Imagine this: Two students have the same GPA, excellent essays, and similar extracurricular achievements. However, one student outperformed the other in the IELTS and SAT. So guess who is being admitted to the university?

Definitely, the one who scored higher in the IELTS and SAT. 

Gone were the days when universities easily picked the best from a sea of applications. Nowadays, the competition for admission is harder than ever, as many students possess excellent academic grades and outstanding extracurricular records. This has led many universities to base their final decisions on students' IELTS, SAT, and Personal Statements (PS). 

Therefore, it’s critical that you have excellent IELTS and SAT scores as well as a solid Personal Statement, as these can massively help tip the scale in your favour. And in KYUEM, you’ll get that advantage and more.

Studying in Kolej Yayasan UEM (KYUEM)

Set in Lembah Beringin, about an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur, the resort-style campus has been a premier residential college specializing in pre-university education since 1998. 

KYUEM prioritizes its students’ education more than anything. As such, they focus on every tiny detail that will give their students an advantage when applying to top universities around the world. This is evident with its excellent university placement record of about 90% of its students going to the top 10 universities in the UK, Ireland and Australia every year. 

Such achievement is possible thanks to KYUEM’s excellent learning environment, university application guidance, and rich boarding facilities, which have been critical to its students’ achievements.

So, when it comes to IELTS, SAT and PS, KYUEM leaves no stone unturned as they ensure their students are well-drilled in IELTS, SAT and PS to help them enrol into their dream universities. 

“We know how competitive it is to get into these prestigious universities. However, having helped our students gain admission to these universities every year, we are fully aware of what qualities these top institutions seek in students. We use this knowledge to guide and prepare our students in the right way so they can ace the assessments and get into their dream universities,” Ms. Selvi, KYUEM’s English teacher, says.

Preparing for IELTS

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the modern standard for demonstrating English proficiency to study in a country where English is the native language, such as Australia, the United Kingdom, or the United States. Failure to achieve a good grade can quickly end your dream of studying abroad.

Many students believe IELTS is just another English-language test and that they will pass on their first attempt. However, IELTS is unique in its format, providing assessment in four separate categories: listening, reading, writing, and speaking, and is graded on a scale of one (non-user) to nine (expert user). You must therefore demonstrate sufficient proficiency in each to pass the test. To do that, your preparation must be far more detailed and extensive than the average test.  

“At KYUEM, we treat IELTS as a subject rather than an assessment. Students would be required to attend IELTS classes daily for two semesters to improve their grammar and familiarize themselves with the syllabus. Then, under the guidance of experienced teachers with expertise, they are coached and thoroughly exposed to IELTS so that they become experts and ace the test,” Ms. Selvi says. 

KYUEM also conducts many hands-on interactive activities, engaging workshops, discussions, debates and presentations to help its students improve and fully prepare for IELTS.

“We have numerous activities for all the four components that IELTS covers. For example, for reading, we get the students to do extensive reading in articles, journals, and undergraduate-level resource articles. We also encourage them to browse useful websites like BBC or Harvard Business Review. Plus, we would do extended research in the topics that IELTS would likely cover so that the students would be prepared for anything,” Ms. Selvi says. 

All these endeavours have seen KYUEM students achieve an average score of Band 8 and, at times, Band 9 in their IELTS, which is highly impressive. 

Sitting for SAT Exam

The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) is a multiple-choice entrance exam used by many colleges and universities in the US. It consists of a Reading Test, a Writing and Language Test, and a Math Test. 

At KYUEM, students will experience an interactive coaching platform where the lessons are engaging. For example, the English teachers will closely guide the students in developing their reading comprehension and literary analysis skills. At the same time, students will have the opportunity to interact with their teachers to edit their essays and other annotation works.  

In addition, KYUEM conducts many English prep workshops to expose its students to all the tips and tricks and solution methodology for SAT English Reading. By providing these quality materials, KYUEM significantly improves its students' chances of scoring a good SAT score. 

When taking a test, understanding the test format and spending enough time to complete it is extremely important. As such, KYUEM consistently trains its students to familiarise themselves with tests and to improve their time management when taking full-length tests. This practice has seen the students become experts and ace their SAT exams. 

A strong Personal Statement

Admissions committees read thousands of personal statements each year, so you must write one that stands out. You must write in a way that captures and engages their attention while also demonstrating who you are. At KYUEM, students will be guided from A to Z in preparing their personal statements to ensure they have a remarkable output that will put them ahead of the competition. 

For many students, writing a personal statement can be out of their comfort zone. Fortunately, KYUEM has a dedicated University Placement office with considerable experience helping students through their university application process. From their guidance in writing remarkable personal statements to answer trivia questions when filling in the details, the office has been immensely helpful in guiding the students. 

In addition, having worked with many students over the years, the English teachers are fully aware of what qualities each top institution looks for in students’ personal statements. Based on that experience, they help students carefully choose their content and express their ideas clearly. The English teachers also do a “close monitoring” to ensure that the personal statement's quality caters to the top universities' standards with genuine authenticity.

“We will guide our students throughout in terms of developing ideas about their interest in the respective course. For example, if they want to do law at university, we would look at whether they have done enough reading about their future course. And how are they preparing? Are they doing a follow-up with a real case study ongoing in the country? And from there, we also guide them in language and grammar,” Ms. Selvi says. 

To further help the students excel in their personal statements, the English teachers connect them with some past successful alumni. This greatly benefits the students as they can gain vital information from their seniors who have successfully gotten into top universities. 

Succeeding with KYUEM

Studying at a top university abroad can positively impact your academic and social life. KYUEM has been doing it for many years and constantly updating itself with the latest developments so that it can help its students achieve their dreams.

Today, KYUEM graduates can be found in esteemed institutions of higher education all over the world. This is possible because KYUEM prioritizes every tiny detail that can help its students gain an advantage when applying for their dream university.

Learn more about this school’s extensive lineup of dynamic offerings here.