Our students an anxious lot

PETALING JAYA: It is mostly a case of wait-and-see for Malaysian undergraduates in Britain.

However one thing’s for sure for now.

“Many are taking advantage of the falling pound and making bank transfers from back home,” said Mohammed Iman Karim, 24, who is pursuing a master’s in Organi­sational and Social Psychology at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Although it was too soon to talk about their fate, Mohammed Iman said he was quite concerned over the ease of travel.

“As an EU member, one of the perks of studying in UK is travelling to neighbouring countries in Europe with ease, especially due to cheap flight tickets and visa-free entries.

“I’m afraid that may all change after this (Brexit),” he said on WhatsApp yesterday.

Master’s degree student Yeo Ling Mien, 29, said many of the Malaysians who registered to vote were shocked by the referendum results.

“Those who can’t vote are just as shocked as well,” she said.

“People I know are disappointed with the results,” Yeo claimed.

Commonwealth migrants from 54 countries, including Malaysia, could join the British electoral roll, including casting their votes for Brexit – as long as they are residing in Britain.

Yeo, who quit her job to study for her master’s and has a mortgage back home to pay, said she was working part-time to ease her financial burden.

“The British pound has been down valued. That means, I need to work more to pay for the same amount in Malaysia,” she added.

Yeo, who is studying Risk Management at the University of Southampton, said it would also be harder for her to travel now as it would cost more.

Miza Rashid, 22, who is pursuing a master’s in Psychological Research at University of Edinburgh, said she did not feel the effect of Brexit as yet.

But she believed many who voted to leave the EU were focusing on the problems of being in the EU currently. “They may have overlooked the benefits of staying on.”