Although IMU has always had alumni who have done double degrees from undergraduate to postgraduate studies, Michael Son Wei Da is the first that has gone down the unbeaten path by scoring himself a Biomedical Science degree, followed by an IMU MBBS degree. 
Michael first joined IMU in 2008 under the Biomedical Science programme and completed his first degree in 2011. According to him, the Biomedical Science’s course structure is more constructive and better planned in IMU compared to other universities offering the same course. When he moved on to continue with a Medical degree immediately after his first degree, he found that it helped him a lot with the second degree. 
“My knowledge in Biomedical Science helped a lot in the Medical programme. It covered the basic science and human pathology in our medical foundation block. It allowed me to breeze through the foundation learning.” “I am a kinaesthetic learner. For every laboratory investigation that I planned for my patients, I know exactly how they are performed based on my experience during the apprenticeship at the pathology lab at Hospital Pantai Kuala Lumpur during my Biomedical Science programme.” The main reasons that he chose to continue his second degree in IMU were because he liked the learning environment in IMU. The attitude of the learners was well cultivated and the facilities were well maintained, not to mention the excellent clinical lecturers and IMU’s reputation which provides quality assurance for the students.
“I am very confident in IMU’s programme structure planning. It is not only teaching the student about the theory but most importantly it cultivates the learning attitude of the students to go beyond the requirement.”
“My most memorable moment in IMU would be the exam preparation period in Semester 9. I stayed back at the IMU Seremban clinical campus every evening till late night to study with a group of my friends for almost 3 months in order to prepare for the professional exam. At times when we were bored or sleepy, my friends will always provide the group with some entertainment where we can all relax for a bit before getting back on track with our studies. When some of my friends became nervous, we comfort each other and learn together. The support and care among my group of friends were all established and grew in IMU.” 
Michael has recently completed the IMU MBBS programme and is currently waiting for the convocation in October. While waiting, he wastes no time. “Currently, I am running the IMU Cares Project in Kampung Tekir, Seremban. I hope I can contribute more to the society even before the start of my houseman service. I also joined peer tutoring in IMU Bukit Jalil campus for clinical skills teaching. I am trying to get a clinical/laboratory research opportunity within IMU. I am interested to specialise in family medicine in the future.” His advice for aspiring juniors who will be joining the healthcare industry is “it is important for you to understand your interests and your willingness to contribute to the society, which you should not be demanding for any reward. This is also a life-longlearning industry where you have to constantly update yourself and learn new theories and skills. I can help anyone anytime. But I am trying hard to get a certificate which will allow me to officially treat someone in need of medical attention and I would make sure that he or she is safe and well under my care.” The IMU Alumni Relations Office would like to thank our alumnus, Michael for taking his time out to answer our questions. We would also like to take the opportunity to wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
