STPM Form 6 VS Matrikulasi VS College Part 2

STPM Form 6  (SMJK Katholik, Form 6, Art Stream, Chin Yi Jian)
My personal point of view:

Well, I know that my passage is the first one, but please do not rush, read through and think! Undeniably that Form 6 is difficult, or you can say it will be/is the hardest education you will ever receive throughout your life if you are going to choose Form 6. But nothing good comes easy right? First of all, I am not asking you to enter form 6, instead, I want you to have a better view on form 6 (to be honest, too many stereotypes leave negative comments on form 6 without even having a taste of it before).

The key to success is 'balance'

The entrance to STPM form 6 is open to everyone who obtains their SPM certificates (meaning that you will have to at least pass Sejarah and Bahasa Melayu). Good news is you will be automatically be offered a place for Form 6 without even needing to waste your time registering. But if you are hoping to hit the jackpot for Matrikulasi entrance at the same time, and you got offered for form 6, then please bid a kiss goodbye to Matriks HAHA.

I took 4 subjects in Form 6, including Pengajian am(PA), Chinese Language, Economics, Accounts and MUET. FYI, PA is a mandatory subjects, meaning that everyone in f6 must take PA. PA is basically the combination of Malaysian's basic knowledge and Sejarah. (No, you can't run away from it, you will still be required to take it in college/university) Next, I am sure you are confused, I said four, but why did I list five subjects? MUET is the short form for Malaysian University English Test which is required to be taken by all f6. Further details regarding MUET can be found from the link below:) Next, maximum number of subjects to be taken by f6 is 5 subjects.

Celebrating teacher's bday be like...

In my opinion, STPM if being compared to SPM, SPM is like learning how to cycle, you would at most end up falling down and catch yourself with bruises all around your thighs and legs. However, STPM is like learning how to swim, you either learnt or you drown. (Giler lah srsly form 6!) Fortunately, even though studying was not my cup of tea, but I didn't find it too hard to cope, of course, I had hard times too, but one thing I learnt from form 6 is you don't run alone, you hunt in packs! Hunt for the 4.0 in groups, learn from the best, teach those in needs! No time is to be wasted, no more dilly dally here all-er-day anymore, the first thing as you blink open your eyes every morning is a complete same routine of study, study and study. Be it morning, afternoon or night. (sometimes, I even bring my handwritten notes into the toilet as a enjoy the momentary pleasure of releasing HAHAH JK, but no, I ain't no nerds, form 6 is fun too! Please refer to my previous post to have a gleams of my form 6 life!) Due to the fact that form 6 is fully academic based, your results determine your future, I know it does sound cruel, but this is what reality is. If you aren't born with silver spoon in your mouth, don't act like one. Accept the fact, work hard, trust in yourself, you yourself is the key to a better future. As a matter of fact, if you have been through the worst, everything else would be blessings to you. Form 6 paves ways for new horizons and dimensions, changes you perceive is true, polishes your personalities, and grinds you to be a better person!

Inter-classmate trip to Tadom Hill!

Life is good for me, I am really blessed to meet friends like them in form 6. Truth is, this is the best class I have ever been in throughout the years in CHS. Why? No drama in my class, sincerity is what builds the class, smaller in number, bigger in heart. So if you ask, do i regret joining form 6? Absolutely not, every journey has it's ups and downs, it will be 'meh' if it's a plain white journey, trust me, every step you take, every road you walk, you either earn something, if not you learn something out of it. 

http://coursesmalaysia.com/article/stpm-sijil-tinggi-persekolahan-malaysia-form-6.aspx

Matrikulasi
( Kolej Matrikulasi Perak, KMPk, Accounting programme. By Peh Qi Hui)

The Malaysian Matriculation Program, widely known as the “Matrikulasi” is a one of the most sought-after pre-university programs among Malaysians who are aiming to pursue their tertiary education at local public universities. It is an extremely cost-effective route, where one only needs to pay a small registration fee (around RM500), and the rest of the costs are borne by the government. Students are entitled to receive a monthly allowance of RM250.

The matriculation program offers three streams, which are:

·       -Science stream (one-year PST or two-year PDT)

·       -Accounting stream (one-year PST only)

·       -Technical stream (one-year PST only)

Students from Science stream, have three modules to pick from whereas the core subjects for accounting and technical are fixed. Starting from this year, students from the science stream cannot pursue an accounting stream subject in university, contrary to the previous years. Although the core subjects for science stream are in English, the classes are often conducted in Malay. Do not freak out if you enter class, and the lecturer starts talking about ‘punca kuasa’ instead of square root. For accounting stream students, Economics and Business Studies are in Malay.

Stream	Desired Tertiary Degree	Core Subjects
Science Stream Module 1	Biophysics, Medicine, or other applied or life science courses	Chemistry Physics Biology Mathematics
Science Stream Module 2	Information Technology, Engineering, or other applied science courses	Chemistry Physics Computer Science Mathematics
Science Stream Module 3	Information Technology, Medicine, or other medical or life science courses	Chemistry Computer Science Biology Mathematics
Accounting Stream	Accounting, Business, or other social science courses	Mathematics Accounting Business Studies Economics
Technical Stream	Engineering, or other technical courses	Mathematics Engineering Chemistry Engineering Physics Engineering Studies

I am currently pursuing matriculation program at Kolej Matrikulasi Perak, which is located literally in the middle of a palm oil plantation somewhere in Gopeng. I have just completed the first semester of the matriculation program. Most of us who are following the matriculation program are there because its relative low cost. Although I am a JPA Bursary scholar, which means that I get to pick any university that I like, be it public or private and have the government footing my bill, but there are limitations. For example, I am limited to choose from certain universities only, and for A-levels, the government only cover the cost for three subjects. You get a living allowance of RM 430 regardless where you study.

Allow me to shed some light regarding the pros and cons of matriculation life..

(A)The Cons- of studying matriculation is its abominable and downright prehistoric infrastructure. Not only are the toilets often left broken, the computers used are those box-size ones that runs on Windows XP. Forget about water heaters and air conditioners as you should fell indebted that the fans are spinning. Broken chairs and tables are common eyesore. There is no match in terms of facility when compared to private university. This is because the college relies heavily on funds from the government, and strongly object the idea of raising funds to repair broken infrastructure as it is against the law.

The relative easy syllabus gives you an advantage to score. When I say easy syllabus, I mean easy. It is much easier compared to our peers who are struggling at STPM or A-Levels. It is merely a little bit tougher than SPM. Allow me to clarify that I am an accounting student, hence I am not exactly sure about the syllabus of those in science stream. However, it is more difficult to apply for foreign universities using matriculation result. It is not that recognizable compared to STPM. We do have scholarship that send students overseas, but it comes with a bond.

Another major drawback of the matriculation program is its English level. The students do not speak English there, hence, there is no English-speaking environment, contrary to those of private colleges. The poor English language command of graduates from public university is a major gripe of companies. I do not deny that there is handful of students who speak English, but I would put that figure at less than 1%.

(B)The pros- Well, it is easier to obtain 4.0 compared to your peers who are doing STPM or A-Levels. And you stand a higher chance of getting into local public university at your preferred course. Co-curricular marks are easy to come by. As far as you attend co-curricular lessons and be active, you can easily get an A for co-curricular, contrary to secondary school where an A means you are the state representative.

The matriculation program does train you to be more independent as you are all on your own. You must learn to manage your own life, do your own things. If you do not understand anything, you must approach the lecturers yourself instead of waiting for them to approach you. Due to the limited reference books available for matriculation, if you want extra exercises, you need to approach your lecturer too. One learns to be more independent as one learns to manage his own life, right down to the minutiae of life. There will be no moms to nag you anymore.

Another forte of the matriculation program is it encourages you to mix around with friends from all races, being truly Malaysian. This is something that I have never experienced before. Being forced to communicate in Malay is completely different when compared to the fact that you are required to read out loud in Malay. Plus, working with other races plays a vital role in ensuring the success of a project. One truly learns that a project requires teamwork and never a one man show.

Here’s my story.

I was a girl who dreamt of pursuing my tertiary education overseas. Unfortunately, the government no longer send students overseas starting from the year I graduated. I walked into matriculation college with a heavy heart as I just got rejected for scholarships that will allow me to further my studies overseas. Frankly speaking, it was my mother’s choice that I was there. The gloomy environment and dilapidated dorms were little help to lift my spirits. I wasn’t very fluent at conversing in Malay, due to being brought up in Chinese schools. I knew no one when I got there. I cried my way through orientation, I must admit embarrassingly.

Then, I got used to life there within two weeks, I guessed. I brutally realized that no matter how harsh the environment is, you will live. I wanted to be a student council representative, hence I started to campaign. I gave talks to students, asked them to vote for me, gave out flyers, from room to room, like a real election. That really pushed me to walk out of my comfort zone, to approach strangers, asking favors, speaking in front of public. That’s a whole new experience. I learn how to socialize with people. I literally transformed from the girl who sat quietly, lonely in a corner to someone who stood in the middle of an assembly ground and promoted herself. I would say this I grew.

KMP :)

Lesson learnt: in the end, we only regret the things we didn’t do. The worst thing that could happen is that you failed, people have a good laugh for a few days and that’s it. End of story.

Another perk of being in matriculation is that you get to mix around with other races. You learn that each race is different, not to be racist, but the Malays more helpful and friendly, the Chinese are usually more witty in mind while the Indians are more talkative and more inclined to voice their opinions. Working as a team, is more than just sharing the same language, but also accepting their forte and weaknesses and move forward as one. A truly Malaysian thing that I never experienced before I walked into                            matriculation college.

Surprise celebration by them! Really blessed!

I met lots of new friends there, and became close to a few. I wasn’t the kind of person who would engage in social stuff before this. I am the kind who would prefer to bury her nose in books, or spent hours lying on a couch, watching the television. That’s me.

But when I got there, I learnt the importance of socializing. Who are you to ask for favors when you are sick? Your parents who are staying more than 100km away? No. You ask your friends for medicine. Who are you to rely on to borrow things if you ran out of supply or money? Your friends. I only realized the importance of socializing in matriculation. 

We did lots of stupid things there. Like singing in the lecture hall, smuggling food to name a few. And I realized that there is lots of fun in doing these seeming useless stuff with a bunch of crazy friends. These new friends filled in the voids of my life, bringing laughter together with them.

In the end, I would say there are trade-offs. I would say I learn less academically, but more in terms of character building. I think there are other opportunities to brush up yourself academically, all you need to do is be diligent and open a book. But where can you get a place to hone your social skills and walk out of your past and be a better self?

There are myths that you need solid results to get into matriculation if you are non-Malay, which is true. But some exaggerate to an extent where you need straight A+ which is a lie. Most students there usually have straight As, with one or two misses. There are cases where students get in with 5 or 6 A. But the most important thing is having good cocurricular grades. That is one thing they have in common.

'A small question from the blogmaster, how can your English be this awesome while matriculation is more inclined to BM?'

College
(Sunway University College, Foundation in Arts (FIA). By anonymous)

Hi, i am a student that enrolled in Sunway foundation programme January 2017, and I am going to graduate soon next year in February. In this programme, there will be a total of three semesters, each semester we will be required to take up to 5 subjects that consists of 4 compulsoriy subjects and 1 elective. Thus, by the end of the programme, one would have taken 3 electives like accounting, economics, business, finance, IT, advertising, etc. These electives are supposed to give students a better insight on what the subjects are like when they venture deeper into degree programmes.

As I am planning to take up banking and finance for my degree, I have chosen to take up economics for my first two semesters and actuarial science for the third semester. I was actually pondering between actuarial and finance for my third sem, but in the end, I opted for actuarial. Please bear in mind that the subjects you are taking for FIA will affect the courses you choose for your degree programmes. Thus, taking actuarial studies will not stop me from taking up banking finance in my degree.

This programme does not only focus on the development of students academically, but they enrich students in all other aspects for the benefits of their future. For example, presentation skills, research skills, teamwork etc. I feel that it has helped me a lot throughout my year in this programme. Although at times, assignments might be burdensome, but trust me as long as you manage your time well, you will enjoy your entire life throughout the programme.

Trips with friends in between sem breaks are always the best moments!

(Sunway University College, AUSMAT. By Ding Wern Shin)

Hi everyone! :) If you are still lost and confused about the choices available in college, I hope my suggestions will help you to make your best decision.
I just finished my AUSMAT (Australian Matriculation) in Sunway College. It had been a great year full of ups and downs. Was it easy with the 50% internal assessment and 50% external assessment? Perhaps not. It wasn't as easy as what you thought. However, I am grateful that I met friends who supported me through thick and thin, lecturers who guided me through the mist.

Chemistry Lab!

I was probably the one and only one who took the weirdest subject combination in college. In AUSMAT, we were supposed to choose 5 subject with ELD or English as a compulsory subject. I took Chemistry, Economics and double Maths. Even until the day when I graduated, I still couldn't find anyone who took the same subject combination like me in college.
AUSMAT gave me a perfect reason to rediscover my own interest before diving in into my own perception in choosing a degree, only until now, I realised that I am not a Science person after studying in science stream for the past two years in high school. All sounds fun and relaxing? Here's the truth that all of us tried to sweep under the carpet, we have endless tests and assignments almost every single day. The worst thing? It's all counted in your final ATAR. Consistency is the key, if you aren't prepared to study bits by bits everyday after class and to do self directed learning, I would say you aren't ready for AUSMAT.
Nevertheless, AUSMAT instilled a strong sense of responsibilities and positivity in me. I learnt how to not take my failures too seriously, knowing that I will gain something better while losing out something; I learnt that I have to bear more and more heavier weight as I moved on along the way. On a side note, 8 months was really a short period, I don't have any time to waste on procrastinating and to ponder much about my own future, but the lecturers here were always prepared to advise me.

I hope my experience do helped you to have a clearer picture on how AUSMAT is going to be if you really chose it.

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