The ADP Experience

Some of you might wonder how the ADP program is? How is the curriculum like? Or how is the college life in Taylor's University?

George Francis Albert, a boy from Kuching Sarawak came into the program in 2009. By summer 2011, the JPA scholar was the Taylor's ADP Valedictorian (Best Student), graduated with a CGPA of 3.95 and was elected the President of the ADP Student Council for term 2010 - 2011. George Francis Albert was an outstanding student.

We asked him to explain what did he thought about his ADP experience, and here is his reply.

George is currently studying in
University of Wisconsin Madison double majoring in
Economics and Finance

Greetings from the Land of Dream. A lot of people didn’t know about the existence of the American Degree Transfer Program or ADP for short. I was one of many who were ignorant and indeed it was a surprise to me when I was first enrolled in ADP. I didn’t know what to expect from the program. Will it be as tough and rigid as A-levels? Will it be as competitive as the IB? I had no clue.

What started out as a mystery, ended up being the best experience I’ve had so far in my post secondary education. During my time in ADP, I was given numerous opportunity to lead be it in class or in clubs and society, I was given the opportunity to work on events with the management of ADP be it as a volunteer or part of the organizing committee, I was exposed to many different things that I never thought I would have done from organizing a charity concert that raised over RM 3000 for an orphanage to having to cook and sell my cooking as part of an Accounting project. I never imagined having the privilege of doing such things and one by one opportunity opened up which helped develop me as a person overall. The best part of all this is that it’s just not limited to me; it’s open to every ADP students who wants to make the best out of their post secondary education.

George giving his valedictorian speech

Things get even better when one realize that in ADP, it’s not all about academics and studying all the time. I got to have fun through the many events that are organized for ADP students, got to mingle around with students and lecturers alike (mingling with the lecturers is definitely the most awesome part, because it’s from there that you actually realize that they actually do have some sense of humor and not all are out to fail you in class) and despite all the playing, everyone (well mostly everyone) ends up scoring well for tests and exams because here in ADP, we play hard but we study harder.a

ADP also has their own space and this is what makes us special as we are like a community. There is no way possible one can walk the corridors of the classrooms and not recognize anyone on their way. As the saying goes, “One does not simply walk around without a familiar face saying hi to you.” It’s moments like this that made my time in ADP truly special as being an outstation student (I was from the east side of Malaysia), the community that we have here in ADP made me feel at home. ADP was like a second home to me and up till today, even though it’s been almost a year since I left to pursue my studies here in the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I still miss the moments I had, the friends that I made (especially the big-nosed Jim Chua) and the time where I had to bid farewell to ADP.

As for potential students who may or may not read this, I kid you not when I say most of the current students definitely share the same perspective that I have. You can come for a visit just to see the atmosphere and you will know and understand what I am talking about. Take it from a guy who has undergone the ADP experience as I would like to call it, and make it yours if you do decide to join ADP. You too can create your own ADP experience, just like the rest of us.    

If you would like to experience what George had experience, come join us at Taylor's ADP, where you create your own experience. 

Time Management

Find it hard to handle everything during your midterms? Too much work, too little time? Check out this article that might help you manage your time better by Kelci Lynn.

Kelci Lynn

A common perception both among and of college students is that they are always short on money. While this may be true, many college students are also always running short on something else: time.

With so much going on at a college campus, it's no wonder that students can feel— and actually be—overcommitted when it comes to classes, work, and cocurricular involvement. How can you balance your time when there never seems to be enough of it?

Here are a few things to consider:

1. Manage your academic time: Even though you may have a million other things going on, it's important to remind yourself why you're in college in the first place: to graduate. Consequently, your academic work should always come first when it comes to prioritizing your time.

When looking at your schedule for the week, figure out what your academic commitments look like. What time do you have classes? How much homework do you have to do? What assignments are due? When do you have major exams or quizzes?

If you need to, work backward: If you have an exam on Friday and think you need 3 hours to study for it, block off an hour on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for study time. And keep those appointments with yourself just like you would anything else on your calendar.

[Use these tips to avoid common freshman mistakes.]

2. Manage your personal time: It's an unrealistic expectation to think that you can study, go to class, and work all day, every day. Your brain needs a break, too! Make sure to allow yourself time to go to something fun in the quad, attend a meeting for your favorite club, and just hang out for an hour or so at night with friends over dinner.

Doing things that make your personal time more enjoyable—and not totally focused on school—can actually improve your productivity when working on projects later. Of course, if you've overcommitted yourself with cocurriculars or consistently let your one-hour dinners turn into four-hour gossip fests, you'll need to adjust things accordingly. Learning to say "No" or "I have to go start studying now" can be one of the best skills you learn in college when it comes to managing your time well.

When looking at your calendar, write in your personal commitments and make sure to leave some time for just hanging out. But make sure to put in start and stop times, too; knowing that you need to start studying at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, for example, will allow you to have some fun with friends early in the evening but also get your homework done.

3. Keep your health in mind: When people's schedules are tight, one of the first things to go is sleep. While it may be common among college students, a lack of sleep is more detrimental than you might think. It can throw everything out of whack: your mental health, your physical health, your stress level, and, of course, your schedule.

Constantly working at a frenetic pace, especially when you're sleep deprived, will catch up with you sooner or later. Take a few moments at the beginning of every week to plan out your homework, your social time—and your sleep.

[Learn ways to avoid depression in college.]

4. Where to go if you need time-management help: Time management isn't a skill you pick up right away. It takes—ironically—time to learn and time to master. Be patient as your learn how to manage your college academic schedule, what you can handle when it comes to cocurricular management, and what your body needs to function well in a college environment.

The most important thing to have for time management is some kind of system. Some students use the calendars on their phones; others use things like Google Calendar; others still use the classic paper-calendar model. If what you're using isn't working for you, don't give up. Just change and try again.

Additionally, many campuses offer help with time management because it's such a challenge for everyone. Try talking with your academic adviser or an on-campus tutoring center. Additionally, you can tap into resources that your campus health center may offer (especially when it comes to living a well-balance, healthy college life) or even a peer mentoring program. Keep in mind, too, that looking at how other, successful students manage their time can be a great resources as well.

Article by Kelci Lynn, Source: The College Experience, US News

For more college experience article, click the link. 

More than the EYE

Practicing Democracy at Taylor's ADP

When you have the people deciding the direction of ones government, body or organization, when you have people deciding who will be their representative, when you have people deciding who will lead them, you have a democratic system.

Every university has its own student council, body, union (and the list goes on), which basically is a group of students functioning as the voice of the students in the university. They are the bridge between the students and the lecturers and the administration of the university. 

Adriano Tawin, 2011 - 2012 Student Council President

How the student council operates is based on the committee that is in the council as some councils adopt different styles of representations.

In Taylor's ADP, the student council is elected by the students. Every year, students will form parties to run for the spot as the ADP's student council, they will be campaigning, demonstrating and explaining their manifestos to students, and telling people how they will achieve their goals.

This year, there were three parties running for student council; Revolution, B.O.S.S (Body of Student Services) and P.I.E (Personality, Innovation, Empowerment). All three parties were given a week to campaign and on Tuesday (6th of March), the three presidents went on a head to head debate with students and lecturers present to watch. 

The panel consisting of the current student council members asking questions to the candidates running

One of the candidates explaining his answer to a question to the crowd

 The ADP's Presidential Debate provided the opportunity for the presidents to raise issues that are affecting students and at the same time provide their approached towards those issues. It also provide students the chance to ask questions and raise issues that are affecting them as well.

Khaled Amru, Presidential Candidate for P.I.E.

Khartik Doraisingam, Presidential Candidate for B.O.S.S

Sheng Hao, Presidential Candidate for REVOLUTION

The debate ended well with all the presidents manage to answer to most of the issues raised and with the students satisfied with the outcome of the answers and responds. 

Mr. Chuah, ADP's Economics lecturer raising a question to the candidates

Sharman, an International Relations student pointing out a question to one of the candidates. 

The election process is scheduled to take place the next day, 7th of March 2012 from 9am to 11am, followed by the counting of votes later in the evening.