Standing in The Eyes of The World...

Well, the title is just the song I'm listening to while writing this post.

The other day I read a news article about a case where a 4.0 candidate can't get any offer into Pharmacy/Medic course in popular varsities but offered Biomedical Science (or something like that) instead. The candidate felt it is inappropriate because even if he's not qualified to be offered Medic, he at least should get Pharmacy. Actually, there are a lot of such cases, either spoken or not spoken, of candidates didn't get the course they want or the course they deserved.

Such rumours being spread among societies made people (especially Chinese) believe that whatever course you choose, you won't get your first choice or Malaysia universities would accept only an ethnic in majority. Well, because of the news and the well-known phenomena about making the famous 8 choices, I would like to express my opinion here so that my fellow juniors have some guidelines in next year.

After you get your STPM result (or SPM, for diploma cases), immediately you have to apply online to be offered into local varsities. To apply you have 2 ways to choose either one or both: USM or UPU. You can apply USM and UPU at the same time, for USM you need to fill in 4 choices while for UPU you need to fill in 8 choices. The USM result would appear first, usually months before UPU results come out. Take note that if you accept the course USM offer you, UPU won't offer you any other courses by any other universities.

Maybe you would ask why USM can do like that and what is UPU? Well, USM as the apex university in Malaysia is authorised by Malaysian government to choose its own student by itself, which means, directly choose student without passing through UPU. Then how about UPU? You can imagine that all universities form a circle with UPU as the centre. Yes, our particulars will enter UPU, then UPU would determine which course we should be offered based on our results, our choices and the university's requirements (eg. interviews, but some universities maybe got other special requirements, such as UKM. I'll explain later.).

I won't go into too much details about the process as the UPU and USM website would explain to you at that time. But I want to say something about the appropriate way to choose courses.

Firstly, make sure that your pointer matches the course's special requirements before you choose the course. To enter local uni there are general requirements (CGPA 2.00 and MUET Band 1), but every course have its special requirements, such as to be offered Law, you must at least get Band 4 in MUET. These special requirements can be found inside the UPU website. Some students may get a result which is slightly not enough to get the course (eg. CGPA 4.0 but MUET Band 3), but they still fill in that course thinking that maybe UPU will 'sumbat' them into the course. DON'T EVER THINK LIKE THAT. Do you know every year how many people apply into uni from lots of sources? Not only STPM but also matriculation and diploma, don't forget international students also. Don't waste the space for the course you most probably won't get.

Secondly, don't choose based on universities. Of course there are a lot of people choosing universities at rural areas because their results are not so good, but it doesn't mean that the universities aren't good. Even famous universities such as UM, USM and UKM also have their own weaknesses. Think otherwise. If you get the university you want but not the course you want, the university already doesn't mean too much for you, isn't it?

Thirdly, the most important one. CHOOSE WISELY. 8 choices seem like a lot to you, but when you compare with the number of courses offered by all local universities, you'll find that the 8 choices are actually too limited. Don't simply put other courses that you don't want or you can't figure out what it is just because you don't know what to fill in next. Since you choose that as one of your precious 8 choices, UPU will really take each of your choices into consideration. And the main thing is, if the course you get is one of your 8 choices, you can't make appeal to change your course (even if you can, the chances are very rare). I've got friends who have this problem because they chose the inappropriate courses. Some of them even got Physics-based courses even though they study Bio in Form 6! Therefore please don't 'lelong' yourself.

Fourthly, don't aim for the famous courses or the courses your parents wanted you to take, but THE COURSE YOU WANT. Any choices cost your future, not your parents'. My uncle advised me lots of times like brainwashing so that I take Diploma or Pharmacy, but in the end you see where am I? Understand the course from blogs or forums (never believe what the university introduces please), then think carefully if the course really is the course you opted for. One of the STARZ, Siew Teng, didn't accept NTU's offer for double degree because of this reason : she got Medic in USM. Yea maybe USM is not so good compared to NTU, but Medic is her dream course. Don't aim for famous courses just because it's famous, but because you really wanted it.

The final step is, if you think you have better choices such as other universities or scholarships, don't hesitate, GO FOR IT! Who knows you'll really get offered? It's your future so you should be brave about it, dear.

After telling these steps I would like to explain some funny cases happened about courses being offered. One of them is Gavin Loo. Well some Sam Tet-ians may remember that among the batch STPM 2009, he is the only one who get 5A's (an extra in physics). But he didn't get his first choice in both USM and UPU. Funny right?

What happened actually? Well Gavin is sure that he doesn't like Medic but Pharmacy instead, so he chose Pharmacy as the first choice in both USM and UPU application. But don't know how and don't know why, USM rejected his application. So he waited for UPU while applying for Singaporean universities. When UPU results came out, guess what did he get?

...

Fourth choice. UKM. MEDIC !!!!

But in the end he didn't go for it - NUS offered him Pharmacy with scholarships. Since NUS has an excellent reputation, there's scholarship offered, and he got his first choice, of course he went for it.

What I can say is that, perhaps UPU and USM have a conversation, and after the conversation they decided that UPU has better option for him.

Another funny case is about Shen Yang, who's one of the STARZ but finally get Electronic Engineering instead. You may wonder why he got Physics course. Well, he chose it as one of his 8 choices of no reason.

In this case, I can only sigh for him. Sorry ya Shen Yang.

Some other funny cases are about the Universities' requirements. Well of course the special requirements are posted on the website, but remember that even for the same course, special requirements from different universities maybe different. For example, UKM Medic only allows intake for Bio students, but in USM Medic, Physics students are also acceptable.

Some of the universities may have some other requirements to keep their ranking - which means they won't tell you what the requirement is. For example is UKM, I browsed among the students around me about what pointer they get, except some 2nd intake students, all of them get 3.0 and above. I'm serious. So don't think I'm kidding with you.

Well, how about my case? My STPM results are as below:-

PA 4.0 (Don't ask me how I get it, I also don't know how)
Bio 3.67
Maths T 3.33
Chem 2.67

My CGPA would be the average of the four ratings, which is 3.42. After adding the co-curriculum marks, my pointer is 3.35.

Since my pointer is not that high I can't apply medic, even if I apply I certainly won't get it. But then I bought a handbook and then browsed the statistics of pointers accepted and introduction of courses (published by private company along with independent association to conduct statistics research so it's very reliable) - that's how I found Microbiology. Although it seems not popular, I thought carefully and found that instead of Medic, I would pay more interest in Microbiology. Medic is about saving mankind's life, which is some thing I like; but Microbiology concentrates on microorganisms and microscopy, which is some thing I LOVE. Even though that's the case, the sample cases did influence me in making my choice. My first choice isn't Microbiology but Forensics Science instead (I did this after I make sure I like Forensics Science also and there's only once in a blue Moon that I'll get this course, so don't copy). Since I aim for the course but not the uni, I put all the choices available with the course same, which are, Microb for UKM, UM and UPM. For other spaces I put Biomedical Science, a course which I considered before.

In the end I got my second choice, which is Microbiology from UKM. When my UKM senior asked me what course I got and I answered her "Microbiology", she answered....

"Ha? Are you sure you're in Bangi main campus? Do you know where your fac (faculty) is?"

I was shocked for quite some while. Some of my friends also received harsh comments by their parents and friends simply because they accept the choices that cannot be accepted by the societies (or the societies think that the job prospect is not wide enough, hey, is money that important?), but we went for it with no regrets. After entering UKM and attended lectures, even performing labs during these weeks, I can proudly say that I enter Microbiology UKM and would graduate 3 years later with NO REGRETS. This is really the course I dreamed for my life.

Therefore you may think that UPU is quite unfair and dislike granting people's wishes. But I think otherwise. It granted my wish, and it offers me the course based on the pointer I get.

In conclusion, don't refer other people's stories when making your choices. It's your choice. It's your future. However, if you aim for UKM (despite my advice of not aiming universities), I can give you some advice:-

1. Study really hard. Remember the 3.0 I've mentioned above?
2. Don't hold any prejudice about any race. Here we're 1 Malaysia, no racism at all.
3. When you enter UKM (or any other universities), forget your STPM/Matric/others pointer. UKM banishes lots of people each semester because of poor academic results, and lots of these people got 3.5 and above while in STPM/Matric, some even 4.0. Therefore the number is not everything when you enter Uni.
4. Don't study for scores but for your understanding. Remember the Nur Amalina who got 18A's in SPM? According to my professor, during her first year in Oxford, she failed every subject.
5. Most important. Learn up your Malay speaking and writing skills. UKM is a university which insists on using Malay as the official language medium, and a lot of professors here are UKM alumni, some even from UKM families (which means husband and wife and children are all UKM alumni), so they love Malay so much, some of the professors are not literate in English.

And the most important thing is... if you study in UKM, you're going to write your final year thesis ALL IN MALAY. Even Malay friends also have problems in this after receiving English-based education, so be aware.