I’m Yvie fr​om the beautiful archipelago of the Philippines. Fourth child of Truman and Evangeline. I’m currently studying in Taiwan and taking up a dual degree program offered by our school in the Philippines and here in Taiwan.

1. What made you decide to study in Taiwan?

I decided to study here in Taiwan because I know I will learn a lot here in terms of actual rather than on theories. Experiencing what was taught is a better way to learn than just imagining those theories. And, I know Taiwan universities are capable of providing equipment and machines that can help develop my skills.

2. Briefly tell us about the program you are studying. What subjects are you studying? What have you enjoyed the most in your studies?

The program that I am into is in Mechanical Engineering. Our subjects are related to mechanical design, programming, automatic control, Computer Aided Drafting, and also Mandarin. I enjoy learning new stuff about PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). What we do in that course are: we program something, send it to the PLC, and control some simple machine.

3.How is studying in Taiwan when compared to studying and being a student in your home country? (Teaching Quality、Environment、School Equipment、Laboratory or others)

Teachers here and in our country, are different because they have distinct way of teaching. Our Filipino teachers are very good at theories and computations; however, teachers here are very good in hands-on and experimental works. For the environment, of course, Taiwan is better because it is colder than the Philippines. Talking about the School Equipment and Laboratory,

Taiwan provides enough materials and hands over lots of experiments.

4. What has been the most difficult part about applying to study in Taiwan? How did you overcome the difficulty?

Going to Taiwan is not easy because you need to pass a lot of requirements and papers. Honestly speaking, the most difficult part of applying is transportation. Because the place where I live is far from the places I need to go, and you add up the traffic jams, then, it will be worse. For me to surpass that problem, I plan first where are the places will I go that day and go through the schedule avoiding some circumstances. Sometimes, I ride along with my sister to reach my destination.

5. What do you plan to do after you have finish your studies in Taiwan? Would you like to stay in Taiwan?  Why? 

Actually, after our study here in Taiwan, we need to go back to the Philippines to finish the program for another one year. After I became a licensed engineer in our country, I will come back here and grab the opportunity that Taiwan companies could give to me. I would like to stay here for work because I know I can learn a lot here and the salary is good.

6. How do you think studying in Taiwan can benefit you in your future career?

Studying here is an edge for me, the fact that I took up a majoring program here, it will be a good thing for me. The experience that I had here and the development of my skills will be my advantage from the others.

7. What do you see as your key achievements when studying in Taiwan?

The fact that I am studying here is already an achievement for me because not all from our school can apply for this. We first need to pass the qualifications and requirements before we can apply for the program. As of now, finishing our first semester and ending up as a top on our class is the greatest achievement I had gained.

8. What advice do you have for other interested overseas students who want to come to Taiwan to study?

First, is that, you need to think thoroughly before pushing through studying here. You need to take a lot of considerations; you need to think from your emotional strength to expenses. Remember that You will be far away from home and you might get homesick. Also, there will be some variation in cost of living. Lastly, I advise students from non-Mandarin speaking country to learn at least the basics of Chinese Mandarin Language because it would be really difficult.