One thing I would like to focus on is MNight (Malaysian Night); I think you would be quite a suitable person to advise freshers on your experiences regarding MNight given you’ve been serving as the producer of Imperial’s MNight. Any thoughts?

The main thing I have to say is that MNight is great but it WILL take up a lot of your time, and you need to be conscious of the pros and cons of joining it. MNight serves as an excellent entry point to learning and embodying what it means to be Malaysian and shows the world what Malaysians have to offer in terms of what we stand for and what talents we have to offer (and boy do we see a lot of talent on display!).

On the flipside, however, something that doesn’t come up often about MNight is that involving yourself too heavily in it will effectively close the door off to many things you can do in terms of exploring other interests outside the Malaysian bubble (skydiving, mountaineering, and other sports, to name a few).

To be fair, I would highly recommend it if you’re looking to develop a wide range of skills and especially your network; however, I think it’s worth considering joining in the first year and perhaps taking the second year to explore your options elsewhere, getting out of your comfort zone.

From an alumnus’ perspective, however, we definitely encourage you to come help out if you feel like you might want to give it a shot, as we definitely need brilliant people to helm various positions (choreographers, committee members, ushers and etc.) to help out the next batch of first years.

Some people have commented that Imperial’s MNight, in particular is somewhat different in terms of content, with a lot of emphasis on themes and settings more often portrayed in mainstream media as opposed to more culturally accurate settings for example. Would you say that’s true?

Well, I think that is one way of putting it; Imperial’s MNight has always tried to keep our content original, engaging and universal, and places a heavy emphasis on showcasing our greatest resource: talent. We also try to insert universal themes featuring more universal and ‘primal’ emotions such as love, romance, betrayal and friendship as well as interesting plot twists to keep it relatable for the international crowd, which I’m quite glad to say Imperial does a good job of attracting every year so everyone can enjoy the play! I think it’s a great way of representing spirit, cultural idiosyncrasies, and traditions; would definitely recommend you giving it a try!

If you had to sell MNight to a potential fresher in a few sentences, what would you say?

Before I begin, I would like to preface this by saying that although some points can apply to MNights across the United Kingdom, I primarily refer to the Imperial experience of MNight as this is what I have experienced. Other universities likely have different scales and individual experiences unique to their performances. Okay, on to business!

Firstly, you can train a boatload of skills (time management, leadership, discipline to name a few of the common ones) just via ONE event, especially if you intend to become a choreographer. It looks great on your CV and you WILL get a chance to expand on existing skills and learn new ones. Some of the previous Malaysians found they could sing and act during MNight; you also get to try new things like ballroom dancing alongside your Malaysian friends, in a non-judgemental and somewhat familiar setting.

Secondly, you get the chance to showcase Malaysian talent on a global platform. I personally feel Imperial does a great job of being internationally friendly as our themes are very relatable across borders. When you’re on the stage, you’re not only representing yourself but also Msoc (to the other societies), Imperial (to the other unis) and most importantly Malaysia (to the world!) You’re essentially a window or a gateway into Malaysia, and when Imperial graduates talk about university this performance is likely something they’ll still remember after they graduate, so you definitely can achieve an impact. These 2 nights alone can shape the impressions of 1200 people!

MSoc (Malaysian society) is basically a ready-made friendship circle for you.

Thirdly and finally, you get to meet a whole lot of different people in a very easy way. MSoc (Malaysian society) is basically a ready-made friendship circle for you; learning new activities together has been proven to be a really effective way to bond and get new friends in a new environment, which can help you find your footing when you first arrive here in the UK.

Also, here in Imperial, you’ll find that we really emphasize a high quality of production; this culture of wanting to be the best can and will propel you to achieve more than you’d think possible. Your seniors and your seniors’ seniors have experienced and put on their own high-quality performances and will push you to your very limits; so it’s definitely a tough but worthy endeavor to involve yourselves in.

Some students are saying it is hard to pursue their passions as they do not know what they are passionate about yet; not only in terms of MNight but in general as well. How would you advise them?

Basically, maintain a high throughput system (within legal bounds of course!) which means try as many things as possible. As you try new things, your brain absorbs new experiences and they enrich your mind, enabling you to gain new perspectives on the world and the things in it. Almost certainly, this will lead to you finding something that you are uniquely suited for.

For me, it is movies and film in general; I’m actually taking some online courses on the history of film and am planning to go to film school in the future, not because I want to break into the industry or anything (it is quite hard to break into it as a newcomer) but because I want to further my skills and appreciate the field better. These passions developed during my college years when I was watching the Oscars and slowly started to realize how movies and film have shaped our society and public perception; over time this gradually developed more and more till where I am today!

So I would advise any pre-university students to try lots of different things and spark your interest. Some examples are playing the badminton, painting, playing the violin, photography and etc. You may find yourself doing better than other people in certain things, and maybe you could try turning it into something beneficial for society like writing book reviews or even side projects as a part-time pursuit.

Choose your battles wisely and always grow yourself, only then can you mature and continually grow.

It is also worth noting that sometimes you will end up doing two things at once: one as a source of income and one to keep your passion going. Choose your battles wisely and always grow yourself, only then can you mature and continually grow.

Thanks, Nick! That was really insightful!