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Friday, June 20, 2008

What Is It Like Studying Mass Comm?

Written by Josette

What got me attracted to Mass Communications was the word ‘journalism’. Journalism. Take a moment and say it out loud. Then stop. Does it feel grand? Powerful? Influential? Nothing? Okay, okay, you’ll probably tell me to stop the crap but that’s the impact the word has on me. And no, I did not take up the course just because I love the way the word sounds.

Being a Mass Communications student, you need to speak up and voice your opinions. Well, as long as your opinions do not belittle or insult other people. But, just voice out whatever’s appropriate in your head. It makes you an interesting person and that will make other interesting people give their opinions too. Ah, that’s when the fun begins. If the opinions contradict one another, prepare to stand by your ideas and start debating. Heck, you can also challenge your lecturers! But remember to show them the respect that they deserve. They are, after all, older and wiser than you.

Anyway, there are 3 major courses in the Mass Communications program which I’m in. JournalismThey are Journalism, Public Relations, and Broadcasting. If you enjoy reading and writing, it’s journalism for you. If you like to be busy and manage big, important events, then go for Public Relations. And if you aspire to be like Bernard Chauly (director of Gol & Gincu, 2005) or wish to be seen more often on TV, sign up for broadcasting. However, if you take up Journalism, you can also swerve your way into the fields of Public Relations or Broadcasting.

But, the reason I’m writing this article is to relate my experience of studying in Mass Communications for a year. I’ve only one year experience so I can’t tell everything there is to know. I’ll only tell what I know!

Beware! You really need to read A LOT, A LOT! In my first semester, we had to take 2 Mass Comm papers: Introduction to Mass Communication and Introduction to Human Communication. Well, one textbook was required for each paper, so it was quite okay.

In my second semester, I had 3 Mass Comm papers: Communication and Society, Communication Theory and Research and Communication For Social Development. The second semester was a killer. For Communication and Society, we had to read 3 insanely thick books full of articles. For the Theory paper, there were 38 articles and lastly for Communication for Social Development, we had to read 25 articles and the professor even recommended more readings!

That’s a lot to read right? And it’s only for 3 papers. I haven’t included readings from my other non-Mass Comm courses.

SpeakerAnyway, once you are in university, you need to put aside your shyness because you will go in front of your classmates for presentations. Yup, dress your best and spray the scent of confidence all over yourself! It’s boring if you read your speech directly from a piece of paper. Your audience will lose interest and the professor might start yawning. So, it’s better if you learn to speak in public without actually ‘reading’.

Like what I mentioned earlier, it is advisable for you to speak up in class and ask questions. It is sad to see nobody raising their hands to bombard the lecturer with questions although they’ve kindly ask loads of times. Unfortunately, some or most students are just shy or timid or afraid that their English would not be so good and that they’d make a fool of themselves. Truth is, some professors love it when their students ask questions in class. At least they wouldn’t be the only one talking all the time!

Lastly, your grades. Usually it’s 30% for assignments and 70% would be your exams. You’ll be given around 7-8 weeks to complete your assignments and that’s a long time. If you know how to use your time wisely, you wouldn’t be rushing to write 8 - 10 pages the night before the due date. Unfortunately, many of us still do that now. It is totally NOT advisable!

All right, this has been a really long post. I’m off to my second year of Mass Communications soon! Perhaps I’ll report to you guys about my second year next year. Hope this post helps. =)

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Monday, June 16, 2008

Popular Surveying Courses

Posted by Erlina

I bet that no one is interested in this topic but these courses are getting on the track starting from few years back. Surveying is the science of determining the relative positions of points above, on or beneath the surface of the earth (both land and sea) through the collection and analysis of data. You will need prior study in mathematics and not forgetting evidence of good numerical skills.

Land Surveying


Land surveying concerns the science and art of determining natural and man-made features on the Earth’s surface for different purposes. These include specifying boundaries and ownership of land, determining exact boundaries within which construction should take place, establishing the positions and shapes of a certain area to produce topographical maps and surveying sea areas for port constructions or harbor maintenance.

US Land Survey Officer
Surveyor at work with a leveling instrument. Image by Wikipedia.

You will learn to use equipment, techniques, and hardware of profession necessary to measure horizontal and vertical angles and distances including theodolites, compasses, remote sensing equipment, global positioning receivers and so on.

The archaeologist is surveying
An archaeologist is surveying. Photo by Wessex Archaeology.

Building surveying


If you like the thought of working on projects that range from multi-million ringgit developments to small renovation and conservation schemes, consider building surveying.

This course will train you to scrutinize and assess building plans to see if it is fit for occupancy, estimate damages of a building which has been ravaged by fire, flood or structural failure, and provide survey results to local authorities about any refurbishment work that needs to be done in a building. It contains elements of law related to building and safety, estimation value of property and construction of knowledge.

The degree balances the elements of practical and professional skills necessary for employment, and the academic theory which is required as a foundation of the field. Through the course, you will achieve the intellectual and personal skills necessary to follow a successful career in the areas of building surveying, building control, facilities management, maintenance management and building conservation.

Quantity Surveying


Majority of students choose this course in Malaysia. Quantity surveying involves the technical study of analyzing and measuring the quantities of raw materials required for construction projects. Before a construction project can take off, it needs a quantity surveyor to calculate the quantity and cost of the materials and labor required for the building work.

You will gain balanced instruction between the development of practical skills necessary for employment and academic theory required to support professional practice. Key themes in the programme include principles of quantity surveying and constructions economics. Essential to the course are fieldwork in quantity surveying practice, land surveying and interdisciplinary project work. Information technology (IT) is a tool you won’t be able to do without and is utilized in the most modules.

As a graduate, you may choose to specialize in the building, civil engineering, refurbishment or maintenance sectors of the construction industry.

Property Consultancy and Valuation Surveying


This course prepares you to work as valuers. As a valuer, you will be involved in the valuation of property, property consultancy, estate agency as well as market and feasibility studies, investment advisory and project management. In short, you put a price tag on property.

This course will equip you with knowledge which can be applied to activities such as estimating how much a property(house, shopping mall, hotel, golf course, etc) is worth. You will also learn property law, economics, property investment and ways to enhance the value of property.

The programme will provide you with and education in the financial, legal, planning and construction aspects of property in the context of the general investment market and give you a thorough understanding of the economic functioning of built environment.

As a graduate, you may be employed as a valuer, estate agent, property of consultant or investment advisor, developer and planner. You can gain further professional qualifications to become a Chartered Surveyor.

Related Posts
Popular Engineering Courses
Popular Degree Courses

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Friday, May 30, 2008

5 Huge Differences Between School and University

Written by Josette

Ever since I was a kid, maybe around 7 or 8 years old, I’ve dreamt of entering university one day. That’s because my older sister got into university and my family and I followed her there on the first day. I was mesmerized by the whole place. I thought that only the smartest people in the whole wide world only got to study at such a huge place. Do bear in mind that I was a naive 7 or 8-year-old clueless kid at that time, so like I said, I wasn’t that smart yet. =)

Well, I still cannot believe that last year, I got accepted into the same university as my sister! And boy, was I taken aback by the differences I encountered there. Believe me, uni is not anything like school at all. Let me introduce to uni life now.

Difference No. 1


The lecturers won’t spoon-feed you like how your school teachers did. On the first day of class, you’ll only be given the course outline and the reading list. After that, you’re supposed to find all the books in the list by yourself at the library.

I was lucky this semester because the required readings were already available. The photostat lady was there outside my class, so I only needed RM40 to buy the photocopied readings that were already put together and stapled neatly.

Well, my sister said she wasn’t as lucky as university students are today. Last time, it seems that they had to read everything themselves and there was no one who would explain anything to them, it seems. But now, we know how many units we are supposed to take, what courses we have to go for, etc. Everything is prepared ready for us. It’s just up to us, the students, to take the initiative to study hard!

But back to the main topic. Some lecturers won’t care if you don’t attend class or if you attend class late. However, if you missed 3 classes, then there’s a chance that you’ll be barred from sitting for the exams. And if you attend class late, then you’ll have missed what the lecturer covered earlier. They also won’t care if you understand the class or not. It’s up to you to go up to them and bombard them with questions. Some lecturers are happy when students ask questions. It’s a pity that most students choose to stay quiet when the lecturer asks, ‘Are there any questions?’

Difference No. 2


Your timetable will be messy. Unlike school, your classes will be scattered throughout the day and truthfully, I hate it! I really miss those normal 8 am - 1 or 2 pm school hours. Now, my schedule goes something like this:

Monday
9 - 11 am – Class
4 – 5 pm – Tutorial
5 – 7 pm – Swimming
Tuesday
12 – 1 pm – Tutorial
5 – 7 pm – Class
Wednesday
8 – 12 pm – Class
8 – 10 pm – Class

Thursday and Friday are the same. Scattered classes throughout the day. Actually, mine isn’t so bad. There are some people who have classes the whole day, maybe from 9 am until 8 pm with one-hour breaks between classes. Yeah, that’s crazy, I know, but I think they are students from management school or the science stream people.

Difference No. 3


You’ve got to be more independent in university. No mummy to cook you home-cooked meals every day. But if you live near home, then lucky you. If not, you’re stuck with the cafeteria food although some stalls are not that bad. If you don’t want to eat at the cafeteria every single day, you can opt to go to the coffee shops outside the uni, if there are any. They may not be home-cooked but it’s something different at least.

Some students probably have to do their own laundry for the first time when they go to uni. It was quite fun to go to the bathroom and there are people there scrubbing and cleaning their clothes. Yeah, you’ll get backache but you need clean clothes, right? If you’re too lazy to wash your clothes by hand, you can use the washing machines! Yes, there are washing machines but you have to put in coins for it to work. It’s RM2 for one wash. But, I have a friend who doesn’t wash her clothes at the hostel but brings them back home to wash at the end of the week. Ah, the smell!

Difference No. 4


At school, you’ll meet your classmates every day and then get to know them easily, right? At uni, you won’t get to know all your course mates in the first semester. That’s because there are so many of them and you won’t meet them every day. It depends on the courses all of you are taking. Maybe you’ll meet some people more often than others. So, basically, you’re meeting new people almost every day until you won’t be able to recall their names. I only got to know some course mates in my second semester. I’ll try to get to know the rest next semester.

It’s unfortunate that the students still prefer to stay in cliques, like Chinese students mix more with their Chinese friends, Indians with their Indian friends, and Malays with their Malay friends. I would really like to see everyone mixing with everyone. There are some people who do mix around and good for them!

Difference No. 5


In uni, you’re in charge of your own life! Nobody, and I mean NOBODY will boss you around or nag at you. Your parents won’t be there to wake you up in the morning, they won’t scold you if you go online for hours, nobody will force you to go to your room and study, etc. Well, if you have friends who are bossy and force you to study, it’s good because then, you’ll actually study.

If you don’t study, you won’t be able to participate in tutorial classes and then you won’t know how to answer during exams too. If you go online too much, you won’t have time to study. It’s easy to get lost in cyber world because there are free Wi-Fi spots all over campus. But do make sure you spend your time wisely. Don’t get too caught up blogging or chatting on MSN because then, you’d have wasted time that you should have spent on studying.

Another thing: assignments. Your lecturer will give you assignments probably around the 1st or 2nd week of the semester. Then you’ll have to hand in the assignment around the 10th week. So you’ll have about 8 weeks to do research and write out your assignment. Unfortunately, most people (I’m not sure if it’s most people or not but so far, it’s MOST people) only start doing their assignments one week before the due date, which is not very good. Because then, your assignment won’t look good as it’s last minute work and the lecturer might give you a C+ at most.

Therefore, it’s better if you get started on assignments early as you’ll have other things to do throughout the semester, for example meetings to attend, group presentations to prepare, and lots of other things that’ll take up a lot of your time. In short, you’ll be busy.
So…how was that, huh? Did I enlighten you on life in uni? My experience may not be the same as other undergraduates’ but it’s quite general and you may expect something like this when you’re there. Anyway, it’s fun because you can join lots of exciting activities, clubs, societies, and then you’ll meet lots of new people, some you may like, some you may not like so much, etc.

But the most important thing is, you’ll experience new things. You’ll learn a lot from your courses, your activities, your friends and your lecturers. You will learn to stand on your own two feet. University really prepares you for life. But then, don’t forget to enjoy yourself while learning hard at the same time!

Related Posts:
6 Things You Should Know before Stepping Into Local Public University
Orientation in University Utara Malaysia (UUM)
First Year Experience in University Putra Malaysia (UPM)

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Monday, May 12, 2008

Popular Engineering Courses

Posted by Erlina

Why I choose engineering as my post? Well, it’s because I’m not quite expose to it and many girls thought engineering is kinda boring and just working with machines. They are totally wrong! A lot of boys will choose engineering because of their interests and incomes. Malaysia is developing and no doubt that our country needs a lot of engineers in future. Okay, let me intro about some common engineering courses.

If you are good in your maths and science subjects (especially physics), are inquisitive by nature and have a strong interest in invention, engineering is the course you should consider taking up. There are many types of engineering but the basic principle of all engineering disciplines lies in using scientific knowledge to improve quality of life through inventions. Depending on which engineering discipline you choose, you could be inventing new technologies and processes, products and services, or improving existing ones.

Aeronautical Engineering


If you have always been fascinated by how a large craft can become airborne, you might be interested in this field. Aeronautical engineering is all about making things fly. You will plan, design and test aircraft, missiles and spacecraft. With your knowledge, you design everything from wings to cockpit controls to create the safest and most efficient vehicles possible.

Qualifications of this course are wider compare to the other courses. You can apply for this engineering if you have diploma in mechanical engineering or electrical engineering. Not to forget, you must be a good team player too!

A Pratt and Whitney turbofan engine is tested at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, USA. Image by Wikipedia.
Pratt and Whitney turbofan engine

Biomedical Engineering

Yale labratoryPhoto by something.from.nancy.

This is a relatively a new course that aim to find new ways of tackling medical conditions more effectively and efficiently. Not only will you learn engineering aspects in the course, you would also learn about human anatomy and computational modeling. This is because biomedical engineers have to define a medical problem and find a solution that satisfies both engineering and medical requirements. You will basically learn to design and develop tools to solve problems in medicine and life sciences. The course is not limited to just one type of engineering but also integrates theories from various engineering disciplines like mechanical, chemical, computer and materials.

Chemical Engineering


Chemical engineering involves the design and operation of processes that turn raw materials like fuel, food and plastics into useful products. Besides chemistry, you’ll be studying a lot of physics and math in the course too! Chemistry studies involve study of changes in the composition and the nature of matter and its properties; while the physics component involves studying the forces that act on matter and the maths component studies the mathematical relationship between matter and its forces.

At the end of the course, you should be competent in developing, designing, operating and controlling processes (both machinery and devices). You also will learn about safety and environment issues because chemical engineers are responsible for designs that are economically viable, safe and not harmful to the environment.

A student makes light-sensitive molecules. Photo by believekevin.

Civil and Structural Engineering


Many Malaysia students are interest in this course. This course is concerned about planning and building of infrastructure such as roads, bridges, buildings, reservoirs and transmission towers. The course will teach you about physical and chemical properties of building materials and how they react under pressure or weight. You will analyze structure systems, including beams, frames and steel elements. Civil engineering is broad discipline so you will usually specialize at the end of the course. Some of the specializations that you can choose from are structure, geotechnical, traffic and highway, environmental, and hydrology and water recourse systems. By the way, you must be practical and creative at the same time!

Langkawi BridgeLangkawi bridge. Photo by peter.macdonald.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering (E & E)

Electronic CircuitElectronic circuit. Photo by Storm Crypt.

This is one of the top courses when students are applying for engineering. Electronic engineering is closely related to electrical engineering but while electrical engineering deals more with large-power applications, electronic engineering is concerned with lower-powered electrical systems. An electronic engineering course will give you a thorough understanding of analogue and digital electronics and microprocessor hardware and software. Electrical engineering is concerned with different forms of electrical charge, how they behave and how they can adapted for use. You will study about transformers, complex network functions, electrons, magnetic field and electric fields, and basic electrical measurement devices such as ammeters, voltmeters and oscilloscopes.

Materials Science and Engineering


This specialized course is concerned with study of materials that underpins most of the technology we depend on. In this course, you will learn all types of materials such as ceramics, glasses, metals, polymers, semiconductors and biomaterials. The course will also give you the opportunity to study the behavior of materials under different conditions, analyze the selection of appropriate materials for a given application, and develop new materials and methods to process them into useful objects through research and practical experiments, among other things.

You will need a good IT and analytical skills for this course.

Mechanical Engineering


If working with around machines simply fascinates you, you’ll enjoy this course. In the first 2 years of the course, you’ll study core subjects like thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, solid mechanics and dynamics. Besides that, you’ll also study about mechanical behavior of materials, electrical circuits and computer-aided design, computer-controlled systems and mechatronics. The scope of mechanical engineering is very broad, so you can opt to specialize at the end of the course.

Telecommunications Engineering


Telecommunication engineering is quite similar to electrical and electronics engineering. It brings together elements of electrical and electronics, and computer engineering. The course will cover typical signals (speech, audio, video, and data) and their characteristics as well as key techniques in handling transmission system issues (modulation, coding, multiplexing). You will also learn to evaluate system performance. You will develop skills in electrical circuits and electronics (analogue and digital), modeling and simulation of systems, applications of electromagnetism, optical fibers and communication, photonics, data networks and satellite communications.

Menara Kuala Lumpur, KL TowerMenara Kuala Lumpur is the fifth tallest telecommunication tower in the world. Photo by eshare.

Well, these are the common degree courses that are in Malaysia. I hope this is helpful to those who isn’t sure what type of engineering they should take up. Enjoy reading ~ =)

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Orientation in a Public University (UUM)

Posted by Melanie

I shall start with a brief introduction. Six months ago , I was accepted to Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM). It's not exactly a well-known public university but they're the pioneer in Business Studies in Malaysia. Situated in Northern Malaysia, it costs me around RM 1K (Malaysia Airlines) for a return ticket. I am from Kuching, Sarawak and I must admit it's really tiring to travel up there because unfortunately there's no direct flight.

Well, before I continue sharing my orientation experience with you, I must warn you that every university have a different way of conducting their orientation and this is what I personally went through.

Orientation starts right after your registration. Yes, I kid you not. It's directly! You register, get your keys to your room (hostel) and the next thing is you gather with thousands of juniors. You don't even realise it is starting! (Honestly, it meant nightmare!!)

Orientation usually lasts about a week. The orientation in my university is conducted by a team of University Facilitators. There are about hundreds of them , and you will be divided into groups and each group has one facilitator. Something every university does is to distribute the same beg where you will use for the entire orientation. I don't find it a good idea because many eventually mistook other's beg and it just causes more problems.

The day started as early as 5 in the morning. (I'M NOT JOKING) The Muslim go to the mosque and do their duty while non-Muslim gather in the hall for some Moral studies. I don't know if it did help moulding our Moral, but really most of them (including myself) is just to sleepy to even pay attention. No, it's not that we are lazy to wake up in the morning. You would be the same too if the activities the day before ends at roughly 1 a.m and this goes on for one whole week. I remembered once they woke us up at 2 a.m just caused they wanted to announce something that is not important at all. It was frustrating knowing you have to wake at 4 a.m to get ready for the 5 a.m slot LATER!

There will be endless "taklimat" whole day through just to get us juniors used to the new rule and of course, a total new environment. They are somehow helpful, but most of the time, almost half of the hall is sleeping away. I somehow wish they're conducted it in a more interactive ways so that it won't be so boring. Other times, you will be mingling around with your team mates (remember i said we're divided into groups?) and if you're lucky, they stay with you even after orientation. Unfortunately for me, my orientation friends stays as "orientation friends".

Food are served six times a day. Early morning breakfast, breakfast, lunch, tea time, dinner and supper. In Kedah, food are all spicy and it's not just spicy, but extremely spicy! I am lucky enough that I can put up with spicy food but it was a tad too much for me because even supper is spicy! Many could not put up with it and have bad diarrhea. Some chose to skip their meals. In fact, I had bad constipation through out the whole orientation and skipped many of my meals. The desperate ones chose to skip their meals just to get some short nap.

You know, I was never mentally prepared to go through all these hard core orientation. My sister graduated from a private university and I never ask anyone how it is like to go through orientation. I told you food are served six times a day. Before you could think that our meal breaks are long, you're SO TOTALLY wrong! We're actually given less than two hours to eat and having to queue with so many people, you actually have around 15 minutes left to really rest your mind or answer nature's call. There's really almost nil breaks in between.

With really short breaks in between, there's really no time for you to go back to your room and take a bath or even nap! My university's dress code is formal so it really didn't help at all. Imagine wearing formal the whole day with all the sticky-ness of your body? It's one of the most uncomfortable feeling in the whole world. It feels like heaven when you finally can take bath when the day ends. Many fell sick during orientation and a lot fainted too. Heck, my friend was even hospitalised! I guess it's not really that we lacked rest, but with no bath and unhealthy food, our body just decided to break out.

There is always one day where you will need to attend a protocol event. It is very formal where no applause is allowed. They encouraged you to wear traditional costumes and no dark coloured clothes are allowed. It is where you pledge to be committed with your studies and the university itself. Mine was not properly organized, and they made me round the hall at least three times under hot burning sun and when I finally manage to get into the hall, they told me I have no seats. With the lack of sleep and rest, it really tested my patience! Somehow, having to see so many high spirit juniors pledge together was an interesting sight.

Of course, everything has it pros and cons. There are some things i really did enjoy during the orientation. Orientation is basically all the juniors gather so you get to make a lot of new friends. Everybody wants to be your friend, and you want to be everybody's friends. You're new, you're fresh and you wanted to have someone with you. No one will actually judge you even though you don't give them a good impression. There's no assignments, there's no pleasing lecturers and there's no chasing bus to make in time for morning lectures. You just do what's told. I'll say, orientation is innocent. =)

There's always a slot for community service but not everyone will be involved. I was involved though. And I must say it is the highlight of the orientation. I was sent to kampung in Bukit Kayu Hitam, and helped clean the mosque. The people in the kampung cooked us lunch and we were served in a totally Malay-style. The "makan bersila" thing. I am a non-Muslim, so I really find that fascinating. Then we were served some local fruit as desert and I would never forget how good the durian taste! It was really, really good.

There's also some mind-rest activities and the one I enjoyed was singing songs together. The theme song for my orientation was "Right Here Waiting" and "Permaidani Biru". It was one of the best moment for me where you sing along with friends, holding hands or waving with your hand phone lights on. It's a pretty sight when friendship was really innocent. Speaking of singing, one of the funny thing I recall was having to sing Negaraku in the wee hours. It's funny to sing the national anthem when all you think is to go back to your room and lie down on your bed. Even the hardest bed could make you feel like you're in heaven!

Last but not least, to sum the whole orientation , the facilitators conducted some "soul searching". They will read some really sad poems followed by gloomy songs but the main intention is to remind you of the your motif there, that if to graduate with a degree and not to disappoint your parents. It works to most of them, and the rest slept through it. I don't blame them, I remembered clearly that it was done around 12.30 a.m! I was sleepy too and I confess I did sleep. I was too tired to be into the "plot".

That's about all that I went through during orientation. It was so hard core, but I never really understood the message they wanted to send us through a hard core orientation. Six months has passed, orientation memories still stays really fresh with me. It feels like just yesterday...

Anyway, my advise to those of you who are going to public university , be mentally and physically prepared! Best wishes from me!

Melanie

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Monday, December 10, 2007

AP Program in Canada

Posted by jjme

I apologize for my long hiatus. Working life isn't as pleasing as I thought it would be ... even though work only takes up 8 hours a day *ahem*

Anyway, there was a request for information on the Advanced Placement (AP) program in Canada. I will share this with everyone today.

The AP Program, which was established in 1955, is administered by the College Board with the services of Educational Testing Services of New Jersey. The AP courses and exams are at college/university level, and it is often a rigorous curriculum for students in their last years of high school. In many cases, students may take an AP course and concurrently earn credits towards the OSSD. It is recognized as credit transfers at many American and Canadian universities or colleges.

For example, a friend of mine took AP Calculus when she was completing her Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) at Columbia International College (CIC), Hamilton, ON. After completion, she applied to Canadian universities with her six Grade 12 credits (the minimum entrance requirement for most Canadian universities). As her Calculus course earned her AP credit, she immediately had that credit transfered over into her program of study at the university. In other words, she was exempted from the Science Faculty's introductory Calculus course at university. This is what distinguishes students who graduate with AP courses and regular OSSD courses.

Still, depending upon the student's academic background, he/she may qualify to write an AP exam at the high school. Some schools do not participate in this AP Program thus they do not have classes held for students intending to pursue the AP courses. Then again, I have heard of some students who study on their own and sit for the AP exam but they still require consent from parents, the school counsellor, and the College Board. You can view the list of participating schools in Canada here. CIC is one of them. Some popular exam choices include:

Art History / Studio Art
Calculus AB
Chemistry
English Literature & Composition
English Language and Composition
European
History
French Language and French Literature
German Language
Government & Politics: Comparative Human
Geography
Physics C: Mechanics

All examinations are written in May, and the results announced in July of each year. The AP grading scale used is as follows:

5 - Extremely well qualified
4 - Well qualified
3 - Qualified
2 - Possibly qualified
1 - No recommendation

Each university sets its own recognition policy. The policies vary not only from one college or university to another, but also across faculty departments at any particular university. Typically, an AP score of 3 or higher is the passing mark. Some universities want 4 or higher.

If you are a Malaysian student pursuing tertiary studies in Canada straight from O-levels/SPM, you would have to apply into an international college that can provide you the option of acquiring the OSSD, and subsequently the AP Program. You can try applying to a Canadian Public High School, but I doubt that it would be easy because often you have to be a permanent resident (PR), landed immigrant, or a citizen to be eligible. The SPM certification is not recognized in Canada, and so you have to prove that you can pass at least Canadian Grade 12 curriculum. I have friends from Chong Hwa Secondary School who took the SPM equivalent of O-levels exam (or it was some other exam which was only offered in private chinese schools), and they still could not transfer those scores over. But really, the difference is not in the syllabus itself ... it's more of the nature of teaching and education that Malaysian schools lack. Moreover, English is not our language of instruction in schools.

For more information, please see: www.ap.ca

My advise is to always ask the college/high school's AP Program participation and offered courses, as well as the different universities' AP credit transfer recognition. Hope that helps!

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Friday, December 07, 2007

Are undergraduates ready for the real world?

This article was written by Kwan Will Sen, a third-year Law student at University of Malaya.

“You take the blue pill -- the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill -- you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes." – Morpheus


Although fictional, the Matrix world as in the blockbuster movie ‘The Matrix’ by the Wachowski Brothers is very relevant in the context of our society today. Undergraduates, especially the ones from local universities are akin to those stuck in the Matrix. Fed with the belief that they will make it in life, armed only with a scroll, they succumb to complacency. Their minds start to rot, intellectual growth is suppressed, and the end result; they hit rock bottom in the ‘real’ world. Groping in the dark, they try to find a way out, but to no avail. Thereafter, enlightenment ensues, a harsh realization, that the scroll in their hands is merely that, a scroll.

Since pre-school, our parents and teachers have constantly imparted upon us, that success in life can only be achieved through education. This is true to a certain extent, but apparently, as we grew older, something got lost in translation along the way. Education is no longer interpreted in the normal sense of the word, but solely equated with academic achievement. Our undergraduates are products of a system that hails the number of As and a CGPA of 4.0 as the only testament of success, indicating a bright future ahead. Rote learning seems to be the order of the day, while the holistic approach is now almost obsolete.

Such ‘values’ to life in university defeats the whole purpose of a tertiary education. Undergraduates strive to get CGPAs of 4.0, and are further exhorted to do so, especially when an ex-Minister proclaimed that it is their duty to get 4.0 in university. As preposterous as this may sound, it is very real. A right-minded person would shun such statements, but for some, it’s almost like a matter of filial piety. Time spent mugging and memorizing might get you good results, but it does not prepare you for the ‘real’ world, where problem solving skills and the ability to think outside the box is valued instead of the text book stuff.

Students spend so much time studying, they forget about everything else, except where to find that particular book in the library. Ask them if they know anything at all on current issues, and they respond with a blank look, expecting you to fill them in. The other problem with our undergraduates is that, they seem to idolize pop culture a tad too much. Try organizing a public lecture by Warren Buffet and a concert by some Akademi Fantasia singers on the same day. It is not that hard to predict which event will have a bigger crowd, unfortunately.

Then, there is the other group of students, i.e. those who believe that life in university is a bed of roses. There is, of course, nothing wrong with that. Problem is, some tend to stretch it a little too much, so much so that they don’t even know what they are doing. They believe that just as in the university, everything will be taken care of when they are out there in the ‘real’ world, i.e. that their precious scrolls will take them places. No effort whatsoever is made to improve themselves and participating in ridiculous activities is deemed to be the ultimate indicator of what is to expect in the ‘real’ world. For instance, a senior while ordering around a junior to do this or that project will justify it by saying “This is to prepare you for working life, especially when facing employers”. And the poor subordinate believing it, bids the senior’s wishes. We should never send across such wrong messages. Kow tow is not fun, and will never be. Period. Furthermore, why should we continue the negative and perpetuate such myth? Whatever happened to entrepreneurship?

Another issue which bugs a portion of undergraduates today is the inability to converse and write in English. Needless to say, in the era of globalization, the importance of English cannot be over emphasized. One might have plenty of mind boggling ideas, but without the ability to articulate them, such ideas cannot be conveyed to others. While such facts are known to every student, they prefer to converse in their mother tongues. Getting out of the comfort zone is often the toughest nut to crack.

On the other hand, the introduction of a compulsory soft skills course serves only to magnify the deficiencies of our education system. Students have forgotten how to interact, how to communicate, and how to ace that interview, to the extent that such drastic measure has to be taken. While this solves the problem on the surface, it effectively sweeps the bigger chunk of it under the carpet. Undergraduates cannot be expected to learn the art of eloquence and to gain self confidence overnight. It takes more than a course to create the wholesome undergraduate.

More importantly, undergraduates must be provided with room and space for holistic growth. Intellectual discussions, debates and forums on any topic at all should be encouraged and the underlying fear that students will rebel, retaliate or even form extremist groups, I would like to state, is unfounded. As adults, they should be respected as such, which means also to be given inter alia, the right to freedom of expression. What is right or wrong is not the point. The focal point is, undergraduates must be allowed to think, to express themselves, and to dissent if they want to. Keep pushing them around, and what do you get? A bunch of pushovers in society.

The bottom line is this. Whether or not an undergraduate will ever be ready to face the ‘real’ world is essentially a matter of choice. Choose to maintain your status quo, you continue in your temporary bubble in Neverland, waiting for the ‘real’ world to come crashing through. Choose to free your mind from the fetters of tradition for tradition’s sake, and to move out of your comfort zone, you embark on a journey with nothing guaranteed, except unfamiliarity. The latter sounds like a better deal, at least to me.

Be like Neo. Choose the red pill.

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Saturday, December 01, 2007

FACON Education Fair 2007

Posted by Alphonso Tan

For readers who are seeking for your future institutions, this is the place you have to go, unless you have a better option (eg. Harvard, MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, Yale University...).

The DO's:
- Give them a smile and a firm handshake when you meet them.
- Introduce yourself as an SPM/STPM leaver, seeking for courses, seeking for education funds...
- Ask whatever you want to ask. They were paid for this.
- Express your positive feelings when you decide to leave.

The DON'TS:
- Shy shy...
- Reject the gifts given.

Peninsula Malaysia
Opening Hours : 12noon to 6pm
Kuala Lumpur
Dec 8 & 9 (Sat & Sun) Putra World Trade Centre
Alor Setar
Dec 11 (Tue) Holiday Villa Hotel
Penang
Dec 12 (Wed) Traders Hotel
Ipoh
Dec 13 (Thu) Syuen Hotel
Malacca
Dec 14 (Fri) The Golden Legacy Hotel
Johor Bahru
Dec 16 (Sun) Hyatt Regency Johor Bahru
East Malaysia
Opening Hours : 1pm to 5pm
Kuching
Dec 9 (Sun) Holiday Inn Kuching
Sibu
Dec 10 (Mon) Tanahmas Hotel
Miri
Dec 12 (Wed) Grand Palace Hotel
Tawau
Dec 15 (Sat) Heritage Hotel
Kota Kinabalu
Dec 16 (Sun) Promenade Hotel
Sandakan
Dec 17 (Mon) Sandakan Hotel

And of course, the admission is free! Free gifts might be given away by institutes.

Remember, one of them might be your future mentor, teaching and guiding you until you graduate and join the real world. Enjoy!

*Oh ya... Forgotten to include something here. Usually, January Intake students tend to outstand the others =) Example? Snow ;-)

* For more info, you may have a peek at the FACON website. =)

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Monday, August 13, 2007

Rising Suns

Posted by Alphonso Tan

As time passes, trend changes. The beauty of yesterday, might be the ugly of today. Nowadays, seldom people will brag themselves that they want to be a 'wireman', which was quite a lucrative job last time. Medicine course is currently fading slowly (Pardon me). With cluster of courses offered in different colleges and universities, and of course also in some university colleges, teenagers are slowly diverting to their favourite courses, if not, a read-profit-making courses. Let me list down a few of these 'rising suns' and kindly allow me to provide a tiny briefing on these.

1) Actuarial Science
My friend (scored straight A1 in his SPM, except for G'CEO1119) told me about this when we were in Form 5. What I was informed is that the salary of an actuarist is quite high. Freshies will have a salary of RM3,000. I'm not sure though, and I will not be responsible for this.

Actuarial Science is a subject that deals with Statistics. "Why purchase this land?" "Based on Statistics." "Why sell 300 units, instead of 400 units?" "Statistic pictures all." "Is it appropriate to approve loan to this fella?" "Statistic says it is best to avoid such people." Everything is more or less based on statistics, risk management, and decision making. It is quite a challenging job which requires highly conceptual and calculating skills. Graduates can hunt for promising jobs in banking, finance and insurance fields.

2) Psychology
I had this ambition once before, during Form 1 I think. All started from the television. However, this dream ended in a complicated way.

Psychology is a field which involves the scientific studies of behaviour, emotional, personality and mental processes. It can be split to 2 fields, research psychology and applied psychology. For more information, kindly visit the Wikipedia.

3) Nutrition/Food Science
Pardon me for not knowing the differences. For me, they are 'almost' the same. I went to the edu fair once before, and I bumped in to a booth. I asked the college receptionist regarding about the food science, and they told me that it is a field which deals with food and the contents in it. And when I inquired about the differences between the nutrition and food science, another staffs told me, "I'm sorry sir, our courses are only opened to girls.", which means, I didn't get the explanation of the differences between them. I'm sorry.

I have a friend, who is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science (Nutrition & Community Health) in UPM. Haven't heard of her for about half a year, and I think she was too busy to be reached. She's currently having her industrial training as a pro bono nutritionist trainee (?), conducting research here and there. Drop by there to find out more.Basically, these 2 related fields, are more or less dealing with the nutrient contents in the food, and also what is good, how good, what is bad, how bad for the body. Graduates are welcomed to the F&B Industrial world, and also clinics and hospitals.

4) Computer Science/IT/Software Engineering (and related field)
As Bill Gates is still the currently World Richest Man, this draws the attention of many Gates-wannabes to this field. And of course, now we are moving towards the cyber-world. Globalize and glocalize (by Najib). We know that most of the houses have at least a computer, most of the computer can't last longer than 5 years, and most of the computers will be infected by severe virus or Trojan inspections within a year. So, opportunities are wide outside there.

These fields are mainly involve in computers. Note that I'm jumbling all the hardwares and softwares into these fields. They are somehow related, but I'm just too lazy to segregate them one by one.

Regarding about my experience, I'm actually not gifted in this field. I've taken 2 papers regarding about Information Technology and Information System, and I did badly in both. Just not my cup of tea =)

5) Marketing/Public Relation
A very challenging field too. Students who wish to get themselves exposed to the public can select one of these course. Marketing, no doubt, is listed as one of the highest-salary-paid job. It can be said as the limb of a company, finding source to feed the company. Today, as the MLMs are blooming, they also provide their 'marketing strategies' to their members as well, now everyone of us anyone can even become a salesman! And yeah, if you joined their talks, they will tell you they've become rich! To digress a little, here's an advice, if you really want to join Multilevel Marketing (MLM), make sure mark your right company.

Public Relation, a course which has to interact with the public. It trains you to organize an event (like what you've seen in The Apprentice and Please, Give Me A Job), raise funds, find sponsors, find advertisements, rush for deadlines, deal with the organizers, and etc. Quite an exposing job, I would like to say.

Actually, there are many other courses, eg. Accounting, Business Admin, Logistic & Supply Chain, however, I'd like to just focus these 5 fields. For the other fields, I will post it when I have plenty of time =)

As a conclusion, I would like to provide a final advice here, be it your favourite or profit-making course, make sure that you never never never regret of what you've done. Take everything as a milestone for your success. This world is never meant for one as beautiful as you. Cheers! :-)

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Sunday, July 29, 2007

Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore

Posted by elie

Every year, many Malaysians go over to Singapore to study (under the ASEAN scholarship programme) after secondary school. Most would choose to be in Junior Colleges (JCs) to study A-Level rather than studying in polytechnics for a diploma. Fortunately, this mindset is slowly changing as more top students, local and foreign alike, choose to study in polytechnics.

A diploma programme at a polytechnic here takes 3 years unlike A-Level which only takes up 2 years. Yet, this route is preferred by many due to its hands-on approach unlike in Junior Colleges. I'll go in depth on one of the five polytechnics available here which is Temasek Polytechnic.

Temasek Polytechnic (TP) was established in April 1990 and is located at the east side of the island. Situated at Tampines Avenue 1, the 30-hectare campus faces the scenic Bedok Reservoir. I'm currently studying for a diploma in Biomedical Informatics Engineering (BIE) in the School of Engineering.

The fees for AY 2007/2008 is approximately SGD $2300 with Tuition Grant (TG). You might ask, "What is a Tuition Grant?", well, it's sort of like a form of discount in fees given by the government provided you work in Singapore for 3 years after completing your studies. That doesn't mean you could only study until diploma and forced to work for 3 years. You are able to apply for TG again if you gain admission to one of the 3 universities (NUS, NTU, SMU) and complete the bond of 3 years after you graduated. (Note : The 3 years bond for the diploma TG runs simultaneously with the degree TG, therefore you'll only work for 3 years in Singapore for 2 TGs)

Life in a polytechnic is quite similar to a life in a university as both are conducted by modules. Classes consist of lectures, tutorials and practical sessions. Lectures are conducted in lecture theaters with a class size of up to 120 students. Tutorials are conducted in classrooms where more attention are given to a smaller class size of about 20 students. Practical sessions are held in laboratories.

Students are continuously assessed and the final grade do not rely on the final examinations' marks alone. Certain subjects are assessed based on a 60/40 formula (60 percent comes from the final examinations' marks, 40 from continuous assessments such as quizzes, assignments, practical tests, term tests) and some are assessed based on a 40/60 formula.

Life in TP isn't just about academics; many co-curricular activities (CCAs) are offered. Among them are water polo, dragon boat, Chinese orchestra, and many more. Each diploma also has a club formed by the seniors in year 2 and 3 to care for the welfare of the freshmen. For international students like myself, many activities were organized during the orientation period and the first month of the semester to help us to cope with life in Singapore.

That said, Singapore polytechnics are another option for Malaysians students after completing their SPM. The fees are quite affordable with TG but the living costs here is very high. But you can work part-time (even for international students) to help lessen the burden of your parents. Wish me luck, and hope I'll get into the Director's List. =]

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Studying in Canada - Columbia International College (CIC) - PART 1

Posted by jjme

Columbia International College (CIC) is the largest private boarding school in Canada for students who are preparing to study in universities. It was founded in 1979, having established a recognized Total Care Education Program deemed to be the most trustworthy education system for international students. In essence, students coming from abroad face many challenges in adapting to the new culture and education standards. As most parents tend to be worried, CIC's Total Care Education delivers a sense of responsibility in looking after students' well-being and providing a conducive learning environment.

The one thing about this school is that 100% of the graduates enter prestigious universities in Canada and around the world. CIC's co-operative efforts with Canadian universities bred an initiative called University Partners. This initiative offers significant benefits to CIC students. For example, University of Alberta offers an entrance scholarship of $4000 to students who achieve at least 80% average. To learn more about the rest of the members of University Partners and their respective benefits for CIC students, visit here.

CIC is also located near the world-famous McMaster University. CIC students have the privileged of getting access to the university library's extensive collection of books. As part of the Total Care Education program, the school has secured residences for girls and boys. Personally, I like the way we were being cared for at these dormitories. Even though they had late-night curfew hours, strict restrictions to visitors of the opposite sex, and no room for excuses on skipping classes unless you have a medical sick leave ... it was all for our own good. Let's face it, we are in a foreign country ... with no parents keeping a watchful eye on us ... it is easy to go astray. It gets annoying at this rebellious stage, but CIC has proven that they do care. Believe me, whatever that you do in school (bad or good) is reported back to your parents. And it's not just the e-ReportCard that they can access online. Here's a brief info on the students' residence:


 Residence for Boys Residence for Girls
Internet Service Free via the school's internet server.
Requires Ethernet adaptor		 High speed WAVE internet service
via cable. Monthly fee is required
Washroom Shared Private
Distance To School On-Campus 10 minutes by public bus.
One bus service.
No transfer needed
Cafeteria Yes
Curfew Yes
Security 24 Hour Computerized
Occupancy Double Occupancy
Single Room Limited Availability Not Available
Triple & Quads Eight triple rooms equipped with
private washroom		 Limited triple rooms and quad rooms
Sports Two squash courts.
Free access to a first-class sports facility
2 blocks from the girls residence.		 Students have free access to a first
-class indoor fitness and sport facility
which is located 2 blocks from the residence.
*Adapted from Inter-Ed.com

For a more detailed description with pictures ... see here.

Now, I will talk about the education programs offered in CIC. There are three intakes: January, June, and August. In a nutshell, there are three programs offered (adapted from Inter-ed.com):

High School Programme (Grades 9 to 12)
  • Students with at least Form 2/Sec. 1/Junior Middle 2 are eligible to apply
  • Graduates are awarded the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
  • Offers work experience options (co-op) that allow students to explore career choices and make informed decisions
Pre-University Programme
  • Pre-U program is designed for admission to university in Canada, U.S.A., Australia & the U.K.
  • Students now studying in Form 5/Sec. 4/Senior Middle 3/'O' Level are eligible to apply
  • 7 month program (January or June intake) allows completion of 6 credits
  • 10 month program (August intake) allows completion of up to 8 credits
  • 'A' Level Students are eligible to apply for the shorter 2 month Pre-U program (June intake) or the 5 month Pre-U program (August & January intake)
University Transfer (AP) Programme
  • The AP is a program of post-secondary level courses and examinations that provide Pre-University students with the opportunity to receive advanced placement and/or credits in Canadian or USA universities
  • Accepted by 34% of Canadian Universities
  • Accepted by all American universities

I was enrolled in the Pre-U program for 7 months. My sister is doing the 10 month program now. During my time, I had to sit for TOEFL in M'sia. CIC now offers a TOEFL preparatory course in the school. As a foreign student, you need to have TOEFL to apply to any Canadian University.

Here is how it will work as an SPM student applying for the Pre-U Program:
To graduate with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), you need to complete 30 credits from school. Let me explain in more detail ...

First, you will submit your SPM forecast/trial results. You will gain $200 scholarship for every A1 or A2 on mathematics (additional or modern), language (English or Bahasa or Mandarin), physics, chemistry, and biology. There are certain subjects that are not accounted for such as moral studies and EST. Your SPM forecast result holds already 24 credits as a pre-requisite to complete the OSSD. Therefore, students will need to take additional six Pre-U courses in CIC (equivalent six credits) to be able to graduate with an OSSD. Additionally, each prospective student needs to sit for CIC's entrance examinations (math and english). This will determine if you are eligible for the Pre-U English and Math courses. Sometimes, students do well in the math exam but not the english exam thus the student will have to go through Grade 9, 10 or 11 English depending on his/her test results. It is also likely that you can be exempted from this but you have to go through an appeal process. Also, CIC has implemented another exam that students have to pass to officially graduate. This exam is called the literacy exam. According to my sources, it is similar to an English exam ... but you will be surprised for not all Pre-U students can pass this test ...

The AP program is a higher level course. I have a friend who took AP Calculus, and she had the credits transferred into first-year university. Therefore, she didn't have to take Calculus again for her program of study in university. But it is challenging to be in the AP syllabus, especially when you will be competing with very proficient students from China. Please visit here to read in more detail about the pre-requisite subjects for university applications.

I will continue in my next post on living and education expenses. Stay tuned.

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Sunday, June 24, 2007

6 Things You Should Know before Stepping Into Local Public University

Posted by Chong

1. The university orientation week will be your unforgettable experience of your lifetime – or so we heard. You are going to listen to various formal talks and play many activities and games during the orientation week. The arrangement of programme for orientation week is usually tight and hence you might not have enough sleep. Consequently, those who are weak will fall sick and eventually get homesick. Falling sick at a new place that you have yet to acclimatize to will be nightmare for many. So, I would strongly advise you to bring along necessary drugs like paracetamol and vitamin pills for your own good.

2. Besides, non-Muslim will be sharing the same hostel room with non-Muslim and otherwise. For non-Muslims, it is your luck if your roommates are of different races from yours. It might be another experience of a lifetime for you since you can learn a lot from each others, a priceless chance for you to become more tolerant and open-minded. Take good care of your roommates and yourselves.

3. You might have heard the chilling stories of seniors acting in discourteous ways to treat (or to threaten?) the juniors – the poor year-one undergraduates. To what extent these stories are true? I do not know for sure since I am just an upper sixth former this year.

4. A very serious event during which you will see vice chancellor, deputy vice chancellor and other main administrators during the orientation week will be the signing of Surat Akujanji and swearing to adhere to the rules in it. What is Surat Akujanji? Read it yourselves before you decide to sign. What will happen if you choose not to sign? You will be able to tell us after that event.

5. Different universities will have different definition for proper attire. Some universities have loose rules for attire while some very strict. Sometimes it depends on the lecturers. For certain universities, if you are not wearing proper attire, you will be unable to take the university’s buses or see the doctors at the university. Many local public universities impose fines on undergraduates not wearing in the attire allowed by the rules.

6. You can see the doctors and dentists at the health centre (Pusat Kesihatan) of your university for free since you have paid the fees when semester starts.

I am sure I have left out many other things that one should know before stepping into the local public university due to fact that I am still an upper sixth student. Any Malaysia Students reader cares to offer more insights on this topic?

If you are to be enrolled into local public universities next week and feel that you have learned something from this post, would you please share your orientation week experiences with Malaysia Students readers once you have gone through it by leaving your comments?

Related Posts:
First Year Experience at University Putra Malaysia (UPM)
Definitive Guide to University Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
University Technical Malaysia Malacca

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Sunday, June 17, 2007

First Year Experience in UPM

Posted by MeEhaF Le'FaZ

A year had passed and I am here to share my experience while I studying for my first year (first and second semester) in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). When I got to know I secured a place in UPM for Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), it was sad news for me. It's my last choice and I get it.

I registered on 1st July 2006 as I don't have any other choice. I was lucky to get a new hostel and I was happy for that. The orientation week was really a living hell. It was full of politics and I was surprised how this kind of talk can be given to a university student. The stupidity of the seniors can be seen the way they organize a thing. I believe that they should choose good, brilliant and intelligent student to be our facilitator during the orientation week but in UPM, it was really a sad environment. The facilitators were smoking in front of the juniors, showing a negative attitude to the newcomers. Their communication skills were really bad. I still remember, in the hall, the facilitator said:
"kau orang semua tak de otak ker bising macam ini.
Bodoh betul la kau orang ini"

It was a bad example and I have no idea why the university chooses this kind of people in assisting the newcomers. The activities organize by them also were really childish. It never shows maturity as a university student.

A week passed and the lectures begin. I was looking forward to go for lecturers as a university student. I still remember, my first day and my first lecture were Biochemistry under Faculty of Biotechnology and Biochemistry. The lecturer came and he spoke in Malay. I was stunned. He said he is a doctorate and expert in enzymology and he can't speak proper English. His notes were fully in Malay. It was very difficult for me as I already learn Biology & Chemistry in English during matriculation and I found it easier to understand. It was my first lecture and I was giving up hope.

There are also lecturers that are very good but mostly??? I don't want to comment more on lecturers. The facilities provided were first class. Wireless network, library with latest sets of books, nice lecture hall with new computer and projector and also the shuttle service were amazing.

Finally, a year had passed and I can conclude that, don't ever give high expectation if you choose to enroll public university. The much more expensive school you are, the much more quality of education you are enjoying. I would appreciate if some of you guys can share your university life here so that we can make comparison and let the world see the differences between public and private higher learning institution in MALAYSIA.

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Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Of local and overseas qualifications

Posted by Alphonso Tan

Aha… A case that attracted me, and which also encourages me to blog about this.

Let’s start about our local tax first. An individual will be entitled to a RM4,000 tax relief if he/she has a child who is above 18, unmarried and studying in local institution, diploma and above, OR, he/she has a child who is above 18, unmarried and studying in overseas institution, degree and above.

See the difference? For your parents who want to obtain a RM4,000 tax relief, you have to be studying in a local institution, minimum diploma level. But for your parents who want to obtain a RM4,000 tax relief, you have to be studying in an oversea institution, minimum a degree level. Why?

“Aiyahh… Malaysia is like that one lah…”

There’s a case which happened recently. It was published in the GuangMing Daily's headline, and also some Chinese presses, but not even a short note in the English and Malay presses.

Apparently, the case is like this:

A boy from Raub, he has an ambition since he was a small kid. He wants to be a policeman when he grow up. So later, later, he pursued his Diploma in TARC, Advance Diploma in TARC, then obtained a Campbell University’s Bachelor Degree in Science. So, 4 years ago, he submitted his job request for an inspector post for the PDRM Submission after submission. He has submitted his requests for 3 times. But his hard work failed. So, he was very sad, he went to DAP office and lodged a complained. Later, the DAP Assistant Publicity Secretary, Lau Weng San accompanied him to go to the GuangMing’s office to make-big-the-issue.

Now, for your information, to be a sarjan, you must at least, be a diploma level holder. To be a higher rank (I’m not sure what post), you ascend the education level.

And now, for your another information, a BSc (Hons) from overseas, is equivalent to local’s BSc only. Overseas BSc, is only equivalent to local’s General Degree from Public Institution of Higher Learning … Everything from overseas, you have to reduce one level lower in order to equivalent the to the local tertiary education level. Don’t ask me why. It is like that. This is mend to reduce the unemployment rate in Malaysia, and it is also another way to reduce the outflow of the smart students from Malaysia, and it is also another way to self-comfort us to think that the local tertiary education level is definitely higher than overseas!!

So, with this 2 information combine, plus the unemployment rate in Malaysia, I still believe that no matter how he stands on his ground, no matter whether the qualification is being recognized by LAN, MOHE or JPA, he will mst likely won't be chosen as an inspector for the PDRM.

And here’s my advice to all the readers, if you have the money and plan to get qualifications from oversea institutions, think again. If you wish to work in overseas, and you think you are able to do that, just go for it. But for students who wish to get qualifications from oversea institutions, and wish to work in Malaysia for some purposes (miss your parents, loyal towards the country), think again.

Last but not least, IMHO, professional qualification is still the best =P The status will not change, and it will be recognized by nearly everywhere around the world =D

Once again, if I’ve made any error or mistake, kindly feel free to correct me. Thanks ya…

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Sunday, March 11, 2007

Of Professional Qualifications and Degrees

Posted by Alphonso Tan

I often come across this question, “Degree and professional (qualification), which one is better ah?” And my usually impromptu answer for that question is, “Of course is professional lah…”

I’m not so sure whether do you ever heard of the term ‘professional qualifications’, as I came along with this term 2 years ago only when I was doing some research for my tertiary education. It is not a new term, and some of the professional qualification examination bodies have history of more than 100 over years. Profession qualifications are not the same as normal university degrees and in fact, most (or all) of the professions possess a very much higher standard than the normal university degrees, and they are usually recognized by most of the country around the world.

What are actually professional qualifications? Professional qualifications are recognitions that required specialized and complex knowledge, trust from the public, and also the responsibility for the public. In another words, not every field has professional. For example, game designers do not need any trust from the public, and therefore, game designing does not have any professional examination bodies. Some of the fields that have professional examination bodies are law (CLP), accountancy (ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW), engineering (PE), doctors, business administration (ICSA). And that’s why when we are small, we were usually brainwashed by our parents that lawyers, accountants, doctors, and engineers can earn a lot of money! Due to their ethics and professions, they are usually highly demanded by the sectors.

Most of the professional qualificationss are to be taken only if you’ve completed your degree in related field. But very few of the professional qualifications (like ACCA, CIMA, and ISCA) can be carried on wihtout a proper degree, and they are mostly conducted by the universities (but limited), colleges or institutes (some can be found at a small edge along the Petaling Street), and you won't be surprised that most of the students are part-timers.

What are the differences between degrees and professional qualificationss? Basically, for university degrees (especially public), students have to do more assignments and conduct their own research based on the subjects; whereas, for professional qualifications, they are more on problems-solving skills and drilling into the subjects. Besides, the university exams are usually marked by the university lecturers themselves, and if you got your degree, you will hold it for your entire life. Whereas, for the professional exams, the papers around the whole world are marked by the professional examination bodies, and of course, there is a quota rate to pass the exam. After you have passed your exam, you will have to pay for your annual license or membership fees in order to maintain your ‘professionalism’. In case if you've leave a bad reputation while doing your job (manipulating accounts), your license will be tergantung, and you are not allowed to practice in the same field for your rest of your life.

Why most of the employers prefer professional qualifications? I don’t know, as I’ve never been an employer before. But somehow, most of the professionalqualifications are recognized by different countries around the world. You go to China, and they recognize CIMA. You go to Cyprus, they accept ICAEW. Even if you go to Bhutan, they will know ACCA. Unlike the normal universities, professional examination bodies are usually well linked to the countries around the world. Imagine if you possess a local university degree, and seek employment in UK, the employer might say this to you, “**** University? Hmm… Never heard of it before.”

In short, with a professional qualification certificate, a person is bound to be more flexible in seeking employments anywhere around the world, and also possess a higher advantage in local.

But everything has a price to pay for. I’ve heard cases that even smart students struggled every midnight in order to pass their exam, and I’ve seen cases that some students gave up after taking and retaking the exam for 7 years.

So, professional qualifications or degrees? It is actually up to you lah…

*Kindly enlighten me, if I made any mistake in this post. Thanks.

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