Surviving 4 years of degree got me thinking, how time flies fast. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was deciding which course to study. So here's a list of "Why I choose to study dietetics?".
1. Parental influence
Parents often influence our choices because they think they know what’s best for us. My parent didn't really pressure me on what to study apart from my mother who actually wants me to stay and study in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. It may be nice to have the privilege of near home university. But for some people like me, I prefer staying away from home.
I have stayed home for 18 years, survived a year of Matriculation away from home and I want to experience more this time. It turns out that Dietetics wasn't offered at any place in Sabah. My best bet would be to apply at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM - National University of Malaysia). So I did.
2. Non-mainstream
Everyone was asking me to be a doctor, engineer, lawyer, teacher, police (but I don't have perfect vision) etc. But nobody actually asked me what I wanted to do. I first decided that I want to be a quantity surveyor. This was before I entered government matriculation. But after finishing matriculation, I decided that I don't really want to be a quantity surveyor. I only wanted it before because my best friend's sister was a quantity surveyor and that the pay was quite nice.
I discovered shortly before our final exam that I wanted to be a dietitian. Of course I was considering to be a nutritionist but after I found out that dietitian would offer a bigger perspective in nutrition (including clinical and critical aspects of nutrition) I choose to study dietetics. I haven't heard of the term before and I love it that way (that it is not a mainstream course).
3. First hand experience
I grew up with some or most of the time without my mother. She would often attend seminars and courses. When I was 10 years old (Primary 4), she did her degree at Universiti Putra Malaysia which lasted 3 years. So during those time, our family had maid to prepare and took care of us when my father is busy working.
Often times, I wouldn't feel like eating and I prefer not eating. Not due to concerns of my body image, but rather the feeling of eating is no longer enjoying or satisfying. This happens because my maid often cook same repetitive meals and our lunch was this soggy, oily fried rice (I end up not having anything during recess). When I get home, I didn't have lunch but went straight to my afternoon naps.
I am not sure if I lose too much weight or I have really poor gain weight. But I am pretty sure that I was way underweight. I have to drag and force myself to go up even one flight of stairs. I'd lose breath and felt dizzy. I also happen to hate plain water. I would love to always and only prefer sweetened drinks, this is probably my bodily system reaction towards low calorie intake.
I only started to gain weight when I entered high school. I started playing sports and this helps to trigger my appetite. I ate a lot as I trained 2-3 hours most days of the week every evening. I boosted my metabolism by gaining lean mass. Most days are tiring, but it helps me to stay energetic and focus on studying. This experience really got me thinking and wanting to know the relationship between nutrition and sports especially.
4. City/Location/Transport
Since UKM Dietetics Program is taught at their Kuala Lumpur Campus. I was very excited when I found out that I got the offer to study there. It means I'm moving to the main city of the Federal Territory area. From east malaysia to west malaysia. They location is a very strategic location as it is accessible from the airport (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) and transport is not a problem for me. I have gotten my driving license quite early (as soon as I finished high school). But my parent did not get me a car (while my brother get his first). So moving to Kuala Lumpur is a good decision for me as it will be easy for me to get around. GrabCar (previously was MyTaxi) and Uber was already available at Kuala Lumpur at that time. So I was really grateful.
5. Cost and Fees
This course is offered at 7 institutions in Malaysia where 6 are public universities and 1 private university. I applied to all the public university because it is affordable and way cheaper than studying in private university. My first choice was UKM as they are pioneer university in this field. I thought I would experience and learn more from this institution considering them being pioneer and one of the premier institution in Malaysia.
6. Employment rate
When I was about to apply to this course, I did not know specifically about the employment rate of this field. But I did consider the need for Malaysians to have such specialist is nutrition. Obesity rate is high and increasing in Malaysia. So I decided that dietitian is on high demand in our society.
These are the few reasons on why I choose dietetics. Are you a student dietitian? Recently graduated? Still deciding on what to pursue? What makes you choose this field to study in the first place? Post about it! I will be glad to know your point of view.
If you have any questions, put your comments down below. I will try to reply to them as soon as possible. Cheers!
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