University - “The best time of your life”

Having completed my A levels in Singapore, I found myself stuck once again. The question of ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’, a classic composition topic, has been avoided since primary school. Back then, I merely gave my teachers the answer they wanted, so that I would do well. 10 years later, I was forced to answer the same question, only that this time, it was not hypothetical. I continued to dwell on that throughout the first few months during my national service, until I experienced knee problems first-hand and undergone physiotherapy. Interest soon set in and it is the focus of my academic career at the moment.

Physiotherapy involves rehabilitation of individuals with impaired mobility to the level of health before their accident/ illness. Although therapeutic massage may be the first words that people tend to think of when they hear ‘physiotherapy’, there are other treatment options including exercises, neuromuscular techniques. It is not restricted to geriatrics, but can also apply to young people in sporting teams and paediatrics as well. In addition, physiotherapists also work closely with people who have had fractures and joint replacements. Exercises are prescribed later on in the rehabilitation stage to improve both strength and endurance.

Granted, it was not one of those courses that my friends were taking- it was not even available in a university in Singapore then, which was where my friends and I envisioned us studying in. Having to go Down Under to pursue my course of study meant leaving the comforts of my family and friends and having to re-establish new relationships with people whose culture I may not fully understand. Yet, I look upon this as an opportunity to explore another country, culture, language, and most importantly, to discover more about myself as a person.

As a student, studies do take the main bulk of my time and once a while, content covered in the semester can be less than manageable. As frustrations began to accumulate, I often questioned myself as to whether the hard work was worthwhile. I understood that that was an inevitable question that people face whether studying or working. Hence, it became very important to constantly remind myself of why I chose the course that I am undertaking. Even as assignments pile up and with exams nearing, it is critical to keep those reasons close by. Nonetheless, I trust that my course mates would agree with me if I said material covered every semester remains very practical and interesting.

With this in mind, I have found my experience in studying in Australia a meaningful one. My struggles to come to face with the fact that I had poor time-management, over-reliance on my family and negativity meant that I had to become a more well- organised, independent, and optimistic person. Change does not come easily for me, and the road to changing a habit is not always a straight forward one. Nevertheless, looking back to when I left my comfort zone to where I am today, the struggles were well worth it. Indeed, positive experiences need not always be pleasant ones.

Studies aside, I strongly encourage everyone to constantly re-examine your progress. Whatever the goal may be, we have to make sure that we are one step ahead than you were before yesterday. When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, it becomes crucial to always remind ourselves as to why we made the decision to study the course that we are in now. If things are not going wrong, it means we are not trying new things. Whether we are studying in Singapore or another country, don’t be afraid to step away from your close-knitted clique for a while and mingle with someone from another culture and be amazed at how similar you and that person can be. Go ahead and explore, and be sure to have fun while keeping up with studies at the same time. I have been told from earlier generations that college is the ‘best time of your life’- I couldn’t agree more.

  
 

Written by:
Dominic Ng
Curtin University
Physiotherapy Year 2 (WA)