As the time for the second stage of university individual application is fast approaching, assembling application documents and preparing for the admission interview have become the main concern of graduating high school students and their parents. National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University has prepared a recorded Podcast series, What Does University Teach, featuring faculty members and students from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, National Chengchi University, and National Tsing Hua University for an all-inclusive discussion of what students learn at university.
To help prospective students and parents who have trouble picking a major, and to join the bandwagon of the Podcast trend, NYCU PRESS—the Podcast channel of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University that has been active for nearly a year—has recently launched a program series named What Does University Teach. To catch the attention of prospective young students and assist them in determining a suitable major, each episode of the series features lively dialogue between faculty members and students from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, National Chengchi University, or National Tsing Hua University. As such, the series is far from being a one-sided monologue from the school or the students’ perspective.
The professors share tips on the preparation of application documents and things to look out for during the admission interview. They also recommend introductory books on various domains to help prospective students gain more insight of their chosen major in their free time. As for the university students, they share their experiences in university application, as well as what they have learned and experienced in university.
The episode, Welcome to the Lots-of-Homework University: Life of an Electrical and Computer Engineering Major From Admission to Graduation, features conversation between associate professor Yu-Lun Huang and senior Ya-Jou Hsu (許雅柔), both from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. Through their discussion, they share with the audience profession knowledge and future prospects of electrical and computer engineering. Prof. Huang also discloses her student-selection criteria as a member of the admission interview board. She relates her experience reviewing the application documents of an applicant, who described in detail his interest and fascination with physics in his autobiography. This made him stand out from other applications, who only described their family background in their autobiographies, and left a lasting impression on her. “As soon as he showed me his passion for learning, his grades at high school took a back seat,” Prof. Huang confides. Ya-Jou Hsu (許雅柔), who was admitted through application, reminds prospective students that choosing the right university is as critical as choosing the right major; an university with abundant resources can be advantageous in many ways aside from learning professional knowledge.
The episode, Do All Computer Science Majors Know How to Fix a Computer? The Arrival of the Era of Programmers, features Professor Yong-Sheng Chen and the
head of the Student Union, junior student Tzu-Chi Liu (劉子齊), of the Department of Computer Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. In this episode, the guests share with the audience what is taught at the Department of Computer Science. Prof. Chen shares the story of an applicant successfully catching his attention through the tidy format of application documents and the humor in his writing. He confides that an applicant will leave a positive impression if he or she presents a deep interest in programming and actively participates in various competitions. However, he also admits that endurance is a key factor to academic success and advises prospective students to showcase their drive for excellence in the domains of artificial intelligence and information engineering in addition to their prowess in math and physics.
At the date of writing, the program has covered the computer science, medicine, electrical and computer engineering, humanities, and dentistry major. Episodes covering domains such as Chinese literature, law, finance, physical therapy and assistive technology, and nursing have also been completed and will soon be uploaded onto iTunes, SoundOn, and Spotify.