Degrees offered in English Main Headline

‘IFTM has far-reaching impact on students’, says undergraduate from Mainland

中文摘要 / Summary in Chinese

Tracy Xi Lu, a Year 3 student in the English-language stream of IFTM’s Tourism Event Management Bachelor’s Degree Programme, talks about the educational opportunities available at the Institute. The Mainland student, from Zhuhai in Guangdong Province, next door to Macao, adds that the Institute offers a solid foundation to students, so that upon graduation they can each develop a successful professional career.

“It was during a higher education admissions seminar after I completed my college entrance examination that I first got to know IFTM. I still recall having several admission leaflets from different universities in my hands. IFTM caught my attention because it used the English language for programme delivery. Since I always had been eager to study for my bachelor’s degree in an English-language environment – and because the Institute’s tuition was quite competitive compared to other higher education institutions in Macao – I opted for IFTM almost immediately, once I got comprehensive information about it.

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye. I am thankful to IFTM for providing me access to valuable educational platforms and resources. 

I am passionate about learning languages. So, though I had chosen to learn Portuguese as a foreign language at IFTM, I also used to sit in on the Japanese classes when my schedule was not very busy, to learn the language. Learning different languages and learning about different cultures enables me to feel the power and beauty of words.

When I was a Year 1 student, I took part in the 13th Macao-Wide College English and Portuguese Writing Competition (English category) and got placed first runner-up. Prior to that, I had signed up for individual tutoring from IFTM’s English Centre, gaining access to constructive assistance from the English lecturers at the Institute, to improve my language proficiency. In retrospect, I could not have achieved such an award without their helpful guidance.

Later, I participated in the Macao-wide English Speech Contest while I was a Year 2 student, and also this year. These were further chances to enhance my language capabilities and boost my self-confidence. Fortunately, I reached the final round of the contest on both occasions, makingit to the top-15 in Macao.

What’s more, as a Year 3 student, I also entered the national round of the ‘FLTRP ETIC Cup’ English Public Speaking Contest, and achieved the third prize. As on previous occasions, lecturers from the English Centre assisted me in all aspects of my preparation, with tremendous enthusiasm, from helping me to review my script for the contest, to teaching me how to deliver a public presentation. I have been fortunate since I enrolled at IFTM, to have these lecturers with such passion for their work, offering me enormous help all along.

The Institute provides students with numerous internship opportunities and exchange programmes as well. For the second semester of the current academic year, I enrolled on an exchange programme at East China Normal University, in Shanghai, China. Taking part in an exchange programme had been one of my strongest desires as a higher education student. It was a unique opportunity, especially under the current circumstances linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. I am grateful for the assistance and support offered to me by the staff from the Student Affairs Division at the Pedagogic Affairs Department: they played a crucial role in making it possible for IFTM students still to go on an exchange programme this academic year, despite all the challenges related to COVID-19.

IFTM has a far-reaching impact on students: not only in respect of academic knowledge provision, but also by training students to apply what they have learned in the classroom to real-world situations. This lays a solid foundation for us to develop our respective professional careers.”

President’s Corner

A special place

IFTM’s unique positioning means students have access to a deep pool of exclusive opportunities, including exchange and internship programmes outside Macao, allowing them to be exposed to new ideas, and to broaden their horizons. Read More