Are you ready for UTP Educamp?

Aside from earning strong standardised test scores, admissions officers at UTP are also considering other characteristics in a potential UTPian. Here are a few tips from college admissions officers on how to beat nervousness and leave a lasting and insightful impression.Be certain of what you want

One of the most common questions asked during an interview is: Why do you choose (insert course name) as your first choice? For this question, you need to demonstrate enthusiasm, insightfulness and a sense of direction. Share what inspires you to take up this course and how you could be a great contribution to society.To be prepared for this, you need to understand the industry you are interested to be part of. You can do this by reading relevant news materials. It also helps to know yourself, perhaps you have the personality, skills and talent that fit in this type of career. Including your future dreams and goals can also be an added plus.For instance, a student decides to take up petroleum engineering and eventually focus on biomass research because there is huge potential in this sector. Malaysia produces millions of tonnes of biomass and this could be the country's way to resolve energy problems in the future. Moreover, he feels that he has the patience and the passion to write which makes him a good candidate for this course.

Ability to think critically and reflectively

The ability to focus and think reflectively is among the important things admissions officers look for in a potential candidate. In Educamp, students are given a problem to reflect and solve within a limited time. Most of the questions have something to do with current events and social issues. Hence, if you are a wide reader, all the stuff you have read can prove to be useful in this group activity because you will be able to demonstrate social responsibility, which is another plus point.Samples of problems asked during the previous Educamp events were: What are the disadvantages of advertising? How to manage refugees in the country? This activity will take 20 minutes and the group must come up with a consensus. The case study will then be presented to a panel.There is no perfect answer for this group work but what most admissions officers look into is how the members of the group arrived to that decision/conclusion and how they can efffectively present their solution to the panel. Moreover, this is where your sense of initiative and leadership skills shine so if you have great presentation skills, this is a great way to win them over!Focus, alertness and presence of mindThe last tests - English proficiency and Critical Reasoning Test (CRT) won't require you to memorise anything. English proficiency test has 40 items while CRT has about 60 items. The key is to basically be alert and to become very detailed to distinguish the difference.Some students who have taken this test advised to not linger too long on a question that you cannot understand because the test is timed. CRT comprises of a series of images wherein the student is asked to forecast the last image. The test aims to measure how quickly and accurately your brain works. So it is important to have enough sleep the night before this event because sleep enhances proper brain functioning.