6 Daily Life Hacks for UM Students

Student life can get quite hectic - with exams, assignments - and for most, it might the first time living away from home.

At UM, one of Malaysia’s top-rated universities, understanding and navigating through student life successfully proves to be even more of a challenge - not only due to the sheer size of the university campus, but also due to the all the unique and interesting quirks that makes UM uniquely its own.

Here are 6 daily life hacks for UM students that you should know!

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Last Minute Study Sweet Spots

Students are famous for last minute work - whether it’s assignments, studying for tests, or even studying for finals. It’s almost safe to say that cramming work at the last minute is in almost every students’ blood. So, how do you get the most out of your squeezed-up time? Here’s a tip: look for the Faculty of Economics. It’s a great spot at night as it’s peaceful and quiet, perfect for you to focus as you jam in new information for that test tomorrow. An added bonus? Blazing Internet speed here compared to other parts of the university. If the Faculty of Economics is a tad too far for you, there’s always the 24-hour study area at the library that opens from 8am to midnight during exam season. 

 
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Know The Monkey Timings

This might come off sounding a little odd or even a joke but trust me, if you are a student in UM, it’s super important to know the timing of the monkeys. If you don’t already know, UM is built within the a lush green and natural setting, a great place for the hoards of monkey families that live there. So, to prevent cleaning up your room every evening, you definitely want to keep an eye out on monkey timings. Take it seriously. Like, seriously. [Read: 8 Signs That You Are From The Universiti Malaya]

 
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Spot The Spot Checks 

When in UM, you’d want to be on the lookout for random spot checks that are done by the security personnel. While these spot checks are done for your own safety, it can sometimes be a hassle. So, what are some things that are done during these checks? Is your room neat? Are there posters on the wall? Got some laundry hanging on the corridor? While it’s not exactly illegal to keep your room in its uncluttered glory, the security personnel take these checks very seriously where being “caught” might see you possibly paying some fines. So, keep a heads up and pay attention to little cues that signal a possible “raid” so that you can quickly hide all the mess. 

 
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Cook Up A Storm In Your Dorm

You don’t need a kitchen to cook in the dorm! In fact, just by having your humble rice cooker should give you your very-much missed home cooked food, all in the comfort of your own room. While there are pantries provided for some residential colleges, you may prefer to cook your own grub without having to share the appliances with every student on the block. But, be careful though. For some residential colleges, having a rice cooker is a forbidden item. So, do a quick check either with the administration or just check with some friends on what to take with you to your room. Having tip #4 goes well to keep you out of potential trouble too! 

 
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Master Public Transport Like A Boss

Got some free time and want to head out of campus? Getting out of UM is very easy since the public bus (Rapid KL) comes into the campus. You might want to keep in mind though that during the peak hours, the bus will be extremely, I repeat, extremely packed. To make your life easier, consider taking the bus from the first bus stop on campus – where the Law Faculty is located just behind the library - to have a stress-free, comfortable seat and ride out of campus. Most students don’t bother with this tip as the Law Faculty is some 10-15 minutes away by foot - so instead, they get crammed in the bus like a bunch of sardines. Just remember, bus stop - Law Faculty.

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Get Fit & Stay Fit, Easily

UM has three open gym areas located around the campus and the best part of it is, there are no time restrictions. That means, even if you only have time for a 30-minute work at 12am, don’t be surprised to find other students also working out during that time. These open gym areas are brightly-lited and very safe as well. Just remember to bring along your student card to get some exercise in to just blow off some steam or de-stress and get fit at the same time. Who says being a student makes you not have the time to keep fit right? 

Did I miss out on anything? If I did, comment below!