Doing a PhD at MUM
Dr Pauline Leong Pooi Yin
I embarked on the PhD with joy and trepidation – joy
for having been able to secure a place and scholarship
but trepidation about the journey ahead. I could not
have completed the process without the help and
support given to me by my supervisor, Prof. James
Chin, the former SASS Head of School. He helped me
to navigate through the process, which enabled me to
complete the dissertation in time. Prof. Chin pushed
me to be highly critical and analytical in my research
and writing, which has helped to sharpen my academic
thought process.
The PhD process is often a long and lonely one but it
was more bearable with the company of my PhD peers
– Joseph, Sandra, Cyren, Caryn, Jacqui and Eugene,
among others. We supported and cheered each other
along the whole arduous process of completing the
thesis. Those who are not on the same journey often
do not understand the huge amount of stress that we
undergo, so having the support of peers along the
same journey is very comforting.
I am proud to be a Monash alumni.
Pauline obtained a PhD from Monash University in
2015. She currently works as a Senior Lecturer at
Sunway University.
◀ My big day!
139
And what
a joy to
finally
receive
a “yes”
from
Monash!
I am always grateful to Monash University Malaysia for
giving me the opportunity to complete my PhD full-time,
thanks to the scholarship. That really helped ease the
financial concerns of having to take time off from a
full-time job to concentrate on my academic pursuit.
Special thanks to Ismail, then the SASS Research
Manager, who spent more than two hours going
through all the application documents. And what a joy
to finally receive a “yes” from Monash!