ATC: The driving force behind Malaysia’s Top Achievers in Law

For the elite Bachelor of Laws programme from the University of London, ATC holds the Top 3 Academic Achievers in all of Malaysia. Number 1 Top Achiever An Gel Siah, an ATC student now continues her studies at King’s College London after being the recipient of the 2017 Malaysian Laws Scholarship for having scored the highest marks in the world. One would wonder, what is it that led to such a stroke of luck with ATC?

We spoke to one such Top Achiever, 2nd in Malaysia Cassandra (Oh Wan Yee), to find out just what contributed to her outstanding results, and why ATC was the right choice for her – and might be for you as well.

A top scholar in both A-Level as well as her concurrent Bachelor of Laws (UOL), Cassandra has been with ATC since her A-Level, and now stands as one of the Top 3 Academic Achievers for the programme in all of Malaysia.

Tell us, how did you begin your journey towards Law at ATC?

Two years ago, I joined ATC for my A-Level, with the advice from a Student Advisor at ATC, who suggested I consider taking Business, Economics and Law for my A-Level, since I wasn’t a big fan of the Sciences. Thanks to her, I eventually managed to grow an interest in Law, which became a passion, and the reason why I went on to study the Bachelors of Law (University of London) as well.

What part of studying the subject do you enjoy the most?

Public Law interests me the most – although it’s not entirely my top-performing subject. Under this subject, we usually have to read up on the hottest topics, and since we were doing English Law, last year was all about Brexit; definitely a very fun topic!

What’s something that quite a lot of people get wrong about studying Law?

The very first reaction from people who know I’m studying Law is, wow, you must have had to memorise so much!

In reality, that’s not entirely true. I wouldn’t say it’s false, since you do have to memorise – but if you understand things in their context it becomes a lot easier. In this way, when you begin writing, your answers straight away flow on the paper.

What was your reaction to finding out your scores for the subject of Legal System & Method were the highest in all of Malaysia?

To be entirely honest, I had no clue that my grades were going to be as good as they turned out to be – I guess I might have my lecturers to thank for that, too!

Being a Top Scholar in A-Level, there was quite a bit of pressure going into my Degree – pressure which I had imposed upon myself. Hence, before going into the exam, I was very nervous, in that sense.

You must have prepared quite a bit to have scored so high!

Prior to the exam, I felt like I hadn’t prepared enough, so when the results came out and I found out mine were the best in Malaysia for the subject, and Top 2 in Malaysia overall, I was genuinely surprised. After their release, I came into ATC and only after speaking to my other peers I realised that my results weren’t as bad as I’d previously thought.

Of course, I would allocate hours for each subject for revision every week, and carry out systematic revision. But I tend to procrastinate quite a bit as well, at the same time.

ATC, however, has a tradition whereby, since May is our exam time, starting from February we would be going through an intensive revision period. Every day revision would last for 7 hours at the very least, along with reading and assignments we would be asked to hand in daily. Of course, it was a bit of a stressful time, but in the long run our lecturer’s rigorous methods resulted in our success. They would often push us to our limits, since they alone knew our potential, even if we ourselves didn’t.

So, what happened after you managed to be a part of the Top 3 Achievers in Year 1?

Soon after, I received an email from the University of London, awarding me with a fee waiver and the Jim Stephens Memorial Scholarship as encouragement for my scores as a Top Achiever in Malaysia.

I’m starting Year 2 with ATC now, so I’ll see how it goes in the next exams, come May.

What was a challenge you had to overcome when enrolling in ATC?

My first and second languages are both different dialects of Chinese, so when I enrolled it became quite difficult to communicate with my lecturers and other students. However, after some time studying ATC, I managed to get a better hold of English, which massively helped me not only in communicating with my fellow students, but in the outside world as well, in business etc. I’m definitely more confident because of that, now.

What advice would you give to your juniors, or students potentially looking to study Law?

I believe that with dedication and continued perseverance – and less procrastinating! – anyone can achieve scores as high as mine.

Being a Top Achiever in both A-Level and Year 1 of your degree, what does the future hold for Cassandra?

I am aiming to be a Lawyer, yes. But at the same time, I’m also glad that having studied Law would allow me to branch into a variety of careers as well. I like to keep my options open.

According to you, why should one study Law at ATC?

On my first visit to ATC, I was definitely a bit wary due to the campus’s boutique size. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this merely made the campus more compact and cosy and created a very comfortable environment for us students. It helped us maintain good 1-on-1 relationships with our lecturers as well; we could approach them easily and at any time, as if it were tuition-based with their personal attention.

ATC also offers trial classes, so after sitting in for a couple, I knew this was the college I wanted to be at.

Moreover, coming from a moderate, single-parented family, cost was also an important factor for me, and with ATC’s affordable programmes, I’m glad to be receiving the future I have always dreamed of.

 Cassandra with fellow Top 3 student Hon Yee Neng at the campus’ Library

ATC continues nurturing high-achieving students, as the best performing Law school in the region. Although a boutique-style college, students’ needs are catered to in the best way possible at ATC, while allowing for a more close-knit and comfortable environment for students with their lecturers.

Want to be a Top Achiever in Law like Cassandra? Enrol now at ATC, to make the most of your dreams and education – all at the right price. Get in touch at www.atc2u.edu.my or call +603 2031 0266.