Among TKU’s 4725 new recruits, 5 of them put Lanyang Campus as their first choice of university. They were all deeply attracted by the English speaking environment and are not afraid of challenges that may lie ahead of them.

Two of them are studying at the Multicultural and Linguistic Studies (MCLS), Chang Ya-ting and Siau Ming-heng. For Chang Ya-ting, it was the beautiful surrounding of the campus, 90% English lectures, and Junior Year Abroad program prompted her to apply with hesitation. As she had always been interesting in languages prior to Lanyang, her only moment of struggle was between the English Department of Tamsui Campus and her current department at Lanyang. After some careful deliberation with her family, she decided that MCLS might be a better challenge as it provides a broader range of studies.

After one week of lectures, she feels that she has made the right decision. She is of particularly in favor of two classes, which are the International Etiquettes and Studying Skills and is full of awe to the two teachers involved, Chou Chih-wei and Sung Mei-mei. She admires their English accent and how they genuinely care for their students. She also enjoys the very informal atmosphere on campus where professors and students can have impromptus meals together should they run into one another. Above all, having spent six years in a Christian high school in southern Taiwan, she finds English lectures very natural to her.

As for Siau Ming-heng, she may not find all English lectures as easy as Chang, even though she chose Lanyang for its English environment and Junior Year Abroad Program. Nonetheless, she’ll do her best to adjust. She thinks the campus is tranquil and likes her dormitory. Yet, she also reveals that some of the new students find boarding life rather suffocating.

Not so much for Huang Jia-ming of the Department of Software Engineering, who also put down Lanyang as his first choice. He finds what he is getting here such as his major, English training and third year abroad will make him very competitive on the job market when he graduates. He eloquently differentiates Lanyang from other universities by its ideal and future-orientated thinking. Even though Lanyang is slightly remote on Taiwanese term, it allows students to form an close relationship with the faculty members through the residential system. His parents are all behind his choice.

Cheng Chen-wei of the Department of Tourism and Hospitality may not be that lucky with parental support. In fact, his parents were pretty upset when they learned that he had put down Lanyang as his first choice. Their reason? It is too remote, they said. They would not even allow me to bring my computer as they wouldn’t believe there would be of any use in the country side, Cheng sighed. In a way, he admits, that they may be right as he finds not much else to do at Lanyang apart from studying. “It can be kind of boring, you know”.