TAR University College Students Prove Their Mettle Yet Again

A group of Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (‘TAR University College’) students proved their mettle when they clinched the Champion prize as well as the Individual Outstanding Performance Award in the 2nd Malaysian Financial Planning Council (‘MFPC’) National Financial Planning Tournament 2014 from 3 – 5 November 2014. The students of the Bachelor of Finance & Investment (Hons), namely, Nicholas Tan Pengxi, who also won the Individual Outstanding Performance Award, Foo Jun Kit and Lee Chee Yeong did their advisors proud by sweeping the two top prizes worth RM6,000 and RM500 respectively.

The competition which is in its second instalment was held in three stages at  one of the institutions of higher learning in Shah Alam with 20 participating institutions. The financial planning areas such as Conventional, ‘Syariah’ and Private Retirement Scheme were tested on during the competition. The first stage of the competition involved each individual whereas in the 2nd stage, it was a team effort and finally in the third stage, all contestants had to attempt open questions. Reading materials were provided by MFPC for participants to prepare themselves before going for the competition.

The TAR University College winners were guided by two advisors, Mr Wang Ah Yong and Encik Rosdi Che Osman, who prepared the students for the competition by teaching them how to strategise. Mr Wang related and shared his experience of the inaugural competition held last year with the three student participants. Through that, they were able to envision what was to come.

When interviewed on his strategy to answer questions, Nicholas Tan Pengxi said: “The technique of answering the questions is important, along with how you press the button when you are about to answer within minutes”. He was pleasantly surprised with the win as they never expected to win in this competition, let alone sweep the two top prizes.

Another team member, Lee Chee Yeong quipped that the key to winning is to have ‘strategy’. He mentioned that they had set up a whatsapp account, following the advice of their advisor, Mr Wang, to encourage, discuss and communicate with each other prior to the competition. “We psyched each other up by having a whatsapp account named, ‘Quiz..we are the champion’ so that we could keep in touch in preparation for the competition”.

Meanwhile, Foo Jun Kit, mentioned that the modules that they had to cover for the competition were wide. “We divided the areas, worked on it and then shared and discussed with each other. It was not only fruitful, but it enabled us to cover much ground within the limited time we were given.”

Besides studying for their Bachelor degrees, Foo Jun Kit and Lee Chee Yeong have also obtained their Certified Financial Planner (‘CFP’) qualification, while Nicholas Tan Pengxi is about to finish his final paper for the CFP at TAR University College. They concurred that the knowledge that they had gained from the course helped them in the competition.

Finally, Nicholas had a piece of advice to give to his juniors who wish to follow in their footsteps. “Believe in the mantra, ‘Victory Loves Preparation’ and you cannot go wrong with full preparation”. This lad who won the Individual Outstanding Performance Award, was also offered a scholarship for the completion of his Bachelor degree programme by MFPC.

Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok, President of TAR University College elatedly said: “The remarkable win demonstrates the excellent quality of our students and it cements our reputation for producing top business professionals for this country.”

For more information about TAR University College programmes offered in the January intake, visit our website or drop by TAR University College during our OPEN DAY on 12 – 14 December, from 9.30am to 5pm at the Kuala Lumpur Main Campus, or any of our branch campuses in Penang, Perak and Johor or branches in Pahang and Sabah.