juniors in secondary school about studying engineering at the polytechnic?

Well, engineering courses require one to be organized, systematic and having ability to anticipate. These qualities have to be nurtured through experiences. So if you are one that hopes to be different, special and you have the guts to challenge yourself, Engineering is for you!

Thank you, Cui Ting! We wish you all the best in your quest to be a successful engineer!

Study engineering at the polytechnic