Furthermore, parental oversight remains powerful. Many students rely on allowances from parents who view Sunway as a “safe” environment. One participant described her mother secretly tracking her car’s Touch ‘n Go card history to see if she visited her boyfriend’s condo. Romance, therefore, becomes a covert operation involving spare phones and coded messages hidden in Google Docs shared for group projects.
Mentality-Driven Bond: Common among students in competitive programs (e.g., Foundation in Science). Romance emerges from shared academic stress. “We fell in love over organic chemistry at 2 AM in the 24-hour study lounge” (Raj, 20). However, breakups often coincide with exam results: a disparity in grades creates shame. Furthermore, parental oversight remains powerful
Sunway’s significant international student body (primarily from China, Indonesia, Middle East) creates a third, fragile script. Local students (mostly Malaysian Chinese, Malay, Indian) and international students have limited mixing in formal settings, but romantic crossovers occur in extracurriculars (e.g., Sunway’s Model United Nations or esports club). These relationships face unique pressures: language barriers (Mandarin vs. English vs. Bahasa Malaysia), differing expectations of public affection (PDA), and the temporariness of international student visas. “He went back to Jakarta after one semester. We promised to continue, but the moment he landed, he unread my WhatsApp for three days” (Li Jing, 21). “We fell in love over organic chemistry at
Almost all participants mentioned “The Bridge”—the enclosed, air-conditioned pedestrian link between the college blocks and the mall. Symbolically, crossing it represents a transition from academic to social self. One participant, Mika (19, Foundation) , stated: “Walking with him across The Bridge for the first time, without our study group, that’s when I knew it was a date. The mall side is for showing off; the college side is for seriousness.” Relationships that never crossed The Bridge remained in a liminal “study buddy” zone. the Mentality-Driven Bond offers a counter-narrative
(Fictional) Assoc. Prof. Liana Hassan, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Sunway University
Lifestyle Pairing: Enabled by the mall’s proximity. Couples perform “conspicuous dating” via Instagram-worthy food spots (e.g., Sushi King, Din Tai Fung). A female participant noted: “If he insisted on only food court at the basement, I knew he wasn’t serious. The relationship was measured in Ringgit spent per date.” The Lagoon’s wave pool is cited as a popular location for first physical intimacy, leveraging the anonymity of changing rooms.
Romantic storylines at Sunway College are not mere subplots to academic life; they are central to how students negotiate identity, class, and future aspirations. The physical integration of the mall, theme park, and university erodes the boundary between study and leisure, turning dating into a performative, consumption-driven act. However, the Mentality-Driven Bond offers a counter-narrative, suggesting that shared academic ambition remains a potent, if fragile, foundation for love. Future research should examine how these dynamics change when students articulate to Sunway University’s degree programs.