Challenges in Malaysia

Foreign students in Malaysia may face several challenges during their stay in the country. Some common problems that foreign students may encounter include:

  1. Language Barrier: While English is widely spoken in Malaysia, the official language used in education is Malay. Foreign students who do not speak Malay may have difficulty communicating with locals and understanding lectures conducted in Malay.
  2. Cultural Adjustment: Adapting to a new culture can be challenging for foreign students. They may experience culture shock, homesickness, and difficulty in understanding local customs and traditions.
  3. Accommodation: Finding suitable and affordable accommodation can be a challenge for foreign students, especially if they are unfamiliar with the local rental market.
  4. Financial Constraints: Managing finances can be difficult for foreign students, as they may not be allowed to work full-time and may rely on limited financial resources.
  5. Visa and Immigration Issues: Foreign students need to navigate visa regulations, renewals, and other immigration requirements, which can be complex and time-consuming.
  6. Healthcare: Accessing healthcare services in a foreign country can be daunting. Foreign students may face challenges in understanding the healthcare system, finding suitable healthcare providers, and dealing with medical emergencies.
  7. Social Integration: Building social connections and friendships with locals and other international students can be challenging, especially if there are language and cultural barriers.
  8. Safety and Security: Foreign students may face safety concerns in a new environment, such as crime, discrimination, or harassment.
  9. Academic Challenges: Adapting to a new education system, teaching style, and academic expectations can be difficult for foreign students.
  10. Employment Opportunities: Foreign students may face restrictions on working in Malaysia, which can limit their ability to gain work experience or supplement their finances.

It is important for foreign students to be aware of these challenges and seek support from their educational institution, fellow students, and relevant authorities to address these issues effectively.

Interview Questions

  1. General
  1. Name / Occupation / Country of Origin / Age

  1. Overseas Needs
  1. When was your first time coming to Malaysia?
  2. What was your first impression when you first arrived in Malaysia?
  3. Upon your first arrival in malaysia back then, what do you struggle looking for? Can you name me a few?
  4. Looking back again, What basic needs do you think is very / more important, when you came from overseas? Please rate them and explain.
  5. Rate the difficulty of looking for items around you area in malaysia.
  6. What things stressed / confused you the most upon coming here for the first time? (ex: ”like for us we really struggled on looking for a bus”)
  7. How do you look for things back then? do you really more on words to words or you are the kind of person who’s best friend with Google?

  1. Housing / Accomodation
  1. Where do you live upon coming here? near campus, etc?
  2. How do you find an accommodation for the first time here?
  3. Have you ever deal any issue with accommodation?
  4. How would you rate your accommodation?
  5. Do you think it’s hard to find a place to live?
  6. One thing you like to change to help you find accommodation better and easier in here.

  1. Finances
  1. Do you think managing financial is important?
  2. Upon becoming student in the past / currently being a student, do you find any struggle in managing finance?
  3. Did you use any finance tracker?

  1. Healthcare
  1. How would you rate the place you live near the healthcare facility?
  2. Do you ever struggled on looking for a healthcare facility, including pharmacy?

  1. Language
  1. What is your mother language/ primary language?
  2. Can you speak english? how do you. rate your english 1 to 5 (1 being bad, and 5 being fluent speaker).
  3. Do you understand melayu?
  4. Do you experience any language barrier issue
  5. Does the place you live in speaks the language your comfortable with?
  6. How would you feel if a Malay person entered some Malaysian’s language (BM / Chinese / Indian languages) into your conversation?

  1. Adaptability to culture & Discrimination
  1. What kind of person are you? easy to adapt on changes or not.
  2. Do you think it’s easy to suit / follow the culture here?
  3. What kind of experience do you experience with that having an issue with their cultural / tradition / rules?
  4. Do you ever experience something that embarrassing / harassing / discriminating you? (ex: “one day i took a green colored bus, then the driver was angry to me without even explaining anything. then after some moments of angryness i learned that green bus is a free bus for local only”).
  5. What makes you feel secure / not secure (depends on answer).
  6. Do you feel secure living in malaysia with the knowledge you have? then rate 1-5

  1. Anak Rantau
  1. As an international student, do you think having a community of people similar like you (student) is important?
  2. Do you think information distribution through mouth to mouth is faster and more accurate compared to you looking it?
  3. What if there is a system / channel / space that can solve the above problems (distribution of tips on Needs, Accommodation, Finance tracking, Healthcare, culture, language etc) for first time comer. Would you be willing to use and explore it?

Reference Link

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-problems-that-foreign-students-have-to-face-in-Malaysia