Vox Pop!

Hey guys,

So here's the result of the vox pop I worked on. Before that let me explain the process of coming up to the question and the strategy I used to collect vital information from the responses.

Vox Pop

Issue: UCSI's Reputation Among its Current Students
Formulated question: Would you encourage your friends to come study at UCSI? Why?
Gathered responses: 7

Notes: I wanted to gather opinions from current UCSI students about how they really felt about the institution. Their responses would actually reflect UCSI's general reputation and gauge of whether it succeeded in providing quality education for them. In order to obtain satsifactory and sincere answers, however, I was required to pose a question that would not be too direct as in "In your opinion, how is UCSI's reputation currently?"

Therefore, I figured that I could achieve my goal by asking a 'round-about' question and still receive well thought out answers from the respondents.

Response 1:

Well, I would say that UCSI would cater more to the locals since everyone can fit in nicely whereas it would be a hindrance for my foreign friends as they would they have to deal with the language, social and cultural barriers.

Response 2:

I must say no because UCSI is definitely a profit-oriented organisation which puts money first, education second. Behind this façade lies a capatalist company that practically ‘sucks’ the money out of everyone with its insane fees.

Response 3:

Yes I always encourage my friends from Indonesia to come study in UCSI because it is undeniable that UCSI is very experienced in certain courses and provides undergraduates with the opportunity to apply their knowledge by working via the co-operative placement program.

Response 4:

I would have to say no in the strongest sense of the word because of just one thing; the unbelievably high costs students have to deal with throughout their education. I am certain that UCSI is the only college that charges students RM 200 for a resit/supplementary paper.

Response 5:

If you asked me this question when I was a junior, I would have said yes. Now, however, UCSI is quickly losing its prestige with its mediocre administration and fails in its attempt to rebrand itself; even newer colleges like New Era is fast catching up in the competition.

Response 6:

I would be doing my friends back in Botswana a huge favour by telling them not to come to UCSI, ever. Besides the language barrier between the lecturer and the foreign students, I find it difficult to tolerate the cold treatment by the locals in the campus especially when black students try to socialize with them.

Response 7:

I would not encourage my friends to come here unless they have no other choice. The school is charging too much for substandard campus facilities such as the run-down PC lab and rusty gym equipment. I also think that the attendance system the school applies is ridiculous; students should have the right to choose whether to attend classes or not as they are young adults.

In a nutshell, only one respondent talked in favour of UCSI. The rest made very unsatisfactory remarks about the university, touching on a range of issues and problems faced by them everyday including the fees, facilities, school system and cultural barriers. I believe I have successfully captured their emotions in words as they talk passionately about what is really going on UCSI, plain and simple.

Cheers,

Adrian