I am sure that for many people, before they know how to drive, they often wish that they will be able to drive as soon as possible. Therefore, learning driving is something very exciting for them. However, this was not the case for me. I did not find it exciting to learn driving, mainly because I felt that it is quite challenging. There are news of road accidents every day, and I heard that the trainers in driving schools are often quite fierce. Consequently, I went through a long, although not difficult, process of learning how to drive.
The minimum age to learn driving in Malaysia is 17. When I was 17 years old, I was in Form 5 and I took the SPM examination on that year. I did not learn driving before the SPM because I was busy studying for my SPM. I planned to start learning driving after finishing my SPM. The last day of my SPM was on 27 November 2012. For a week after my SPM ended, I stayed in Kulim. Because my SPM had just ended, I felt quite lazy. Therefore, I did not learn driving during that week.
On 5 December 2012, I went to Subang Jaya for holidays. I did not learn driving when I was in Subang Jaya because I preferred to learn in Kulim. I felt that learning driving in Kulim would be easier since there are less cars in Kulim compared to Subang Jaya. On 23 December 2012, I returned to Kulim. I stayed in Kulim for 3 weeks, then I would start studying at Taylor's College Subang Jaya.
On 24 December 2012, I wanted to enrol at Boon Liang Driving School. However, the staff at the driving school told me that the entire driving course would take at least 5 weeks, so there was insufficient time for me to complete it in Kulim. They suggested that I take only Part 1 (highway code test) of the JPJ test in Kulim, then continue the rest of my driving course in Subang Jaya.
On 26 December 2012, I attended the Kursus Kurikulum Pendidikan Pemandu (KPP). I had to go to Institut Memandu Jimat Canggih for that, since Boon Liang Driving School is just an agent. I met one of my secondary school friend there. During the Kursus KPP, we were taught about the theories of driving, safe driving techniques and highway code. It was quite interesting as the trainers often joked with us. Every one of us was given a book to prepare for the JPJ test.
I took Part 1 of the JPJ test on 2 January 2013. The test was held at mySPEED Kulim and it done using computer. There were 50 questions in the test and all of them were objective questions. I chose the Malay version of the test because the book I got earlier was in Malay. The questions were quite easy and I could answer all of them. After submitting it, the results was known immediately and I got 50/50 for the test.
I went back to Subang Jaya on 13 January 2013 and started studying at Taylor's College on 14 January. I attended college for 3 weeks, then I would be returning to Kulim for Chinese New Year. During the 3 weeks, I did not continue with my driving course because 3 weeks was insufficient to complete the driving course. I decided to continue with it only after Chinese New Year.
I returned to Kulim on 2 February 2013 and stayed there for 2 weeks to celebrate the Chinese New Year. I definitely could not learn driving at that time because the driving schools were closed for Chinese New Year. On 17 February 2013, I went back to Subang Jaya. I wanted to enrol at Metro Driving Academy on 24 February 2013, but it was closed as that day was Sunday.
Then, I managed to enrol at Metro Driving Academy on 28 February 2013. On 5 March 2013, I attended the Kursus Pra-L. It was held at Metro Driving Academy and it lasted for 6 hours. For the first 3 hours, there was a talk about the theories of driving, similar to the Kursus KPP earlier. However, it was less interesting compared to the Kursus KPP because the trainers were quite fierce.
For the remaining 3 hours, we were taught how to drive. That was the first time in my life where I drove a car with manual transmission. Out of my expectation, my trainer was quite friendly and he never scolded me when I made mistakes. However, because I had no experience in driving manual transmission cars, I drove quite poorly and the car's engine kept going dead. At the end of the 3 hours, I had little improvement.
After the Kursus Pra-L, I had to wait for quite a long time to get my L license. The L license was required for me to continue with my driving course. On 29 March 2013, Metro Driving Academy finally informed me that my L license was ready. At that time, my college had 2 weeks of holiday so I went back to Kulim on 30 March 2013 and stayed there for 2 weeks. As a result, I had to delay my driving course again. On 14 April 2013, I returned to Subang Jaya. Because I had to attend college, I could only go for driving lessons on weekends.
However, Metro Driving Academy told me that on every weekend, driving lessons were only available either on Saturday or Sunday but not both. I attended my 1st driving lesson on 21 April 2013. This time, I got a different trainer than the one I got during the Kursus Pra-L earlier. This trainer was a bit fierce. At that time, I had forgotten most of what I had learnt during the Kursus Pra-L. However, under my trainer's guidance I was able to drive satisfactorily so I was not scolded by her.
On 28 April 2013, I attended my 2nd driving lesson. My trainer this time was different than the one I got during my 1st driving lesson. This trainer was not fierce. My driving had improved this time compared to the 1st driving lesson. My trainer said that I was good at hill climbing and parking but not so good at three-point turn. On 5 May 2013, there was no driving lesson because of the Malaysia General Election 2013. There was again no driving lesson on 12 May 2013, probably because it was Mother's Day and many of the trainers at Metro Driving Academy are female.
I attended my 3rd driving lesson on 18 May 2013. This time, my trainer was the same as during my 1st driving lesson previously. I further improved and was able to drive quite well. There was no driving lesson on 26 May 2013 due to Wesak Day. On 2 June 2013, I attended my 4th driving lesson. I got the same trainer as during my 2nd driving lesson previously. Because I could drive quite well, my trainer let me drove alone and she even asked me to teach someone who was attending her Kursus Pra-L on that day. My trainer was confident that I could pass the JPJ test.
After attending 4 driving lessons, it was time for me to take the QTI (qualifying test at institute). I had to pass the QTI before I could take the JPJ test. I did not want to take it on 9 June 2013 because the Semester 1 examination of my college was on the following week so I was busy revising for it. Then, I took the QTI test on 15 June 2013. During the QTI, I was tested the hill climbing, parking and three-point turn. My tester was fierce, but I managed to pass all 3 parts.
At that time, there was 2 weeks of holiday for my college. On 16 June 2013, I went back to Kulim and I stayed there for 2 weeks. Therefore, I could not take Parts 2 and 3 of the JPJ test during the 2 weeks. I returned to Subang Jaya on 30 June 2013. My L license had expired on 28 June 2013. Consequently, Metro Driving Academy could not book the JPJ test for me on 4 July 2013. On 1 July 2013, I renewed my L license at a post office.
Metro Driving Academy then booked another date for my JPJ test which was 11 July 2013. It was a Thursday, but they told me that the JPJ test is only available on every Thursday. As it had been quite some time since my last driving lesson, I was asked to attend a refreshment class on 7 July 2013. During the refreshment class, I got the same trainer as during my Kursus Pra-L previously. This time, unlike my previous driving lessons, for the first time the engine of the car I drove did not go dead even for once.
On 11 July 2013, I took Parts 2 and 3 of the JPJ test at Metro Driving Academy. There was college on that day so I had to skip it. Part 2 started first, followed by Part 3. Part 2 tested on hill climbing, parking and three-point turn. During the hill climbing, I stopped the car too soon before the tyre reached the yellow line, so I was told to go back down and try again. Luckily, this time I managed to stop the car at the right position. Then, I was successful for the parking and three-point turn. I passed Part 2 successfully.
Part 3 tested on driving on the road. I did not face difficulties with Part 3. The tester gave me a score of 18/20, while the minimum score to pass Part 3 was 16/20. So, I managed to pass Part 3. I was happy that I managed to pass both Parts 2 and 3 of the JPJ test on my first attempt. That marked the end of my driving course at Metro Driving Academy. Like the L license previously, I had to wait for quite some time to get my P license.
On 28 July 2013, Metro Driving Academy informed me that my P license was ready and I went to collect it on that day. I finally got my P license, about 7 months after I first attended the Kursus KPP in the beginning of my driving course. If I tell others that it took 7 months for me to complete my driving course, they would think that I failed the JPJ test and retook it many times, but if you have read this post, you will know why I took so long even though I passed the JPJ test on my first attempt.
Tuesday, 14 April 2015
Saturday, 11 April 2015
My 1.5 years of study at Taylor's College
I studied A level at Taylor's College Subang Jaya for about 1 and a half years from January 2013 to May 2014. Studying at Taylor's College was very interesting for me. In fact, I felt that college is the most interesting among all stages of education which comprised of kindergarten, primary school, lower secondary school, upper secondary school, college and university. Even though I am now studying at Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia, I can still remember my life at Taylor's College very well. Here, I am writing about the 1 and a half years when I studied at Taylor's College.
Actually, before I started studying at Taylor's College, I did not want to study there. Instead, I wanted to study Matriculation. Since when I was in Form 3, I had planned to study Matriculation after completing Form 5. However, after my SPM examination ended, my parents wanted me to start studying A level at Taylor's College in January 2013, because they were worried that I might not get the offer to study Matriculation later. Since I was not confident of getting the offer to study Matriculation, I agreed to study A level first. However, I wanted to start in April 2013 instead of January 2013, because I wanted to relax for a few months after my SPM. I also preferred studying at Sunway College instead of Taylor's College, because at that time I felt that the name 'Sunway' sounded much better than 'Taylor's'.
However, after looking at the locations of Taylor's College and Sunway College, I felt that Taylor's College's location was much better than Sunway College. Therefore, I changed my mind and chose Taylor's College instead of Sunway College. On 8 December 2012, I attended the open day for Taylor's College with my parents. During the open day, I registered for Taylor's College's A Level programme. I chose to take the subjects Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. The course counsellor said that I could choose to start the programme in January or April, but he advised me to start in January because students who start in April would have to do self study to cover up for what they had missed during the first 3 months. Therefore, I had no choice but to choose to start in January 2013. At that time, I planned to switch to Matriculation later if I got the offer.
14 January 2013 – 1 February 2013:
I started studying at Taylor’s College on 14 January. From 14 January to 16 January, there were orientation programmes. 17 January was the first day of teaching. Then, the first practical session was on 22 January. On 25 January, it was the first class test for Physics. During that period of time, I was still getting to know how college life is like and I had not get used to it. I only made a few friends because I was shy since I was from Kulim while most of my classmates were from Subang Jaya.
I have written in detail about my first 2 weeks in Taylor's College here:
http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-first-two-weeks-in-taylors-college.html
2 February 2013 – 17 February 2013:
The Chinese New Year for 2013 was on 10 February. My college had 9 days of holiday from 9 February to 17 February. However, I skipped one more week of college from 4 February to 8 February because I wanted to go back to Kulim before the Chinese New Year. I went back to Kulim on 2 February and celebrated Chinese New Year there. Then, I returned to Subang Jaya on 17 February. I felt sad because I knew that I would not be going back to Kulim soon.
18 February 2013 – 20 March 2013:
On 18 February, my college reopened. During that period of time, I settled down in Subang Jaya and got used to college life. Soon, I began to enjoy life in Taylor’s College. I also became closer to my 2 best friends and I occasionally had lunch with them. I was quite worried of my SPM results at that time because it was not yet released. There were a few times where my other classmates borrowed my work in class and that helped build my relationship with them. However, I was still not close to them and I did not talk to them very often.
21 March 2013 – 24 March 2013:
The SPM 2012 results was out on 21 March. I went back to Kulim at night on 20 March. Then on 21 March, I went to my secondary school to get my SPM results. After that, I stayed in Kulim for a few days because my birthday is on 23 March and I wanted to celebrate my birthday in Kulim. On 24 March, I went back to Subang Jaya. I had to skip college on 21 March and 22 March but many of my classmates also did the same.
25 March 2013 – 29 March 2013:
During that week, I had several long conversations with my closest friend whenever there was free time in college. We mainly talked about our secondary school life previously. As a result, I became even closer to him. On 25 March, I was offered the MOE Bursary because I obtained 9A+ in SPM. The bursary would sponsor for my tuition fees at Taylor’s College and give me a monthly allowance of RM430. My college then gave a briefing about the MOE Bursary on 29 March.
30 March 2013 – 14 April 2013:
My college had 2 weeks of holidays from 30 March to 14 April. I mostly relaxed during that time because there was still about 2 months before the Semester 1 examination. I went back to Kulim on 30 March and stayed there for 2 weeks. At that time, my family heard that students who studied Matriculation could get into Medicine course at local public universities easily. As a result, they preferred that I switch from A Level to Matriculation if I was later offered to study Matriculation. I returned to Subang Jaya on 14 April.
15 April 2013 – 3 May 2013:
My college reopened on 15 April. On 17 April, I confirmed my acceptance of the MOE Bursary and I chose to continue with the January intake of Taylor’s College instead of restarting in July. During that time, I started talking to and became closer to a few more of my classmates. I no longer wanted to switch to Matriculation, because I really enjoyed life in Taylor’s College and I did not want to be separated with my friends. However, my family wanted me switch to Matriculation if I got the offer. The results of the application for Matriculation was out on 25 April. One day before that, I kept praying that I would not be offered the Matriculation because my family might force me to switch if I was offered it. I also told my college friends about that. Luckily, I did not get the offer for Matriculation so I could continue studying in Taylor’s College. As a result of that incident, I started to treasure life in Taylor’s College. On 2 May, it was the written test for the MPW Moral Education. I did not answer it very well.
4 May 2013 – 8 May 2013:
On 5 May, it was the Malaysia General Election 2013. As a result, my college made 6 May a holiday. The Hari Anugerah Cemerlang (Awards Day) of my secondary school for students who obtained straight A in SPM 2012 was on 7 May. I wanted to attend it so I went back to Kulim on 6 May. After the Hari Anugerah Cemerlang, I stayed in Kulim for one more night. I then returned to Subang Jaya on 8 May. Consequently, I had to skip college on 7 May and 8 May.
9 May 2013 – 7 June 2013:
On 9 May, I initially wanted to have lunch at PappaRich which I usually went to for lunch, but my friends wanted to go to Shakespeare for lunch and they persuaded me to follow them. I then agreed and that was the first time I had lunch at Shakespeare. In the following weeks, my friends also brought me to other restaurants that I had never been before such as Sky Village. During that time, I often had lunch with my 2 close friends, but we only went to a few restaurants that we were familiar with and no one else joined us. I also started doing revision for my oncoming Semester 1 examination. My mother wanted me to switch to the July intake of Taylor’s College because she was worried that I might lose the MOE Bursary if I did not switch even though the MOE had stated that we could choose not to switch. However, I insisted to remain in the January intake because I did not want to be separated with my college friends. On 6 June, there was a Biology practical on the dissection of cow’s heart. I carried out the practical with a few of my friends. On 7 June, many of my classmates had a group lunch at Haha Pan Mee. My 2 close friends wanted to join them and they also invited me to join. I agreed to join them and that was the first time where I had lunch with my college friends in a large group. My Biology teacher also gave us extra classes on that day.
8 June 2013 – 13 June 2013:
From 10 June to 13 June, it was the Semester 1 examination of my college. There was no practical test for that examination. All papers in that examination were not difficult and I answered them quite well. I was very confident of getting grade A and maybe above 90 marks in all subjects.
14 June 2013 – 1 July 2013:
There was 2 week holiday for my college from 14 June to 1 July. During the holidays, I mostly relaxed because my Semester 1 examination was over. On 15 June, I went back to Kulim. I stayed there for 2 weeks before returning to Subang Jaya on 30 June.
2 July 2013 – 2 August 2013:
My 2nd semester at Taylor’s College started on 2 July. During that month, I became closer to many of my college friends compared to earlier. I began to go for lunch with my friends in a larger group and we went to some restaurants that I had never been to earlier. On 5 July, I joined the farewell lunch of one of my classmates, where I said ‘Bye-bye forever’ to him and that made my classmates laugh. On 13 July, I and a few of my friends joined the Olimpiad Matematik Kebangsaan at Universiti Malaya, and I gave them some tips before the competition since I joined it a few times previously. On 29 July, there was an online test for the MPW Malaysian Studies, where I and all my classmates cooperated and answered the test together. All these incidents, together with some other incidents, brought me closer to my college friends. Then on 31 July, I and many of my college friends had a long and interesting conversation about my love story. Consequently, my friends knew me much better than before and I realised that I could actually communicate with them very well, so I told myself that from then onwards I should talk to them more.
I have written in detail about the incidents happened in July 2013 here:
http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2014/06/july-2013-eventful-month.html
3 August 2013 – 11 August 2013:
My college had one week of holiday from 3 August to 11 August for Hari Raya Aidilfitri. I went back to Kulim at night on 2 August. Then on 3 August, I attended the oral test for SPM Chinese in Alor Star. After that, I stayed in Kulim for one week. During that week in Kulim, I spent most of my time revising for my oncoming AS trial examination. I returned to Subang Jaya on 10 August.
12 August 2013 – 16 August 2013:
My college reopened on 12 August. On 13 August, it was Biology Paper 3 of the AS trial examination. That was the first time where I took a practical test. It was very difficult and it affected my confidence in the AS trial examination. Other than 13 August, there was no test on other days of that week and our teachers gave us revision. At that time, I began to talk quite a lot to many of my college friends, thanks to the 31 July incident earlier.
17 August 2013 – 29 August 2013:
My AS trial examination was from 17 August to 29 August. In that examination, I did not answer many of the papers well because they were much more difficult compared to the Semester 1 examination previously and I was not well prepared for it. There were also a few times where I had lunch with my friends after finishing a paper, but my mother came to fetch me before we finished lunch because I told her to fetch me too early. Consequently, my AS trial examination was stressful and not interesting. I was confident in getting grade A but not above 90 marks in all subjects.
30 August 2013 – 8 September 2013:
There was one week of college holiday from 30 August to 8 September. During that week, I was quite worried of my AS trial examination results. In fact, I dreamt about the results almost every night. I went back to Kulim on 31 August. I stayed there for one week and then returned to Subang Jaya on 8 September.
9 September 2013 – 11 October 2013:
The college reopened on 9 September. During that time, I was very much closer to most of my college friends compared to before the 31 July incident. As a result, my college life became even more interesting. I later apologised them for being antisocial earlier. On 13 September, I registered for the BMAT test. Then, I submitted my UCAS application on 17 September. I also started revising for my oncoming AS final examination at that time. I had lunch with my friends in a large group almost every day and I really enjoyed that. We went to many restaurants that I had never been to earlier for lunch. Initially, I agreed to go to any restaurant that my friends chose, with the exception of Mr Rice because it sells mixed rice while I was not used to eating mixed rice. I later decided to try eating at Mr Rice so I went there with my friends for the first time on 23 September. It turned out that I liked the food there so since then I no longer refused when my friends wanted to go there. On 1 October, I and my college friends took many photographs together, then one of my friend edited the photos and submitted them to the college office to be included in our college magazine. I attended a mock interview for my application to the University of Oxford on 3 October. On 9 October, I bought a new scientific calculator at the bookshop opposite my college because the AS final examination would be starting soon and my previous calculator was out-dated.
12 October 2013 – 3 December 2013:
I had several examinations during that time so I was busy doing revision. My AS final examination started on 15 October and it lasted until 29 November. I also took the BMAT on 6 November and the SPM Chinese on 3 December. Some of the papers were quite easy while others were more difficult. Even though I had several examinations, I mostly felt quite relaxed because there were long breaks between papers. In fact, there was 2 week break between 11 November and 26 November, during which I went back to Kulim from 11 November to 23 November. After my AS final examination ended, I went back to Kulim again on 30 November to take the SPM Chinese and then returned to Subang Jaya at night on 3 December. There was college on 2 December and 3 December so I had to skip.
I have written in detail about the examinations I took at that time here:
http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-2013-year-end-examination.html
4 December 2013 – 10 December 2013:
I and my friends were quite relaxed at that time because our AS final examination was over. I still had examinations. I took the IELTS Speaking on 5 December and IELTS Listening, Reading and Writing on 7 December. 7 December was the last day of all my examinations at that time. On 9 December, when I and my college friends were going for lunch, I helped one of my friend to carry her books and she called me a gentleman. I felt very happy about that and as a result of that incident, I started considering my college friends to be my most important group of friends, replacing my secondary school friends. Consequently, I enjoyed my college life even more.
11 December 2013 – 6 January 2014:
The 2013 year-end holidays of my college was from 11 December to 6 January. I went to Singapore from 16 December to 18 December for holidays with my friends. I got lost when we were at Singapore on 17 December. Later, I managed to find my way back. Some of my friends were very worried about me, while others were confident that I could find my way. Despite this incident, the trip to Singapore was very interesting and it made me value my college friends even more. On 19 December, my parents bought me an iPad Air. On 20 December, my IELTS results was released and I got Band 8.0 overall. Then on 21 December, I applied to the University of Hong Kong (HKU). At night on 21 December, I went back to Kulim. I stayed in Kulim for about 2 weeks and returned to Subang Jaya on 3 January.
7 January 2014 – 28 January 2014:
My 3rd semester at Taylor’s College began on 7 January. At that time, I started to really treasure life at Taylor’s College because I would be graduating in less than half a year. I also felt that college life is so enjoyable for the first time. Many of my friends often played with my new iPad Air and they suggested that I get a cover for it to protect it from damage. So, I bought a cover for my iPad on 9 January. On 15 January, one of my friend who applied to University College London (UCL) was interviewed by e-mail and she asked me for help. I helped her in answering the interview questions and correcting any grammatical errors in her answers. Although I didn’t actually help her a lot, she really appreciated my help. That incident made me consider her as one of my closest friends. On 24 January, the AS final examination results was released. I obtained 4A with all subjects above 90%. One of my friend did not obtain very good results and he felt sad about that. I gave him moral support and also felt sad for him. I also followed him when he went to the college office to get advice.
29 January 2014 – 4 February 2014:
The Chinese New Year for 2014 was on 31 January. My college had 7 days of holiday from 29 January to 4 February. I felt that 7 days was just right because it was enough for me to go back to Kulim and I did not want the holiday to be longer than that since I really treasured my college life at that time. I went back to Kulim on 29 January and celebrated Chinese New Year there. Then on 3 February, I returned to Subang Jaya.
5 February 2014 – 7 March 2014:
My college reopened on 5 February. During the first week, I got the breakdown of my AS final results for every paper of each subject from my teachers. On 7 February, one of my friend had a potluck for Chinese New Year at her house and she invited everyone in our class to join. I decided to join and that was the first time I went to my friend’s house. The potluck was very interesting and I learned how to play mahjung there. On 17 February, I received my statement of results for the AS level examination. 21 February was a very interesting day for me, because I had outings with 2 different groups of my friends. I and my college friends went to Secrets of Louisiana of lunch. After that, I also met up with my secondary school friends at Grafa. 21 February was also the day I submitted the application to International Medical University (IMU). During that period of time, I continued to treasure my every moment at Taylor’s College, just like during January earlier. Besides, I tried to make the most out of my college life. I felt sad whenever it was Thursday or Friday because that meant I had finished another week of college life. I also started studying for my oncoming A2 trial examination at that time. Because there was still quite some time before the A2 trial examination, I felt quite relaxed until 7 March. On 5 March, out of my expectation I was invited to attend an interview for the University of Hong Kong. My friends congratulated me when they knew about that.
8 March 2014 – 9 March 2014:
On 8 March, a very unfortunate incident happened – the MH370 incident. I felt very sad about that and I prayed that the passengers of MH370 would be safe. To make matters worse, that incident happened in the midst of the bad haze condition and serious water rationing in Malaysia. 8 March was a turning point in my college life because after that day, my college life became quite stressful compared to earlier, although I still treasured and enjoyed it.
10 March 2014 – 18 March 2014:
That period of time was very stressful for me and my friends, because our A2 trial examination would be starting soon, while the MH370 incident, bad haze and water rationing added to our stress. I was very busy doing revision for the A2 trial examination at that time. On 10 March, many of my friends were talking about the MH370 incident and the haze was very bad, causing me to feel stressed. The haze condition improved on 11 March. But on 12 March, the water rationing was quite bad that restaurants had to use paper or plastic plates and cups to avoid washing them. On 14 March, the haze was quite bad again and my college decided to cancel all classes on that day, but I and my friends were already in college so my teachers continued with the lesson. On 16 March, I attended the interview for the University of Hong Kong (HKU) at Hilton Kuala Lumpur Hotel. That was the only interesting incident for me during that time. From 17 March onwards, there was no more bad haze, but the water rationing continued.
19 March 2014 – 28 March 2014:
The A2 trial examination started on 19 March and it lasted until 28 March. On 19 March, it was Mathematics Paper 3 and Biology Paper 4. Mathematics Paper 3 was quite easy, but Biology Paper 4 was extremely difficult. On 20 March, it was Chemistry Paper 4, which was also very difficult. The SPM 2013 results was out on that day and I got A- for SPM Chinese. Although I did not get A+ or A, I still felt quite satisfied. On 23 March, it is my birthday and my teacher also had his wedding on that day. I did not celebrate my birthday nor attend my teacher’s wedding because I was busy revising for the examination. On 24 March, the subject tested was Physics Paper 4. It was a bit difficult, but easier than what I had expected. Biology Paper 5 and Chemistry Paper 5 were tested on 26 March and they were not difficult. On 27 March, it was Physics Paper 5 and I could answer it quite well. On 28 March which was the last day of examination, Mathematics Paper 4 was tested and it was quite easy. After the test ended, I and my friends had lunch together, then we played board games at the Wisma Subang Jaya near our college. For the A2 trial examination, I was confident in getting A for Mathematics and Physics but not Biology and Chemistry.
29 March 2014 – 13 April 2014:
My college had holidays from 29 March to 13 April. During the holidays, I was quite relaxed, but I also did some revision for my oncoming A2 final examination. I went back to Kulim on 29 March and stayed there for 2 weeks. I then returned to Subang Jaya on 13 April.
14 April 2014 – 2 May 2014:
During that period of time, it was again very stressful for me. My A2 final examination would be starting soon and the water rationing was extended to my housing area, although there was no more haze. I was quite busy revising for the oncoming A2 final examination. I also felt sad at that time because my college life would be ending soon. On 15 April, I showed one of my friend my UCAS personal statement earlier and asked her to help make some changes to it because I had to write a personal statement for my application to Newcastle University Medicine (NUMed) Malaysia. However, my friend said that my UCAS personal statement was very poor and she told me to rewrite it completely. I was offered a place for Pharmacy course by Kingston University London on the same day. On 16 April, it was one of my friend’s birthday and my friends celebrated it for him. Out of my expectation, they also celebrated my belated birthday at the same time because they did not manage to celebrate it for me earlier due to examination and holiday. On 18 April, I and one of my friend joined the field trip to IMU organised by my college. My friends celebrated the birthdays of a few of our friends on 23 April and 24 April. Then, I attended the interview for Perdana University on 25 April. One of my friend attended the interview for Pharmacy course at University of Nottingham Malaysia on the same day. During that time, some of my friends often asked me for help in their studies. On 1 May, the water rationing finally ended. 2 May was my last day of class in Taylor’s College.
3 May 2014 – 22 May 2014:
There was no college from 3 May to 7 May and I spent most of my time doing revision for the A2 final examination. 6 May was a very disappointing day for me because I unexpectedly received a rejection letter from Perdana University. I also felt ashamed about that because my friend who attended another interview on the same day as me was successful in getting an offer, so I did not tell any of my friends about that. My parents knew about that because they saw the rejection letter before me and they were also disappointed. On 8 May, my teacher gave us revision for Biology Paper 5. My A2 final examination was from 9 May to 22 May. For the first half of the examination from 9 May to 13 May, the papers were quite difficult and I felt very stressful. There was a break from 14 May to 18 May. At that time, I applied to SEGi University as a backup option in case I was later rejected by both IMU and NUMed Malaysia. For the second half of the examination from 19 May to 22 May, the papers were easier and I was quite relaxed. 22 May was the last day of my A2 final examination, so technically it was also my last day in Taylor’s College.
I have written in detail about my A2 final examination here:
http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2014/09/my-a2-final-examination.html
23 May 2014 – 18 September 2014:
Even though my A Level course at Taylor’s College had ended at that time, I often had outings with my college friends during that few months. So, in reality my college life had not yet ended. That period of time was very interesting for me. On 12 August, the A2 final examination results was released and I obtained 4A*. On 18 September, I met up with my friends at college for the last time before entering university and that marked the end of my college life. After that, I moved to Johor Bahru on 20 September and started studying at NUMed Malaysia on 22 September.
I have written in detail about the incidents happened during that few months here:
http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-4-eventful-months-after-my-a2-level.html
In conclusion, my one and a half years of study at Taylor's College Subang Jaya had been very interesting. It is the time I spent together with my college friends which made my college life interesting. I consider my college friends to be my most important group of friends, and this fact will remain the same in the future. I am glad that I chose Taylor's College instead of Sunway College and I chose to began my A Level programme in January 2013, because otherwise I would not be studying together with them. I had to thank my parents for this because it was them who caused me to make this decision. At the same time, I am glad that I did not switch to Matriculation or the July intake of Taylor's College. Now, I really miss my life at Taylor's College very much.
If you find this story interesting, you may want to read this too:
http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2015/09/my-1st-year-of-medicine-course-at-numed.html
Actually, before I started studying at Taylor's College, I did not want to study there. Instead, I wanted to study Matriculation. Since when I was in Form 3, I had planned to study Matriculation after completing Form 5. However, after my SPM examination ended, my parents wanted me to start studying A level at Taylor's College in January 2013, because they were worried that I might not get the offer to study Matriculation later. Since I was not confident of getting the offer to study Matriculation, I agreed to study A level first. However, I wanted to start in April 2013 instead of January 2013, because I wanted to relax for a few months after my SPM. I also preferred studying at Sunway College instead of Taylor's College, because at that time I felt that the name 'Sunway' sounded much better than 'Taylor's'.
However, after looking at the locations of Taylor's College and Sunway College, I felt that Taylor's College's location was much better than Sunway College. Therefore, I changed my mind and chose Taylor's College instead of Sunway College. On 8 December 2012, I attended the open day for Taylor's College with my parents. During the open day, I registered for Taylor's College's A Level programme. I chose to take the subjects Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. The course counsellor said that I could choose to start the programme in January or April, but he advised me to start in January because students who start in April would have to do self study to cover up for what they had missed during the first 3 months. Therefore, I had no choice but to choose to start in January 2013. At that time, I planned to switch to Matriculation later if I got the offer.
14 January 2013 – 1 February 2013:
I started studying at Taylor’s College on 14 January. From 14 January to 16 January, there were orientation programmes. 17 January was the first day of teaching. Then, the first practical session was on 22 January. On 25 January, it was the first class test for Physics. During that period of time, I was still getting to know how college life is like and I had not get used to it. I only made a few friends because I was shy since I was from Kulim while most of my classmates were from Subang Jaya.
I have written in detail about my first 2 weeks in Taylor's College here:
http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-first-two-weeks-in-taylors-college.html
2 February 2013 – 17 February 2013:
The Chinese New Year for 2013 was on 10 February. My college had 9 days of holiday from 9 February to 17 February. However, I skipped one more week of college from 4 February to 8 February because I wanted to go back to Kulim before the Chinese New Year. I went back to Kulim on 2 February and celebrated Chinese New Year there. Then, I returned to Subang Jaya on 17 February. I felt sad because I knew that I would not be going back to Kulim soon.
18 February 2013 – 20 March 2013:
On 18 February, my college reopened. During that period of time, I settled down in Subang Jaya and got used to college life. Soon, I began to enjoy life in Taylor’s College. I also became closer to my 2 best friends and I occasionally had lunch with them. I was quite worried of my SPM results at that time because it was not yet released. There were a few times where my other classmates borrowed my work in class and that helped build my relationship with them. However, I was still not close to them and I did not talk to them very often.
21 March 2013 – 24 March 2013:
The SPM 2012 results was out on 21 March. I went back to Kulim at night on 20 March. Then on 21 March, I went to my secondary school to get my SPM results. After that, I stayed in Kulim for a few days because my birthday is on 23 March and I wanted to celebrate my birthday in Kulim. On 24 March, I went back to Subang Jaya. I had to skip college on 21 March and 22 March but many of my classmates also did the same.
25 March 2013 – 29 March 2013:
During that week, I had several long conversations with my closest friend whenever there was free time in college. We mainly talked about our secondary school life previously. As a result, I became even closer to him. On 25 March, I was offered the MOE Bursary because I obtained 9A+ in SPM. The bursary would sponsor for my tuition fees at Taylor’s College and give me a monthly allowance of RM430. My college then gave a briefing about the MOE Bursary on 29 March.
30 March 2013 – 14 April 2013:
My college had 2 weeks of holidays from 30 March to 14 April. I mostly relaxed during that time because there was still about 2 months before the Semester 1 examination. I went back to Kulim on 30 March and stayed there for 2 weeks. At that time, my family heard that students who studied Matriculation could get into Medicine course at local public universities easily. As a result, they preferred that I switch from A Level to Matriculation if I was later offered to study Matriculation. I returned to Subang Jaya on 14 April.
15 April 2013 – 3 May 2013:
My college reopened on 15 April. On 17 April, I confirmed my acceptance of the MOE Bursary and I chose to continue with the January intake of Taylor’s College instead of restarting in July. During that time, I started talking to and became closer to a few more of my classmates. I no longer wanted to switch to Matriculation, because I really enjoyed life in Taylor’s College and I did not want to be separated with my friends. However, my family wanted me switch to Matriculation if I got the offer. The results of the application for Matriculation was out on 25 April. One day before that, I kept praying that I would not be offered the Matriculation because my family might force me to switch if I was offered it. I also told my college friends about that. Luckily, I did not get the offer for Matriculation so I could continue studying in Taylor’s College. As a result of that incident, I started to treasure life in Taylor’s College. On 2 May, it was the written test for the MPW Moral Education. I did not answer it very well.
4 May 2013 – 8 May 2013:
On 5 May, it was the Malaysia General Election 2013. As a result, my college made 6 May a holiday. The Hari Anugerah Cemerlang (Awards Day) of my secondary school for students who obtained straight A in SPM 2012 was on 7 May. I wanted to attend it so I went back to Kulim on 6 May. After the Hari Anugerah Cemerlang, I stayed in Kulim for one more night. I then returned to Subang Jaya on 8 May. Consequently, I had to skip college on 7 May and 8 May.
9 May 2013 – 7 June 2013:
On 9 May, I initially wanted to have lunch at PappaRich which I usually went to for lunch, but my friends wanted to go to Shakespeare for lunch and they persuaded me to follow them. I then agreed and that was the first time I had lunch at Shakespeare. In the following weeks, my friends also brought me to other restaurants that I had never been before such as Sky Village. During that time, I often had lunch with my 2 close friends, but we only went to a few restaurants that we were familiar with and no one else joined us. I also started doing revision for my oncoming Semester 1 examination. My mother wanted me to switch to the July intake of Taylor’s College because she was worried that I might lose the MOE Bursary if I did not switch even though the MOE had stated that we could choose not to switch. However, I insisted to remain in the January intake because I did not want to be separated with my college friends. On 6 June, there was a Biology practical on the dissection of cow’s heart. I carried out the practical with a few of my friends. On 7 June, many of my classmates had a group lunch at Haha Pan Mee. My 2 close friends wanted to join them and they also invited me to join. I agreed to join them and that was the first time where I had lunch with my college friends in a large group. My Biology teacher also gave us extra classes on that day.
8 June 2013 – 13 June 2013:
From 10 June to 13 June, it was the Semester 1 examination of my college. There was no practical test for that examination. All papers in that examination were not difficult and I answered them quite well. I was very confident of getting grade A and maybe above 90 marks in all subjects.
14 June 2013 – 1 July 2013:
There was 2 week holiday for my college from 14 June to 1 July. During the holidays, I mostly relaxed because my Semester 1 examination was over. On 15 June, I went back to Kulim. I stayed there for 2 weeks before returning to Subang Jaya on 30 June.
2 July 2013 – 2 August 2013:
My 2nd semester at Taylor’s College started on 2 July. During that month, I became closer to many of my college friends compared to earlier. I began to go for lunch with my friends in a larger group and we went to some restaurants that I had never been to earlier. On 5 July, I joined the farewell lunch of one of my classmates, where I said ‘Bye-bye forever’ to him and that made my classmates laugh. On 13 July, I and a few of my friends joined the Olimpiad Matematik Kebangsaan at Universiti Malaya, and I gave them some tips before the competition since I joined it a few times previously. On 29 July, there was an online test for the MPW Malaysian Studies, where I and all my classmates cooperated and answered the test together. All these incidents, together with some other incidents, brought me closer to my college friends. Then on 31 July, I and many of my college friends had a long and interesting conversation about my love story. Consequently, my friends knew me much better than before and I realised that I could actually communicate with them very well, so I told myself that from then onwards I should talk to them more.
I have written in detail about the incidents happened in July 2013 here:
http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2014/06/july-2013-eventful-month.html
3 August 2013 – 11 August 2013:
My college had one week of holiday from 3 August to 11 August for Hari Raya Aidilfitri. I went back to Kulim at night on 2 August. Then on 3 August, I attended the oral test for SPM Chinese in Alor Star. After that, I stayed in Kulim for one week. During that week in Kulim, I spent most of my time revising for my oncoming AS trial examination. I returned to Subang Jaya on 10 August.
12 August 2013 – 16 August 2013:
My college reopened on 12 August. On 13 August, it was Biology Paper 3 of the AS trial examination. That was the first time where I took a practical test. It was very difficult and it affected my confidence in the AS trial examination. Other than 13 August, there was no test on other days of that week and our teachers gave us revision. At that time, I began to talk quite a lot to many of my college friends, thanks to the 31 July incident earlier.
17 August 2013 – 29 August 2013:
My AS trial examination was from 17 August to 29 August. In that examination, I did not answer many of the papers well because they were much more difficult compared to the Semester 1 examination previously and I was not well prepared for it. There were also a few times where I had lunch with my friends after finishing a paper, but my mother came to fetch me before we finished lunch because I told her to fetch me too early. Consequently, my AS trial examination was stressful and not interesting. I was confident in getting grade A but not above 90 marks in all subjects.
30 August 2013 – 8 September 2013:
There was one week of college holiday from 30 August to 8 September. During that week, I was quite worried of my AS trial examination results. In fact, I dreamt about the results almost every night. I went back to Kulim on 31 August. I stayed there for one week and then returned to Subang Jaya on 8 September.
9 September 2013 – 11 October 2013:
The college reopened on 9 September. During that time, I was very much closer to most of my college friends compared to before the 31 July incident. As a result, my college life became even more interesting. I later apologised them for being antisocial earlier. On 13 September, I registered for the BMAT test. Then, I submitted my UCAS application on 17 September. I also started revising for my oncoming AS final examination at that time. I had lunch with my friends in a large group almost every day and I really enjoyed that. We went to many restaurants that I had never been to earlier for lunch. Initially, I agreed to go to any restaurant that my friends chose, with the exception of Mr Rice because it sells mixed rice while I was not used to eating mixed rice. I later decided to try eating at Mr Rice so I went there with my friends for the first time on 23 September. It turned out that I liked the food there so since then I no longer refused when my friends wanted to go there. On 1 October, I and my college friends took many photographs together, then one of my friend edited the photos and submitted them to the college office to be included in our college magazine. I attended a mock interview for my application to the University of Oxford on 3 October. On 9 October, I bought a new scientific calculator at the bookshop opposite my college because the AS final examination would be starting soon and my previous calculator was out-dated.
12 October 2013 – 3 December 2013:
I had several examinations during that time so I was busy doing revision. My AS final examination started on 15 October and it lasted until 29 November. I also took the BMAT on 6 November and the SPM Chinese on 3 December. Some of the papers were quite easy while others were more difficult. Even though I had several examinations, I mostly felt quite relaxed because there were long breaks between papers. In fact, there was 2 week break between 11 November and 26 November, during which I went back to Kulim from 11 November to 23 November. After my AS final examination ended, I went back to Kulim again on 30 November to take the SPM Chinese and then returned to Subang Jaya at night on 3 December. There was college on 2 December and 3 December so I had to skip.
I have written in detail about the examinations I took at that time here:
http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-2013-year-end-examination.html
4 December 2013 – 10 December 2013:
I and my friends were quite relaxed at that time because our AS final examination was over. I still had examinations. I took the IELTS Speaking on 5 December and IELTS Listening, Reading and Writing on 7 December. 7 December was the last day of all my examinations at that time. On 9 December, when I and my college friends were going for lunch, I helped one of my friend to carry her books and she called me a gentleman. I felt very happy about that and as a result of that incident, I started considering my college friends to be my most important group of friends, replacing my secondary school friends. Consequently, I enjoyed my college life even more.
11 December 2013 – 6 January 2014:
The 2013 year-end holidays of my college was from 11 December to 6 January. I went to Singapore from 16 December to 18 December for holidays with my friends. I got lost when we were at Singapore on 17 December. Later, I managed to find my way back. Some of my friends were very worried about me, while others were confident that I could find my way. Despite this incident, the trip to Singapore was very interesting and it made me value my college friends even more. On 19 December, my parents bought me an iPad Air. On 20 December, my IELTS results was released and I got Band 8.0 overall. Then on 21 December, I applied to the University of Hong Kong (HKU). At night on 21 December, I went back to Kulim. I stayed in Kulim for about 2 weeks and returned to Subang Jaya on 3 January.
7 January 2014 – 28 January 2014:
My 3rd semester at Taylor’s College began on 7 January. At that time, I started to really treasure life at Taylor’s College because I would be graduating in less than half a year. I also felt that college life is so enjoyable for the first time. Many of my friends often played with my new iPad Air and they suggested that I get a cover for it to protect it from damage. So, I bought a cover for my iPad on 9 January. On 15 January, one of my friend who applied to University College London (UCL) was interviewed by e-mail and she asked me for help. I helped her in answering the interview questions and correcting any grammatical errors in her answers. Although I didn’t actually help her a lot, she really appreciated my help. That incident made me consider her as one of my closest friends. On 24 January, the AS final examination results was released. I obtained 4A with all subjects above 90%. One of my friend did not obtain very good results and he felt sad about that. I gave him moral support and also felt sad for him. I also followed him when he went to the college office to get advice.
29 January 2014 – 4 February 2014:
The Chinese New Year for 2014 was on 31 January. My college had 7 days of holiday from 29 January to 4 February. I felt that 7 days was just right because it was enough for me to go back to Kulim and I did not want the holiday to be longer than that since I really treasured my college life at that time. I went back to Kulim on 29 January and celebrated Chinese New Year there. Then on 3 February, I returned to Subang Jaya.
5 February 2014 – 7 March 2014:
My college reopened on 5 February. During the first week, I got the breakdown of my AS final results for every paper of each subject from my teachers. On 7 February, one of my friend had a potluck for Chinese New Year at her house and she invited everyone in our class to join. I decided to join and that was the first time I went to my friend’s house. The potluck was very interesting and I learned how to play mahjung there. On 17 February, I received my statement of results for the AS level examination. 21 February was a very interesting day for me, because I had outings with 2 different groups of my friends. I and my college friends went to Secrets of Louisiana of lunch. After that, I also met up with my secondary school friends at Grafa. 21 February was also the day I submitted the application to International Medical University (IMU). During that period of time, I continued to treasure my every moment at Taylor’s College, just like during January earlier. Besides, I tried to make the most out of my college life. I felt sad whenever it was Thursday or Friday because that meant I had finished another week of college life. I also started studying for my oncoming A2 trial examination at that time. Because there was still quite some time before the A2 trial examination, I felt quite relaxed until 7 March. On 5 March, out of my expectation I was invited to attend an interview for the University of Hong Kong. My friends congratulated me when they knew about that.
8 March 2014 – 9 March 2014:
On 8 March, a very unfortunate incident happened – the MH370 incident. I felt very sad about that and I prayed that the passengers of MH370 would be safe. To make matters worse, that incident happened in the midst of the bad haze condition and serious water rationing in Malaysia. 8 March was a turning point in my college life because after that day, my college life became quite stressful compared to earlier, although I still treasured and enjoyed it.
10 March 2014 – 18 March 2014:
That period of time was very stressful for me and my friends, because our A2 trial examination would be starting soon, while the MH370 incident, bad haze and water rationing added to our stress. I was very busy doing revision for the A2 trial examination at that time. On 10 March, many of my friends were talking about the MH370 incident and the haze was very bad, causing me to feel stressed. The haze condition improved on 11 March. But on 12 March, the water rationing was quite bad that restaurants had to use paper or plastic plates and cups to avoid washing them. On 14 March, the haze was quite bad again and my college decided to cancel all classes on that day, but I and my friends were already in college so my teachers continued with the lesson. On 16 March, I attended the interview for the University of Hong Kong (HKU) at Hilton Kuala Lumpur Hotel. That was the only interesting incident for me during that time. From 17 March onwards, there was no more bad haze, but the water rationing continued.
19 March 2014 – 28 March 2014:
The A2 trial examination started on 19 March and it lasted until 28 March. On 19 March, it was Mathematics Paper 3 and Biology Paper 4. Mathematics Paper 3 was quite easy, but Biology Paper 4 was extremely difficult. On 20 March, it was Chemistry Paper 4, which was also very difficult. The SPM 2013 results was out on that day and I got A- for SPM Chinese. Although I did not get A+ or A, I still felt quite satisfied. On 23 March, it is my birthday and my teacher also had his wedding on that day. I did not celebrate my birthday nor attend my teacher’s wedding because I was busy revising for the examination. On 24 March, the subject tested was Physics Paper 4. It was a bit difficult, but easier than what I had expected. Biology Paper 5 and Chemistry Paper 5 were tested on 26 March and they were not difficult. On 27 March, it was Physics Paper 5 and I could answer it quite well. On 28 March which was the last day of examination, Mathematics Paper 4 was tested and it was quite easy. After the test ended, I and my friends had lunch together, then we played board games at the Wisma Subang Jaya near our college. For the A2 trial examination, I was confident in getting A for Mathematics and Physics but not Biology and Chemistry.
29 March 2014 – 13 April 2014:
My college had holidays from 29 March to 13 April. During the holidays, I was quite relaxed, but I also did some revision for my oncoming A2 final examination. I went back to Kulim on 29 March and stayed there for 2 weeks. I then returned to Subang Jaya on 13 April.
14 April 2014 – 2 May 2014:
During that period of time, it was again very stressful for me. My A2 final examination would be starting soon and the water rationing was extended to my housing area, although there was no more haze. I was quite busy revising for the oncoming A2 final examination. I also felt sad at that time because my college life would be ending soon. On 15 April, I showed one of my friend my UCAS personal statement earlier and asked her to help make some changes to it because I had to write a personal statement for my application to Newcastle University Medicine (NUMed) Malaysia. However, my friend said that my UCAS personal statement was very poor and she told me to rewrite it completely. I was offered a place for Pharmacy course by Kingston University London on the same day. On 16 April, it was one of my friend’s birthday and my friends celebrated it for him. Out of my expectation, they also celebrated my belated birthday at the same time because they did not manage to celebrate it for me earlier due to examination and holiday. On 18 April, I and one of my friend joined the field trip to IMU organised by my college. My friends celebrated the birthdays of a few of our friends on 23 April and 24 April. Then, I attended the interview for Perdana University on 25 April. One of my friend attended the interview for Pharmacy course at University of Nottingham Malaysia on the same day. During that time, some of my friends often asked me for help in their studies. On 1 May, the water rationing finally ended. 2 May was my last day of class in Taylor’s College.
3 May 2014 – 22 May 2014:
There was no college from 3 May to 7 May and I spent most of my time doing revision for the A2 final examination. 6 May was a very disappointing day for me because I unexpectedly received a rejection letter from Perdana University. I also felt ashamed about that because my friend who attended another interview on the same day as me was successful in getting an offer, so I did not tell any of my friends about that. My parents knew about that because they saw the rejection letter before me and they were also disappointed. On 8 May, my teacher gave us revision for Biology Paper 5. My A2 final examination was from 9 May to 22 May. For the first half of the examination from 9 May to 13 May, the papers were quite difficult and I felt very stressful. There was a break from 14 May to 18 May. At that time, I applied to SEGi University as a backup option in case I was later rejected by both IMU and NUMed Malaysia. For the second half of the examination from 19 May to 22 May, the papers were easier and I was quite relaxed. 22 May was the last day of my A2 final examination, so technically it was also my last day in Taylor’s College.
I have written in detail about my A2 final examination here:
http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2014/09/my-a2-final-examination.html
23 May 2014 – 18 September 2014:
Even though my A Level course at Taylor’s College had ended at that time, I often had outings with my college friends during that few months. So, in reality my college life had not yet ended. That period of time was very interesting for me. On 12 August, the A2 final examination results was released and I obtained 4A*. On 18 September, I met up with my friends at college for the last time before entering university and that marked the end of my college life. After that, I moved to Johor Bahru on 20 September and started studying at NUMed Malaysia on 22 September.
I have written in detail about the incidents happened during that few months here:
http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-4-eventful-months-after-my-a2-level.html
In conclusion, my one and a half years of study at Taylor's College Subang Jaya had been very interesting. It is the time I spent together with my college friends which made my college life interesting. I consider my college friends to be my most important group of friends, and this fact will remain the same in the future. I am glad that I chose Taylor's College instead of Sunway College and I chose to began my A Level programme in January 2013, because otherwise I would not be studying together with them. I had to thank my parents for this because it was them who caused me to make this decision. At the same time, I am glad that I did not switch to Matriculation or the July intake of Taylor's College. Now, I really miss my life at Taylor's College very much.
If you find this story interesting, you may want to read this too:
http://daniellimjj.blogspot.com/2015/09/my-1st-year-of-medicine-course-at-numed.html
Monday, 6 April 2015
Guide to JPA Scholarship
LAST UPDATED: 19 August 2024
The JPA scholarship is a scholarship offered by the Malaysian government for students to further their studies in universities. Here, I am going to explain in detail about the JPA scholarship.
If you are offered the JPA scholarship, it will sponsor for your tuition fees in full and you will be given a monthly allowance. It will not sponsor for your accommodation specifically, instead you are expected to use part of the monthly allowance to pay for the accommodation.
Since 2016, the JPA scholarship is in the form of convertible loan. If you work in the public service after you graduate, you are exempted from paying back the loan. If you work in a Government Linked Company (GLC) after you graduate, you have to pay back 25% of the loan. If you work in a private company in Malaysia after you graduate, you have pay back 50% of the loan. If you work overseas or do not work after you graduate, you have to pay back the loan in full.
There are several different programmes of the JPA scholarship, which includes the following:
- Program Khas Lepasan SPM Dalam Negara
- Program Ijazah Dalam Negara
- Program Penajaan Nasional
- Program Khas Ijazah Luar Negara
- Program Khas Jepun, Korea, Perancis dan Jerman
- Program Dermasiswa B40
- Program Khas JPA-MARA
You can apply for and be offered more than one of the programmes. However, you may only accept the offer for one programme.
(A) Program Khas Lepasan SPM Dalam Negara:
This programme is for students who obtained 9A+ or above in SPM. It replaces the previous Program Bursary and Program Penajaan 9A+ since 2020. Unlike the Program Bursary and Program Penajaan 9A+, students have to attend and pass the Student Assessment Centre (SAC) before they can be offered this programme.
It first sponsors for local pre-university courses which include A Level, IB, STPM, STAM, Matriculation, AUSMAT and Foundation. You can choose the pre-university course you want to study, as long as you are able to get the offer to study it. After you have completed the pre-university course under the scholarship, you will be sponsored for your degree course if you meet the requirements.
This programme sponsors for degree courses at selected local universities only. It does not sponsor for twinning or credit transfer programmes with overseas universities. Only degree courses and universities that are in the list for this programme are sponsored. You can choose any course and university in the list, as long as you are able to get the offer to study the course at the university.
If you meet the requirements, you will need to follow the procedures to apply for this programme.
List of pre-university courses sponsored by the Program Khas Lepasan SPM Dalam Negara:
1. A Level
2. International Baccalaureate (IB)
3. Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM)
4. Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM)
5. Ministry of Education Matriculation
6. Australian Matriculation (AUSMAT)
7. Foundation
List of degree courses sponsored by the Program Khas Lepasan SPM Dalam Negara:
1. All courses at all local public universities
(Except Nursing, Education and Aviation)
2. Medicine:
(For SPM 2020, 2021 and 2022 students)
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, International Medical University, Monash University Malaysia, Universiti Kuala Lumpur - Royal College of Medicine Perak, UCSI University, Management & Science University, Taylor's University, SEGi University, University of Cyberjaya, Lincoln University College, WIDAD University College
(For SPM 2023 students)
Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia, International Medical University, Monash University Malaysia, UCSI University, Taylor's University, Sunway University
3. Dentistry:
(For SPM 2020, 2021 and 2022 students)
International Medical University, SEGi University, Lincoln University College
(For SPM 2023 students)
Not available
4. Pharmacy:
(For SPM 2020, 2021 and 2022 students)
International Medical University, UCSI University, University of Cyberjaya, Monash University Malaysia, Management & Science University, Taylor's University, SEGi University, Universiti Kuala Lumpur - Royal College of Medicine Perak, Lincoln University College
(For SPM 2023 students)
International Medical University, Monash University Malaysia, UCSI University, Taylor's University
5. Architecture:
Taylor's University, UCSI University, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
6. Engineering:
(For SPM 2020, 2021 and 2022 students)
University Teknologi Petronas, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Multimedia University, Malaysia Japan International Institute of Technology, Curtin University of Technology, Monash University Malaysia, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation, Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur, INTI University, Nilai University, SEGi University, Taylor's University, UCSI University, Universiti Selangor, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, AIMST University, KDU University College, Universiti Kuala Lumpur
(For SPM 2023 students)
Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Multimedia University, Malaysia Japan International Institute of Technology, Taylor's University, UCSI University, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Monash University Malaysia, University of Reading Malaysia, Xiamen University Malaysia, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Curtin University Malaysia, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
7. Science & Technology and Social Science:
(For SPM 2020, 2021 and 2022 students)
Monash University Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Curtin University of Technology, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Management and Science University, Sunway University, UCSI University, Taylor's University, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kolej Universiti Sains Perubatan Cyberjaya, Lincoln University College, Universiti Multimedia, Al-Madinah International University, Asia E University, City University, INTI University, Mahsa University, SEGi University, HELP University, Universiti Infrastruktur Kuala Lumpur, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Nilai University, Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, KDU University College, Kolej Universiti Hospitaliti Berjaya, Kolej Universiti Insaniah, Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Selangor, Kolej Universiti TATI, Kolej Universiti Teknologi Antarabangsa Twintech, Lim Kok Wing University of Creative Technology
(For SPM 2023 students)
Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, UCSI University, Multimedia University, Management and Science University, Taylor's University, Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation, Sunway University, INTI University, Monash University Malaysia, University of Reading Malaysia, Xiamen University Malaysia, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Curtin University Malaysia, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
The requirements to be sponsored by the Program Khas Lepasan SPM Dalam Negara for pre-university course:
1. You must have taken the SPM for the first time within the previous year.
2. You have to obtain grade A+ in at least 9 subjects for SPM. The 9 subjects can be any subjects. Your performance in the remaining subjects will not be taken into account.
3. You have to get an offer to study a pre-university course that is in the list for this programme.
4. You have to attend and pass the Student Assessment Centre (SAC).
5. You must be a citizen of Malaysia.
The requirements to be sponsored by the Program Khas Lepasan SPM Dalam Negara for degree course:
1. You must have completed your pre-university course under sponsorship by the Program Khas Lepasan SPM Dalam Negara.
2. You have to obtain one of the following results:
A Level: ABB
IB: 34 points
STPM: CGPA of 3.50
STAM: 10 Jayyid Jiddan
AUSMAT: ATAR score of 85
MOE Matriculation / Foundation: CGPA of 3.75 or Distinction
In all cases, you must not have obtained grade C (or its equivalent) or lower in any subject.
3. You have to get an unconditional offer to study a degree course that is in the list for this programme.
4. You must have a full SPM certificate with minimum grade C in Bahasa Melayu.
5. You must be a citizen of Malaysia.
For SPM 2023 students, this programme is open for application on 29 May 2024.
The procedure to apply for the Program Khas Lepasan SPM Dalam Negara for pre-university course:
1. Go to the web page for this programme:
- For SPM 2020 students: http://esilav2.jpa.gov.my/online_progs/epermohonan/index.php?program=LSPM
- For SPM 2021 students: http://esilav2.jpa.gov.my/online_progs/epermohonan/index.php?program=KSPM1
- For SPM 2022 students: http://esilav2.jpa.gov.my/online_progs/epermohonan/index.php?program=LSPM1
- For SPM 2023 students: http://esilav2.jpa.gov.my/online_progs/epermohonan/index.php?program=KSPM
2. Select 'Daftar' and follow the instructions to create a new account.
3. Log into the account that you created. Then, follow the instructions and fill in all the information you have.
4. (For SPM 2023 students) Complete the Ujian Khas Penajaan Persekutuan (UKPP) dan Indeks Bimbingan Kerjaya (IBK) accordingly.
5. JPA will inform you about the dates and location of the Student Assessment Centre (SAC). Attend the SAC accordingly.
6. When the results of the application for this programme is released, JPA will inform you about that.
7. Get an offer to study a pre-university course that is in the list for this programme. For A Level, IB, AUSMAT or Foundation, you have to submit an application to a college. Visit the college's website for details on the application process. For STPM or MOE Matriculation, you have to wait until the offer is out, then accept the offer. (If you fail to get the offer to study MOE Matriculation, then you have to choose another pre-university course instead.)
8. Go back to the website for this programme. Fill in the information regarding your pre-university course and download the 'Slip Pengesahan Maklumat'.
9. Submit the offer letter from your pre-university college, the 'Slip Pengesahan Maklumat' and a copy of your identity card to JPA.
10. When ePenawaran has been activated, JPA will inform you about that.
11. Go to this web page: http://esilav2.jpa.gov.my/online_progs/epenawaran/?noTheme=1
12. Log in using your IC number and the same password that you used during Step 3 earlier.
13. By following the instructions, accept the scholarship, then fill in the required information. After that, you have to download and print out several documents such as the offer letter and contract which are available on the website.
14. Fill up the documents according to the instructions and submit them to JPA.
15. You should submit a copy of the JPA scholarship offer letter that you got during step 13 to your pre-university college. You are all done.
NOTE:
- For A Level, some colleges offer the option to choose between 18 months programme and 24 months programme. You can choose either one, and the scholarship will sponsor for the whole duration of your A Level programme.
- The scholarship will only sponsor 3 subjects for A Level. If you wish to take additional subjects, you will need to pay the fees for those subjects yourself.
- If you have started studying A Level earlier before your SPM results is released, you can choose to either remain in your original intake or switch to the July intake. However, if you choose to remain in the original intake, the scholarship will only start sponsoring from July until you complete your A Level programme, and any tuition fees before July will not be sponsored.
- JPA's communication with you is usually through e-mail. You should check your mailbox including the spam folder regularly.
The procedure to apply for the Program Khas Lepasan SPM Dalam Negara for degree course:
1. Get an offer to study a degree course that is in the list for this programme. You have to submit an application to the university. Visit the university's website for details on the application process.
2. Wait until the final results of your pre-university course is released and you get the unconditional offer from your university.
3. Go to the web page for this programme:
- For SPM 2020 students: http://esilav2.jpa.gov.my/online_progs/epermohonan/index.php?program=LSPM
- For SPM 2021 students: http://esilav2.jpa.gov.my/online_progs/epermohonan/index.php?program=KSPM1
- For SPM 2022 students: http://esilav2.jpa.gov.my/online_progs/epermohonan/index.php?program=LSPM1
- For SPM 2023 students: http://esilav2.jpa.gov.my/online_progs/epermohonan/index.php?program=KSPM
4. Log into the account that you created when you previously applied for the Program Khas Lepasan SPM Dalam Negara for pre-university (see above). Then, follow the instructions and fill in all the required information.
5. Complete the application and download the 'Slip Permohonan'.
6. Submit the final results of your pre-university course, the unconditional offer letter from your university, the 'Slip Permohonan' and a copy of your identity card to JPA.
7. When ePenawaran has been activated, JPA will inform you about that.
8. Go to this web page: http://esilav2.jpa.gov.my/online_progs/epenawaran/?noTheme=1
9. Log in using your IC number and the same password that you used during Step 4 earlier.
10. By following the instructions, accept the scholarship, then fill in the required information. After that, you have to download and print out several documents such as the offer letter (FA) and contract which are available on the website.
11. Fill up the documents according to the instructions and submit them to JPA.
12. You should submit a copy of the JPA scholarship offer letter (FA) that you got during step 10 to your university. You are all done.
NOTE:
- If you applied for a degree course at a local private university before the final results of your pre-university course is released using your forecast results and got a conditional offer, you can get a JPA scholarship conditional offer letter (TFA).
- By submitting the TFA to the university, they will waive any deposit that you may have to pay.
- You can get up to 2 TFA for 2 different universities, and you can still switch to other universities after your final results is released if you wish.
- To get the TFA, you should submit the forecast results of your pre-university course, the conditional offer letter from your university and a copy of your identity card to JPA.
- After the final results of your pre-university course is released and you get the unconditional offer from your university, you will still need to follow the usual procedures to apply for this programme.
- JPA's communication with you is usually through e-mail. You should check your mailbox including the spam folder regularly.
To get more information for this programme, go to these web pages:
- For SPM 2020 students:
- For SPM 2021 students:
- For SPM 2022 students:
- For SPM 2023 students:
(B) Program Ijazah Dalam Negara:
This programme is for students who are studying a degree course at a local university and are not sponsored by any scholarship currently. This programme sponsors for degree courses at local public universities, polytechnics and local private universities with the status of Government Linked University (GLU) only. Since 2014, it does not sponsor for any other local private universities. Since 2015, students who have not yet started their degree course cannot apply for this programme.
JPA will start sponsoring for your degree course when you get the offer for this programme and this will continue until you complete the degree course. Any tuition fees before you get the offer for this programme will not be sponsored. There is no guarantee that students who meet all the requirements will be offered this programme, as students will have to undergo selection process.
The requirements to apply for the Program Ijazah Dalam Negara:
1. For degree courses other than Medicine and Dentistry, you have to obtain CGPA of 3.30 in the previous semester of your degree course. For Medicine or Dentistry course, you have to pass the previous semester of your degree course. If you have not yet completed the 1st semester of your degree course, you have to obtain CGPA of 3.30 (or its equivalent) in your pre-university course.
2. You must be currently studying a degree course at a local public university, polytechnic or local private university with the status of Government Linked University (GLU), and have remaining at least 12 months in your degree course.
3. You must have a full SPM certificate.
4. You must not be older than 22 years old at the date of application (or 23 years old if you took Remove Class previously before entering Form 1).
5. You must be a citizen of Malaysia.
For 2024, this programme was open for application on 29 February 2024 and the application closed on 7 April 2024.
To get more information for this programme, go to this web page:
(C) Program Penajaan Nasional:
This programme is only open for application for the students who are shortlisted based on the SPM results. They have to undergo further selection process, which involves attending interviews and the Student Assessment Centre (SAC). Since 2016, only the best 20 students among them will be offered this programme.
It sponsors for Engineering & Technical, Science & Technology, Social Science and Creative Industry courses at the top 20 universities in United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore and United States based on the QS World Ranking for the particular category that the course is in.
You can choose any of those universities, as long as you are able to get the offer to study at the university. Students who are offered this programme will study a pre-university course locally before starting the degree course. JPA will start sponsoring when you begin the pre-university course and this will continue until you complete the degree course.
This is the list of shortlisted students for Engineering and Science & Technology courses for 2024:
This is the list of shortlisted students for courses other than Engineering and Science & Technology for 2024:
For 2024, this programme was open for application on 29 May 2024 and the application closed on 9 June 2024.
If you are in the list of shortlisted students for 2024 and you obtained 9A+ or above in SPM, you are also eligible for the Program Khas Lepasan SPM Dalam Negara (see part A) and you should apply for it too. If you fail to be offered this programme, you can still be offered the Program Khas Lepasan SPM Dalam Negara.
To get more information for this programme, go to this web page:
(D) Program Khas Ijazah Luar Negara:
This programme is for students who have completed a pre-university course and have received an offer to study a degree course at an overseas university. It sponsors for Engineering and Science & Technology courses at the top 100 universities in the world based on the QS World Ranking or THE World Ranking. It replaces the Program Ijazah Luar Negara which was discontinued in 2014 and the Program Penajaan Universiti Terkemuka Luar Negara which was discontinued in 2016.
You can choose the course you want to study. You can choose any of those universities, as long as you are able to get the offer to study at the university. If you are offered this programme, JPA will start sponsoring when you begin the degree course and this will continue until you complete the degree course.
There is no guarantee that students who meet all the requirements will be offered this programme. Students will have to undergo selection process, which involves attending interviews and the Student Assessment Centre (SAC).
The requirements to apply for the Program Khas Ijazah Luar Negara:
1. You have to obtain one of the following results:
A Level: AAB
IB: 35 points
STPM: CGPA of 3.50
MOE Matriculation: CGPA of 3.75
In all cases, you must not have obtained grade C (or its equivalent) or lower in any subject.
2. You have to get a conditional or unconditional offer to study a degree course at one of the top 100 universities in the world.
3. You must have a full SPM certificate with minimum grade C in Bahasa Melayu.
4. You must not have reached 22 years old (or 23 years old if you took Remove Class previously before entering Form 1) in 2022.
5. You must be a citizen of Malaysia.
For 2022, this programme was open for application on 15 June 2022 and the application closed on 24 July 2022.
For 2023, this programme was not open for application.
To get more information for this programme, go to this web page:
(E) Program Khas Jepun, Korea, Perancis dan Jerman:
This programme sponsors for Engineering, Science & Technology and Social Science courses at selected universities in Japan, South Korea, France and Germany. It is for students who have completed the SPM. You can choose the course you want to study.
Students who are offered this programme will study a pre-university course locally before starting the degree course. JPA will start sponsoring when you begin the pre-university course and this will continue until you complete the degree course.
There is no guarantee that students who meet all the requirements will be offered this programme. Students will have to undergo selection process, which involves attending interviews and the Student Assessment Centre (SAC).
The requirements to apply for the Program Khas Jepun, Korea, Perancis dan Jerman:
1. You have to obtain grade A in at least 7 subjects in SPM, including the following subjects:
- For Engineering and Science & Technology courses: Bahasa Melayu, Sejarah, English, Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry
- For Social Science courses: Bahasa Melayu, Sejarah, English and Mathematics
2. You must not have obtained grade C+ or lower in any subject in SPM.
3. You must have taken SPM 2023.
4. You must not have reached 19 years old (or 20 years old if you took Remove Class previously before entering Form 1) in 2024.
5. You must be a citizen of Malaysia.
For 2024, this programme was open for application on 27 May 2024 and the application closed on 9 June 2024.
To get more information for this programme, go to this web page:
(F) Program Dermasiswa B40:
This programme is for students from families with household income in the lower 40% of the population. It sponsors for diploma courses at local public universities and polytechnics.
There is no guarantee that students who meet all the requirements will be offered this programme, as students will have to undergo selection process.
The requirements to apply for the Program Dermasiswa B40:
1. The monthly household income of your family has to be lower than RM5250.
2. You must have taken SPM 2023 for the first time.
3. You have to obtain grade C in Bahasa Melayu, Sejarah and 3 other subjects in SPM.
4. You must be currently studying a diploma course at a local public university or polytechnic.
5. You must be a citizen of Malaysia.
For 2024, this programme was open for application on 5 August 2024 and the application closed on 18 August 2024.
To get more information for this programme, go to this web page:
(G) Program Khas JPA-MARA:
This programme is for Bumiputra students who have completed the SPM. It sponsors for Engineering, Science & Technology, Social Science and Medicine courses at selected universities in Malaysia, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States and India. You can choose the course you want to study.
Students who are offered this programme will study a pre-university course locally before starting the degree course. JPA will start sponsoring when you begin the pre-university course and this will continue until you complete the degree course.
There is no guarantee that students who meet all the requirements will be offered this programme. Students will have to undergo selection process, which involves attending interviews and the Student Assessment Centre (SAC).
The requirements to apply for the Program Khas JPA-MARA:
1. You have to obtain grade A in at least 7 subjects in SPM, including the following subjects:
- For Engineering and Science & Technology courses: Bahasa Melayu, Sejarah, English, Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry
- For Social Science courses: Bahasa Melayu, Sejarah, English, Mathematics, Additional Mathematics and Pendidikan Islam or Pendidikan Moral
- For Medicine course: Bahasa Melayu, Sejarah, English, Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology
2. You must not have obtained grade C+ or lower in any subject in SPM.
3. You must have taken SPM 2023.
4. You must not have reached 19 years old (or 20 years old if you took Remove Class previously before entering Form 1) in 2024.
5. You and either one of your parents have to be Bumiputra.
6. You must be a citizen of Malaysia.
For 2024, this programme was open for application on 27 May 2024 and the application closed on 9 June 2024.
To get more information for this programme, go to this web page:
The following programmes have been discontinued:
- Program Penajaan Pelajar Cemerlang Lepasan STPM
- Program Cemerlang Pra Universiti
- Program Lepasan Bursary ke Universiti Luar Negara
- Program Penajaan Universiti Perdana
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