An iPhone, an iPad, a MacBook and a pair of Birkenstock—all of these, collectively have become the brand power of private university students, especially for local ones.
Private university students have been stereotyped in a number of ways for years. Back in my high school days, I used to believe and ignore all of these stereotypes. But now that I am two years into my degree at a private university, things are in a different light, and all these stereotypes are starting to irk me.
Here are some misconceptions that Malaysians might have about students in private universities:
1. We all own expensive gadgets.
First of all, guilty as charged, because I am an iPhone user myself, but I do not own a MacBook, an iPad, and certainly not a pair of Birkenstock nor did I purchase it with my own money. We are not as elitist as to only use expensive Apple products. There are still some of us who use lower end smartphone and laptop devices.
2. We’re a multiracial clique of kids.
Do yourself a favour and google up ‘university students in Malaysia’. The search result would probably include plenty of multiracial students, huddled together discussing an imaginary assignment. Not true.
Oh, cliques based on race can’t be avoided. People are just naturally attracted to people of the same colour, and that’s not racist per se. It’s just something ingrained in us from young, and this is especially true if you’re fluent in your mother tongue and prefer sticking to those who speak your language or dialect.
3. We’re here to look for rich partners.
No, just no. Come on, no. Girls do not just go to private universities looking for rich boys to hook up with and buy things for them.
Okay, sure, there may be some cases where girls (or guys, no discrimination here) end up dating a partner with a good financial background. But these are outliers, and maybe even just coincidences.
Gloria Steinem once said, “A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.” And I think that is applicable to prove this stereotype to be untrue.
4. Our parents are ATMS.
Kind of true, but it does not apply to all of us. It is to be expected that to be able to go to a private university like Taylor’s or Sunway, your parents have to be in a stable financial situation to be able to afford the tuition fees, amenity fees, accommodation fees, and living cost.
But if you think that we get thousands of ringgit as our monthly allowances, think again. At most, we get RM1k a month, and that’s only if we’re one of the lucky ones. If we use them all up, we can’t just call our parents and ask for more.
5. Money is not a subject.
Like hell. I wish. No budgetary concerns? In this economy? What kind of Utopia do you think we live in?
There are so many things to take into considerations: food, petrol, and toll, to start with. And then there are birthday presents and birthday meals and occasional hangouts with friends.
6. We pay for our certificates.
Well, to be fair, we can’t really prove if this is true or untrue, since there is no way for us to just go around campus and ask the administrators or alumni if students did pay huge sums of money to graduate in spite of their abhorrent results.
However, from that which I have personally seen, regardless of whether it is a private university or not, students work hard to achieve what they deserve. They hide themselves in the library and study their asses off, and the outcome is the result of their hard work. So, there is that.
7. We’re all party animals.
Party? With what little time we have? And what little money we own? Yes, there are times when we would go out to a bistro in Bangsar for a few shots of whiskey, but that’s really few and far in between.
Students are swamped with so much coursework carrying an obscene amount of percentage and extracurricular activities that we just decided to join because yes, we like to torture ourselves. When we are finally done with the day, we just want to collapse on our beds and sleep the rest of our lives away.
8. We speak flawless English.
I actually really used to think that those who attend private universities, especially those like Taylor’s, INTI, UCSI, and Monash, have a really good command of the English language. I was quite excited with the idea that I won’t be the only banana anymore .
Boy, was I wrong, particularly when it comes to the Chinese race.
Apart from speaking to lecturers and doing presentations, they would be speaking Mandarin at all times. And no, their English is not bad per se—they could do well in written essays and practiced presentations, but when it comes to common interactions, I am utterly shooked.
The idea that private university students are excellent at speaking English? You can cross that off the list.
9. Parking lots are just for parking cars.
Rumour has it that students like to linger in the parking lot of their universities before, during, and after classes. You know, for smoking or even for a good time, if you know what I mean.
Well, having been a personal witness to both in several occasions, I daresay this is true. Honestly, the things young people get up to these days. Let’s hope they keep it safe and healthy.
