i'm just gonna add on the UTM (skudai):

yeah, it's true that all students (regardless of junior or senior) will have to stay in campus. there are upside and downside to this. but simply put, u have a wide choice of rooms to choose from.

all the new colleges and new blocks in old colleges have free internet connection now. but they've setup a system where u wont be able to use torrent, kazaa or any p2p softwares from inside.

there are several types of rooms. the favourite would be the single room with bathroom attached + balcony. quite cheap, about RM 180 - 200 per month inclusive of everything. there are also rooms with a common kitchen (mostly for post-grads or family).

life is pretty much controlled. as usually, boys arent allowed inside girls' blocks, but they're pretty much free to roam about outside. no booze/liquor, and generally there are no curfew inside the university (except for some of the girl's college, where they will lock the gates, but u can still walk in, only cars would have to stay outside).



for KL campus, well, currently it's pretty crappy lah. cant say much. but last year i was involved in a new design proposal for UTM KL, and basically it's a whole makeover of the whole campus. i cant reveal too much of the details, but we scrapped the earlier traditional look for a more radical approach in design. not sure what's going on right now, coz i'm off the project to study.

let's talk about campus design in general. information here are based on my personal observations. might differ on occassions.

UM kuala lumpur

not much on planned design, but basically the centre of UM is the lake, where most of its main buildings are located around it. it expands over hills around the lake valley, where most of the faculties are located. college/hostels are located sporadically, most are located near faculties.

vehicular access is quite good, although at peak hours i feel there are too much traffic inside UM. parking can be a hassle.

UPM serdang

a university designed over a HUGE land. i've been to some universities in europe which couldnt even compare with the sheer size of UPM. but basically most are farm/plantations. buildings are sporadic, although the main buildings are all located in the centre. colleges/hostels are located in specific areas, but mostly have good distance to its respective faculties.

u'll need to have a car or atleast a bike to live in UPM. i wouldnt even recommend bicycles. but i think they have good public/university transport. good vehicular access. parking are negotiable.

UiTM shah alam

designed to complement shah alam city, which actually well integrated into the urban fabric. main buildings are located on top of the hill, which most already know is one of the landmarks of shah alam (the menara). faculties and buildings are located within good distance with each other, but being on a hill with varied topography can make the difference between near and far. colleges/hostels are located close to faculties, and sometimes can be seen in pairs.

acceptable vehicular access, but the centre tends to get too crowded during peak hours. parking IS a hassle, depending on where u are. motorcycles are highly recommended.

USM penang

quite a small campus compared to the others, mainly due to limited land area. u can walk the longest stretch of USM in less than 30 minutes. main buildings are concentrated in the centre stretch of the campus, with faculties and other buildings complementing each other. colleges/hostels are located within short distance, but my believe is that students stay mostly off-campus due to limited space.

vehicular access is quite limited, but the flow is good. parking can be a hassle, but i've never been in USM long enough to observe peak hours. so i wouldnt know. again, motorcycles are recommended (by suggestions from friends).

UTM KL campus

i believe this is the SMALLEST public university campus in malaysia. u can walk the longest stretch in 15 minutes. main buildings are located in the centre, and other buildings (which are quite old) located very close to each other. most are already connected by expansions and additional buildings. hostels are located near the centre, but have very limited space.

dont bother about vehicles. u WONT get a parking there, even on sundays. believe me, i know. just get somebody to drop u off at the frontgate everyday. or get a bus or cab.

UTM JB

planned using sekolah pondok concept, with the mosque in the centre on top of a hill. faculties and main buildings are located around it, and hostels/colleges are located outside the faculty ring. although it's acceptably walkable from one faculty to another, walking from ur hostel to ur faculty might take more than 30 minutes. usually more.

vehicular access are good, although parking in the central area might be limited during peak hours. there are central parking zones near central zone, and usually students walk from there on to their respective faculties.

LUCT cyberjaya

one of the fanciest looking university in malaysia. it's actually consist of several buildings, which are efficiently well connected with each other. u'd get a feel of shopping complex typology around the building. hostels are only for foreign students, so local students had to find outside accommodation.

vehicular access is very good. parking is also quite good, although u might have to pay if u wanna park closer to the building. owh, if u wanna drive, better drive a big car. small cars, dont bother lah . i parked my car so far away, malu ho!




note: i've never been to:

a. UTP, which from what i gather, is the best looking university in msia. won many awards too, architecturally, atleast.
b. UIA gombak, the new campus have been said to have impressive planning and design layout with a lot of consideration of the Islamic factors.
c. UUM, where the design was submitted to several international competitions, and got special mentions. not sure if they won any awards though.

This post has been edited by azarimy: Apr 28 2006, 07:50 AM