Tak kenal maka tak cinta. Jom Kenali Universiti Awam (UA) Malaysia.
UIAM - UiTM - UKM - UM - UMK - UMP - UMS - UMT - UniMAP - UNIMAS - UniSZA - UPM - UPNM - UPSI - USIM - USM - UTeM - UTHM - UTM - UUM

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Malaysia Students Blog Turns One

Posted by Chong

Malaysia Students blog will be one-year-old on March 1, 2007 since it was created on March 1, 2006. I still remember the first day when I created Malaysia Students while waiting for my SPM results with the hope to build an online community among Malaysian students. I got the idea to create this blog when I could not find a blog that blogs mainly on academics like SPM and STPM examinations. Since I had had my SPM examination so I thought sharing my experience would benefit some junior students. Furthermore, I believe writing some guides on how to score A1 in certain subjects would be helpful to some SPM students.

It is heartening when a few contributors caught the vision even in the first month of the creation of this blog and joined me to make this blog a team blog. Frankly, Reign226 was one of them and he was the one that had inspired me to put more efforts in building and maintaining this blog. All of his posts are very informative and well-written in good English. Another great contributor is BooNBoX -- a reader and also an active commenter of this blog before he joined us. Of course, all other contributors are great also because they enjoy the spirit of helping others.

As time passes, more contributors joined us. I am very proud to announce that we currently have seven blog contributors including me. More contributors mean more topics to be covered on Malaysia Students blog and it will certainly benefit our readers. The topics blogged on this blog have expanded from SPM to JPA scholarships to STPM to undergraduate awards and to tertiary education. Every time when I logon to my email account and read the new contributor application email, I am excited to welcome the new member to our blog team. It is a fun and exciting experience when we meet a group of strangers with different education background and learn from each others.

Currently, we have over 100 visitors daily and averagely 110 readers through email and feed subscriptions. Readers are our motivation to write more useful posts on this blog. Moreover, readers’ comments and suggestions are always welcomed. We are pleased when our posts receive constructive comments since we know that there are people reading our work and taking time to comment on it, either to provide value-added information or to ask a question. We really enjoy helping others in the dark with our knowledge and experience.


To celebrate Malaysia Students first blog day, we bought her a brand new domain name. I am proud to announce that Malaysia Students blog have been moved to www.Malaysia-Students.com as you read this. So feel free to update your existing links to this blog. We really appreciate if you could add our blog to your blogroll so that more new readers will discover this blog. Thank you, our contributors and readers. ;-)

► Read more on Malaysia Students Blog Turns One

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Assessment of Co-curricular Activity Participation (Penilaian Penglibatan Aktiviti Kokurikulum)

Posted by Chong

The post entitled Co-curricular Activity Participation Explained that I wrote last year with some additional details provided by BooNBoX was very helpful to most SPM and STPM students. As time passes, the information on that post might no longer relevant and hence I figure it is time to write an up-to-date post on the same topic -- Assessment of Co-curricular Activity Participation.

It is February and the co-curricular activities in most if not all secondary schools in Malaysia have started. I believe that new committee members for 2007 have been elected to lead and to run their respective clubs and organizations. In my school, we have even finished our annual cross-country (larian desa) and sports day (hari sukan) one week before Chinese New Year. By the way, I hope that I am not too late to wish you a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year!

How 10% is Calculated from Co-curriculum?


You might have already known that co-curricular activity participation contributes 10 percent in the BPKP/UPU (Bahagian Pengurusan Kemasukan Pelajaran, BPKP which was formerly known as Unit Pusat Universiti, UPU) selection system for enrolment into local public universities while the remaining 90 percent is based on your SPM or STPM results (academics). The 10 percent is calculated by adding the marks from the top two categories with the highest marks out of four categories which are club or society (kelab atau persatuan), sport (sukan dan permainan), uniform body (badan beruniform) and national service (khidmat negara) and then divide the total marks by 2. The marks allocated for each category is 100% -- attendance 50%, position 10%, participation 20% and achievement 20%. We will get the total marks (maximum 200%) by adding the marks from two categories with the highest marks and then divide it by 2 to get a total maximum of 100%. Next, bonus marks are added if any. Then the marks are to be scaled to 10% by dividing by 10.

For example, Shakira got 58% for club or society, 88% for sport and 74% for uniform body. She was not selected to undergo national service hence two categories with the highest marks were chosen from three categories instead of four in the calculation. The marks for sport and uniform body are added up (88 + 74 = 162) and then divided by 2 (162 / 2 = 81). She got 10 bonus marks for being the head prefect (81 + 10 = 91). The marks are then divided by 10 (91 / 10 = 9.1). So, Shakira got 9.1% per 10% for her co-curricular activity.

Attendance (Kehadiran) -- 50%
The minimum attendance for a uniform body is 18 while 12 for club or society and sports. So, if you are the president of your society or club or sport, please make sure that you will organize at least 12 meetings and activities throughout the year.

Total attendance of a member: a
Total meetings and activities held: b
Total approved absence (sick leave, representation of school etc): c
Attendance = [a / (b - c)] X 50

Please take note that you will not lose marks in attendance if your absence is approved.

Position (Jawatan disandang) -- 10%
President – 10%
Vice President / Assistant President – 8%
Secretary / Treasurer – 7%
Assistant Secretary / Assistant Treasurer – 6%
Committee Member – 5%
Active Member – 3%
Ordinary Member – 1%

The marking scheme above applies to club or society and sports only whereas uniform body uses a different marking scheme for position. Please refer to page 6 of Panduan Penilaian Aktiviti Kokurikulum Sekolah Menengah[1] to learn the marking scheme for uniform body.

Participation (Penglibatan) -- 20%
Only the highest level of participation is to be used in calculation.

International Level – 20%
National Level – 17%
State Level – 14%
Zone Level / District Level – 11%
School Level – 8%

Achievement (Pencapaian) -- 20%
Only the highest level of achievement achieved is to be used in calculation.

Level – First / Second / Third Prize
International Level – 20% / 19% / 18%
National Level – 17% / 16% / 15%
State Level – 14% / 13%/ 12%
Zone Level / District Level – 11% / 10% / 9%
School Level – 8% / 7% / 6%

Bonus Marks (Markah Bonus) -- 10
Bonus marks are to be added to the average marks of the top two categories with the highest marks as shown in the example above.

Head Prefect – 10
Assistant Prefect – 8
Head / President Librarian / Hostel / Quartermasters – 7
Assistant Librarian / Hostel / Quartermasters – 6
Main Committee Member (Secretary, Treasurer, Bureau Chief) of Librarian / Hostel / PROSTAR / School Cooperation – 5
Committee Member of Librarian / Hostel / PROSTAR / School Cooperation – 4
Class Monitor / Form Monitor / Dormitory Chief / PROSTAR – 3
Assistant Class Monitor / Quartermasters Member - 2

Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ)


Q: Are participation and achievement in school sports day considered as sport?
A: Yes, participation and achievement in school sports day are to be given marks under the sport category.

Q: What if the number of meetings and activities held is more than the minimum number of meetings and activities specified by Ministry of Education?
A: Student will be given full marks (50%) for attendance if he attends more than 12 meetings and activities for club or society and sport or 18 for uniform body.

Q: How the co-curriculum for 2006 is assessed for enrolment into local public universities in 2007?
A: Co-curriculum in at least two previous years (in this case, 2005 and 2006) is assessed.

More questions and answers on co-curricular activity participation can be found in Soalan-soalan lazim (FAQ) 10 % Markah Kokurikulum Kemasukan Ke IPTA[2].

Reference and Source
  1. Panduan Penilaian Aktiviti Kokurikulum Sekolah Menengah [PDF Version]
  2. Soalan-soalan lazim (FAQ) 10 % Markah Kokurikulum Kemasukan Ke IPTA [PDF Version]

Do comment if you have additional information to share.


► Read more on Assessment of Co-curricular Activity Participation (Penilaian Penglibatan Aktiviti Kokurikulum)

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Greetings!

Posted by Melanie

Hello all readerS!

Happy Prosperous Chinese New Year!




Yours truly,

Melanie.



► Read more on Greetings!

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Holla!

Posted by Alphonso Tan

Hello, everyone. I hereby to promote introduce myself as a new contributor of this blog. My name used throughout on the internet world is Alphonso. My real name will remain as a secret as I have a bad goodwill and reputation from my teachers and friends :P

I’m from Kuala Lumpur, and I’m currently pursuing a Diploma in Business Studies (Accounting) at Tunku Abdul Rahman College (this is the only choice I could afford :-( ), as I am a money-minded guy. I finished my SPM 2 years ago from an infamous secondary school. Prior to that, I was fortunate to obtain a quite satisfactory result, but also a quite sadistic grade. I scored 9 A’s and 1 C (what a bummer). Frankly speaking, I do not know how I got a C5 for my Biology. Maybe it is due to the lack of interest and understanding of it, especially on the Reproduction chapter. However, I was very doubtful and fortunate enough to obtain an A1 for my English 1119 GCE ‘O’ Levels, But until today, I didn’t find it useful for me, except for showing off.

I speak English at home, but I’m not a totally Banana-man. I know how to communicate and write in Chinese too! Although I have a good result for my English GCE ‘O’ Levels and I speak English at home, trust me, my English sucks a lot. You would probably spot errors and mistakes here and there in my articles or essays.

I have a personal blog at here, which is mostly about my ramblings of my daily life. Unfortunately, I reset the blog for some reasons. Hopwfully no one will mind it.

At last, I, as a student in Malaysia, or as a Malaysian student, wish to contribute to this blog, as I would like to be a member of the Malaysia Students community. Hopefully dear readers will give support by reading this blog. Post a comment, and I’m sure the contributors here will appreciate it ;-)

Finally, thanks to everyone.


► Read more on Holla!

Friday, February 09, 2007

Students Fail, Teachers to be Blamed?

Posted by Melanie

I think this is a very common issue among us students. We fail and we blame the teachers.

Question is, is it really the teacher's fault?

From my personal view, i would say it's not entirely the teacher's fault, but 80% , the blame is on the teacher.

I was in the government school for 13 years. (Primary one until upper six) and i honestly havent met more than five dedicated teachers. I don't know about you guys, or maybe i was unlucky. Most of the teachers teach because they are paid to, and couldn't be bothered to mix around with the students.

I do believe there's a few types of teachers that we should put the blame on. 1st they are teachers who teach because they "just want to do their duty". They do not care whether you are paying attention or not , or whether we get good grades. All they care is "they did their duty". this are the type of teachers who basically do not even know we progressed or not. I used to have this teacher who write a whole board of notes but do not bother whether we copy or not.

Second, the teacher that do not respect students. I hate teachers who took for granted their students. I think respect is a vice versa thing , regardless your age. If teachers want us to respect them , they should respect us too. In my opinion, teachers who scold their students stupid is very rude. Teachers should know that by scolding their students stupid, indirectly , they are pulling the student's spirit to study down. It makes them feel very low about themself. Not only that, teacher's should also know how to respect student's privacy by not touching on any sensitive issues. For instance, our parents. Teachers always teach us about manners. Shouldn't they talk to us in a mannered way as well? I do believe when we hate the teacher , or when we are at low spirit , we tend to hate the subject . Therefore we wont study for it and Fail!

Third is the lazy teacher. I guess this is the most common one. this is the type of teacher who goes in the class , say a few words and assign you to do some work , or say "do your own work". Then they'll keep pesturing you to hand it up, but when you hand it up , you will only get it back after a few months when you totally forget there is such assignment, or even worse, you do not get it back at all. Therefore you wont know your mistakes . Instead you keep repeating the same mistake again during exam.

Fourth , the teacher who looks down on students. Like i told you all in my previous post, i was in arts for form 6. I have this MUET teacher who keep looking down on our english and say that we will definitely get lousy results in our MUET. She do not even teach us , and even if she do, she sounded like she 's just wasting her time and as though as teaching us makes no meaning.We did less than 3 essays in a year! Hey , even if we suck, she's suppose to teach us! True enough , most of my classmates scored only Band 3, But , i was smart enough not to rely on her. I got myself a band 5 instead.

Fifth, the teacher who has mood swings. 5 minutes of cheers, 5 minutes of madness. Get what i mean? Or those teachers who bring personal problems to class. I had always remembered a teacher who canned me till my hand was blue-black just for not doing her homework. And the entire class got canned as well , coz no one actually did her work. Not because i was in a weak class, infact i was in one of the best class. But it was because she wasnt in a good mood that day and she wanted to release her anger. She's always like that! Seriously , teachers are so much older than us , and they are mature enough to know they should be profesional in their work and never let emotions control them!

Last but not least, the teachers who not fair. They have their own "pet" and they pay more attention to the particular one. There should not be any "un-fairness" in the class , and teachers should treat every students the same. Wont it be unfair for those who are unlucky , and the teacher doesn't like them , and they fail? Just because the teacher "CHOSE" not to like them.Teacher's duty is to mould us be it they like it or not. Be professional , teachers!!

Of course, NOT all teachers are like that. There are some teachers that really do their duty wholeheartedly. I do believe if there is more dedicated teachers around, the quality of the malaysian education system will totally boost up. Like now , it seems like a lot of tuition centres is earnig big money . Is is because the teachers in school are not good enough? How about those who cant afford tuition?

I do know that , we are the ones who decides. Teachers are just there to give guidance. If we get lousy teachers , we should be mature enough to find our own way. At the end of the day, we are the one facing exam , and getting that piece of "paper". But , if we are at the point where teachers do not help at all , what are the use of teachers?

Disclaimer : This are just my point of view. And i am not blaming all the teachers . Cheers!


► Read more on Students Fail, Teachers to be Blamed?

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

A post Form-6 thing

Posted by Reign226

As has been noted earlier, Malaysia's six College Universities have had a namechange earlier this month, removing the College from their names. I really don't see the relevance of such an action, as the 'college' is there to serve as a reminder to students that these places are (not lousy and second class, which is what many people think) universities that are highly specialized in a particular field, such as Manufacturing in my own university.

Nevertheless, the masses have spoken and the social stigma that society has placed on these institutions have resulted in the recent decision to change the names of these six institutions. But what difference does it make?

Not a whole lot, mind you. After all, this is just an image make-over. In my case, all the students got treated to free food via a launching ceremony, after which classes resumed as usual. Here and there, you can see workers removing the old 'Kolej Universiti Teknikal Kebangsaan Malaysia' and replacing them with the new name Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka. There's a lot of things that will need changing though, from the busses to our lab-coats, but largely it's a cosmetic thing.

The question is, will anything change with this decision? That is a hard question to answer. On the one hand, the Higher Education minster is saying students will now give these places a more serious consideration since it is no longer 'just' a college university (whatever that means) but the fact remains that many students are keener to enroll in such places as University College Sedaya International given the choice.

This is the reason why I suspect it's not a matter of negativity towards the name itself, but an underlying suspicion with the local government (former) university colleges. No doubt many of us studying in Form 6 have had teachers preaching us to join the Top 3 (UM, UKM, USM) while telling us to avoid the other institutions, but the truth of the matter is, that is sometimes a very generalized opinion. Of course the Top 3 command a certain amount of prestige for also coincidentally also being the three oldest public universities in Malaysia, but to be honest, not everybody will manage to get in.

What becomes of the students who aren't able to enroll in these places but are offered a more 'unknown' university instead? Would they choose to go to a private institution? What about the expenses? It's a lot of questions that needs serious, honest answers. I just hope that at the end of the day, people will realize that what matters is just pure, unadulterated education. And you can get that anywhere especially if you are willing to brave the unknown.


► Read more on A post Form-6 thing

Pre-U Course I - Cambridge GCE 'A' Levels

Posted by TyplotioN

I guess it would be a little late to talk about Pre-U course offered in Malaysia since its already February. However, for the benefit of those readers which still wondering what to study right after getting their SPM result, this post might be a small guide to let you know more about the Pre-U course offered in most of the private University college in Malaysia.

Cambridge GCE 'A'Levels
Duration : 1.5 years (3 semesters)
Origin : UK
Offered in : Most of the major University college throughout the whole Malaysia. Eg. Sunway University College, Taylor's University College, Inti College, HELP University College and alot more.
Academic qualification :Five (5) Credits in SPM, 'O' Level or equivalent. Conditional offers will be given to students with forecast results.

The so-called sister of Malaysia's Form 6 (STPM) because of its similarity of duration and the "General Paper" subject offered in both course. Cambridge GCE 'A' Levels is the general certificate of education offered by the university of Cambridge International Examination (CIE). 'A' Levels is one of the world's most recognized Pre-University course which allow their student to pursuit their tertiery studies in almost any university in the world (of cause, subjected to the subject taken and results).

Basically, the 'A' Levels syllabus is divided into two different part which is AS and A2 paper. AS is the first part of the course which student required to complete before picking up A2 paper.

Unlike other Australian Pre University course, 'A' Levels is 100% external examination based. It simply means that the final result of the course is purely based on the final examination which would be held at the end of the course. However, class test,quiz,debates,assignments are held throughout the entire course to monitor the student's progress. Warning letter would be issue if students failed to maintain a certain average marks and subsequently, followed by suspension from the course.

Because i did not pick up 'A' Levels, it is not fair for me to assess how difficult is this course. However, according to some of the my friends who studied this course, 'A' Levels is considered as the most difficult Pre-University course in the world. Certain effort and determination are required in order to complete this course.

Source


► Read more on Pre-U Course I - Cambridge GCE 'A' Levels

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Road Out Of The Gloom

Posted by KC

Dear MS-ians,

In addition to Melanie’s post (STPM Blues), she has raised several issues that I think we can all have a serious thought about.

The debate of Arts & Science has always been seemingly endless. This question ponders on us even more so at different stages of our education, normally after PMR, SPM and STPM. Here i shall not argue on this as it’s subjective up to a point by making comparisons between the two or debate which is better. However I find it interesting to understand the fundamental incitement behind this argument as it repeats its cycle year after year.


1) The indecisive- us
There are just too many factors that could affect our decision making in this. So how could one be absolutely sure they are making the right choice?
  • Go through a series of affirmations on your interest. Career tests are a stepping stone to this. Take up part time courses and attempt to prove that it meets your preferences.

  • Getting the information correct is an emphasis. I find it jaw dropping when speaking to various friends of future occupations; they tend to have a misconception or inaccurate information on that particular field, shunning them from making further enquiries or investigation.

    Example Friend #1: I can’t be a nurse although I love helping people; will develop phobia even before I see blood.
    Example Friend #2: I cannot study pharmacy- my weak memory wouldn’t allow me memorize those medical terms.
    Example Friend #3: I won’t be able to do quantity surveying although I like to be involved in the construction industry- not good in mathematics.

    Problem #1: You will be trained and over time it will be a norm. Furthermore, conduct more research on this as there are various tasks which nurses so as well, such as assisting patients in physiotherapy sessions, etc. One of my close friend is currently serving as a nurse in Singapore, she was unable to adapt to seeing ‘deaths’, hence falling into depression in the beginning. However the spirit to serve & faith kept her going, she is enjoying her job even more now, and it has been 5 years then.
    Problem # 2: When there is a will, there is a way. Pharmacist students aren’t super kids with mega memory bytes, they develop their own method in either memorizing/ studying skills as well, so why can’t we.
    Problem #3: As mentioned, one will be trained should the interest still lie; if one is already proficient in it (calculations), schools would have lost its purpose as a learning ground.

  • Pump up ourselves to be really confident in what we do and should all fails, such as disappointment after an enrolment, whoever said that that is the end of the world?

2) Prestige Oriented- us or family, others
Many of us have similar encounters with scenarios like this: parents pushing children into an elite degree where consideration of their main interest was placed secondary.

Parents love us, yes and we are not here to doubt that.

In many of the first-class/ top- school/ prestigious- college entry war, parents can be the true fierce competitors on securing seats for their children; also this does not diminishes the possibility from the kiasu Asian kids like many of us.

With many mixed emotions and disillusions in making college decisions which could be the turning point of your life, we tend to follow the absolute suggestions from our family because one will feel- if we don’t, then our lives are doomed. Alternatively we do not have the courage to stand up on our own visions because the basic notion is they have more maturity than us and their decision will always be the most sensible.

But is it always the case? It varies.

Example A: One of my current classmates is suffering in Architecture as his initial choice of study was Graphic Design. From his developer background family, very naturally they wanted him to be in architecture to prepare him to take over the family business.

Example B: Another friend has a passion in fashion designing but ended up being classmates with us. The verdict was fashions have less opportunity in the job market and the wage is deplorable.

As mentioned, the above are very subjective and we will all have our own point of view; wise decision or not, it is not up to us to judge. The bottom line I could reassure all readers is that they are having a hard time adapting to architecture (I pray they can get over this barrier soon); in the absence of fondness and interest in things we engage in, are there any high possibility of good work to be produced? We are all too smart to know just the answer.

3) Scholarship Scare
It might be true statistically that most scholarships cater for science based courses only. However, no one has ever said that that’s not going to change ever. Do look up to one example on one of my favorite designer, Ashley Isham. He owns a boutique in uptown London and is a frequenter on London/ Paris fashion week. He was accepted to the Central St Martins College for portfolio merit after presenting his sketches to a banker, whom later decided to provide him sponsorship.

4) Fear of Society Change
I can understand many of us have obligations towards ourselves/ family whereby the decision making really goes beyond our control; one of the external factors could be change in the society’s preferences. This is obvious in the IT industry. What could one do when one foot is already in it? Be flexible and willing to change.

4) Absolutely Clueless
To unclog the brain block of not knowing what to do, the simplest way one can adopt is to open up our eyes and be inspired by figures that we look up upon on. This is because I do understand by saying ‘ask- yourself-earnestly-what-do-you-want’; the answer may or may be not- bottomless. After high school I have had too many dreams and had a tough time deciding rationally on which- I dreamt to be a news anchor on national television, an economist, business woman etc. Just to note that these ambitions were not matched to my capabilities or forte, they are just the very basic childlike dreams we used to have when times can be so much more of a naiveté.
  • Read more articles, journals, newspapers & magazines and see how people live their lives.

  • Open up conversations and talk to people you feel comfortable about it. It’s mundane to shut down our worries on this ambition- future topic because it will create undesirable anxiety.

  • Research is the key. Check out on what these professions do- job scope, daily lives, salary, future prospects.

  • From there, we might be able to get a head start. Its our life, nothing to fear guys!…

Any addition to this? Your comments are most welcomed!

Writer
KC

**To Mel & all STPM-ers, all the best! =)


► Read more on Road Out Of The Gloom

STPM blues

Posted by Melanie

You know, i often hear people saying this " DO NOT GO FORM 6, It's a waste of time". "FORM 6 is so easy". If it is easy , and a waste of time, do you even think the government would set such things in our education system? I'm sick of such stereo-typed people. I hope i do not offend anyone here though.

Form 6 is not as easy as you think. I've had a p.h.D teacher in my school who said " form 6 is the hardest exam in your life. if you can go through it , there is no doubt you will do well in universities."If you ask me if i was prepared for the whole thing before i enter form 6, i would say i am prepared. I came from an average family and my sister is in a private university , so my parents could not afford to send me to private college.i was very clear i am going to form 6 after i finished form 5.

Anyway,David Hans requested me to write about my experience when i switched to arts in form 6.

. I was a science side student in form4 & 5. A science side student WHO DO NOT enjoy science. Hence , my result is always lousy , and i am always the one with the lowest mark. Not in class though, but among my friends. I was looked down . So when i enter form 6, i knew i cannot continue staying in science. Besides, I am fed up of being looked down. I took the risk of moving to arts side alone. i was scared , but i knew i had to move on no matter what. My SPM result was just a "so-so" result ( i do not mind to reveal it, i scored only 5a's in SPM) , and i do not want my STPM result to turn out bad as well. (still awaiting for my result). When i entered form 6, i had this dream to get first in class and get the highest in all my exam. And yes, i did it. I studied hard, got the 1st and was always the highest in all my exams. Like i said , i am fed up of being looked down , and i need to gain some respect from my friends in arts. I do not want to be looked down anymore. So to those of you who are not sure of switching or not , look at your result. If you keep getting 'c' or 'D' in your science subjects and still going to science side in form 6, you are commiting suicide. Know your ability. Forget about the "cool-ness" when you're holding an organic chemistry book. It is the result that matters.If your parents insisted you to stay in science saying bout the prospects of science side, talk to them nicely , and explain to them. And arts side has a wide prospects too. Who is the one who manage a hospital? A doctor does not manage a hospital you know? [I'm not trying to say the bad side about science side ya.. :) ]

When i told people how stress i am when i was preparing for my exams , then they'll ask me " what side are you in?"... when i said "arts". they'll go on saying , " Oh , no problem one. easy.". And this is what i hate. Arts side in form 6 , is A TOTAL DIFFERENT from form 5. It is a lot harder and be prepared to write up to 15 pages for each exam. i would say arts is a lot about reading and memorising. AND no , it's not easy when you have to memorise hundreds of pages.and if you are taking economics, it's even worse. You need to memorise graphs and write tonnes of notes.Honestly , my ball pen lasted me only around 3 weeks, and mind you, my handwriting is small. Not only that, You need to be hard working enough to read the many pages of boring notes. You can easily fail if you're in arts , because once you do not read , you can't do anything. There is no objective (except for econs), so basically if you do not study , you can just sleep through the test.So, arts side is not easy. It is just as tough as the science side. What makes arts side easier?we still write 7 essays, 2 quantitative, and 30 multiple choice questions with half of it is counting in 3 hours.Or for some papers, we had to write more than 10 pages. Science and Arts= same level . So , if you feel down about moving to arts side, you do not have to now.

No doubt to those who are from science side , you would have a problem adapting with the arts side people. Especially if you are not mandarin-spoken like me. I am the ones that basically cant even write my name in mandarin , and couldn't speak more than ten words of fluent mandarin. Yes, that is how bad it is. Did i tell you i did not move to arts with any of my friends? So, having to be in a new environment with no one you are comfortable with was a tough experience to go through. I even reach to a point i wanted to give up. I did not mix with anyone for the first month. I felt so lazy to go to school , and i slept for almost every period. Anyway after a while , slowly i got to mix with them . I learnt mandarin through talking with them .(because most of them are mandarin-spoken, you can't expect them to learn english for you.Majority wins ) Ofcourse, i need to endure to be laughed at my "weird" accent. But , over all , i enjoy learning , and now, i can speak almost fluent mandarin. You see, that was an extra for me through the two years of form six.

If you asked me if i regret going to form 6, i would easily answer you "no". Form 6 is the 2 years i enjoy the most in my high-school life. It was also the only time where i look forward going to school and enjoying my time even though during the many exams i had. One of the hardest part to go through was that in form 6 there is a lot of test going on. I even had times where my whole month is filled with test and quizzes. Form 6 is also the time where i realise three hours is like 3 minutes. Most of my papers are three hours, and i am still rushing for it. So , three hours is nothing to me now. Time flies. I had a lot of fun in form 6 and being the eldest in the school. So to those of you who are going to form 6, i wish you all the best and i guarantee you will have a fun-filled 2 years like i did. I am still waiting for my result, wish me luck guys. :)

Form 6, No regrets.

- Melanie -


► Read more on STPM blues

Join over 50,000 people who get FREE latest scholarship updates via email!

Free Scholarship Updates:   

More scholarships available at Malaysia Scholarship Information Centre

Do Not Miss Any Job Offers! Get Student Part Time Jobs via Email!