JPA First Round Failures Square - Laments of the Unchosen

[khor_albert]

Hi. I am sure that many ReComers get the JPA interviews. Congrats.

However, there are those who don't get it. That means you and me are in the same boat. So, mind sharing how can we appeal? Please share your ideas here. I wanna appeal as soon as possible. Let's kambate!! We can do it!! MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD~!!

I appreciate if you guys can tell me how are you appealing. What u write, who do you write it to, wat are u attaching?

[lolilo]

there is so few students this year who get the interview. Is it only me who notice this........?? 8O

weird, weird, weird

good luck in appealing...dont give up.

[caramel_nut]

I'm in the same boat. So don't give up. I'm appealing as well, most probably through MCA but first I need to get some advice from chenchow.

[nianz]

haha..me din get also.most probably because of my BM 2A..neway going to appeal...

[nutz]

khor_albert, u didnt get as well?? i remember reading sumwhere in recom ur result was quite good as well as ur coco. i didnt get too and i'm goin to appeal but not sure how to tho. anyone can giv advice?? thankz

[nianz]

does the bm results carry a great weightage???..coz i got 2a for it.but my coco is pretty good..i represented my state,school and club in competitive swimming.won a few times.plus i'm the president of my schools swimming club,section leader for my schools orchestra,quartermistress for rangers,and represented penang to the national skill competiton for backwoodsman cooking.plus i got my schools best all rounder award.got 101a and 1 2a for spm...but still no JPA...AAAAAAAAHhHHH!!!!!

[Ryosuke]

i think there is always a second round JPA like last year

[Ryosuke]

i think there is always a second round JPA like last year

[nianz]

what do u mean by second round??

[Ryosuke]

what do u mean by second round??

like last year someone from my school got 11a1s and 1a2 didnt get the first round of JPA which is now somehow dunno he appeal guah got the second chance go russia for medic

[nianz]

how he apply??pls tell me i really wanna get this..

[PJKru]

In Malaysia, if you dont get a scholarship, Do you have to pay the fees to get into a local university? How much are the fees?

[Ryosuke]

how he apply??pls tell me i really wanna get this..

i am not that sure try contacting JPa and ask them bou it sorry

[pandaboy]

In Malaysia, if you dont get a scholarship, Do you have to pay the fees to get into a local university? How much are the fees?

They just completed SPM (like GSCE in UK)...
Need to take 2 more years to study STPM to get into local uni (no guarantee u will study the course u want also)....and of course they need to pay their local uni fees...

[khor_albert]

err....can everyone return to the topic? I really need someone to guide me with the appeal letter. Anybody who was once in the same boat but has made it, please SHARE ur experience!! Thanks!

[chenchow]

For the appeal process, first of all, write out a formal appeal letter (one page). Include your name, IC number, brief introduction of yourself, plus your SPM results, your high school, and what course you apply for. Appeal to be considered for JPA interview.

Include 2-3 of your highlights. Don't write too long. And then, end with a short paragraph stating your reasons (like you want to serve the nation etc ) ... be genuine on this.

Call up 03-88853000 to check who you should submit and who you should address to. (Anyone who knows about this, please post it here)

JPA's address is:-

(Find out the officer's name)
Bahagian Latihan,
Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam,
Tingkat 4-6, Blok C1, Parcel C,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan,
62510 Putrajaya.

p/s: I receive a lot of messages/emails from fellow ReComers. Please be patient. I will try to respond within 24 hours. Post your questions on ReCom too!

[worthy]

i think i posted the news on the jpa scholarship thread but i will do it again!from what i heard i was told the list on names for the Jpa interview are not officiallly out!I heard it would be out only after the 15th of april!but for assurance better get ready with a appeal letter!from what i got to know they are still filling up their database ,i tried entering my mom's ic no n guess what came maaf anda tidak berjaya!and i checked out their FAQS and guess what it came out masih sedang disiapkan or something like that! so even now they say that anda tidak berjaya its always safe to check it out again after they officially announce it!i strongly bellieve the results are not totally out yet so pray hard that i m right!just like chenchow said they might still be filling their database or they are facing some technical glicth!better pray hard!

[nutz]

i know i'm asking too much but anyone mind to post a sample of the appeal letter coz i'm really bad in writing letters

[Anduril]

I think someone posted it before. But I could not remember where and when.

[worthy]

yeah i remembered some1 posting a sample of the appeal letter to but couldnt remember where!i think jpa is thinking about interviewing the cream of the cream first maybe the staraight a1 first kot!or the only other explaination is what i have posted b4

[windrunner]

My B3 for BC and A2 for BM says it all....

My future looks dimmer.
:cry:

Oh well, got to figure out a way out somehow. Sometimes, you think you have worked extremely hard, but when you fail, you will think you have done nothing, it just gets more and more depressing. Sigh...

[lyzzy]

OK, .... not getting JPA is really not the end of the world! It doesn't mean that if you don't get JPA, you'll be doomed forever...

I got a B4 for BM, and an A2 for Literature in English, and I only took 10 subjects. I got rejected from JPA and Petronas (I wasn't even selected for the Petronas interview, and I had applied for Geology, which isnt really popular). I appealed, but to no avail.

... And I'm at Yale, doing Geology now, with a scholarship too. Getting rejected by JPA is probably the best thing that have ever happened to me..

And I know many of my friends who got rejected by JPA and went off to very prestigious universities (Cambridge, Imperial, Stanford, and etc).

There are many more opportunities out there, and you just have to keep looking!
________
vaporizers (http://vaporizer.org/)

[windrunner]

If i may ask, what scholarship do you have, is it from Yale?
I heard it is hard to get into Yale, even worse than Harvard.

No i am not giving up........... Of course, i am trying to find someway into Stanford or something.

[kpchen]

I'm still quite new here. I have a question, how do you apply to study at Ivy League + Oxford + Cambridge unis if I fail to secure the JPA scholarship (which will most probably happen...). Do I need to take the SATs exam? How's the procedure like? Someone please enlighten me on this...

[bush]

I'm still quite new here. I have a question, how do you apply to study at Ivy League + Oxford + Cambridge unis if I fail to secure the JPA scholarship (which will most probably happen...). Do I need to take the SATs exam? How's the procedure like? Someone please enlighten me on this...

for oxford and cambridge, A levels is what u need and of course the way u describe usself in the UCAS form. for the others, SATs are quite important, so r ur cocurricular activities.....

[aliveon]

i know i'm asking too much but anyone mind to post a sample of the appeal letter coz i'm really bad in writing letters

I have found two samples of a appeal letter!
But I am not sure whether these are the samples that you are looking for.
They are in page 44 and 48 under the topic"Scholarships(JPA,Petronas,MARA,Telekom,.....)
I hope that helps you :)
Btw,I also fail to get JPA and I am going to appeal too...

[kpchen]

I'm still quite new here. I have a question, how do you apply to study at Ivy League + Oxford + Cambridge unis if I fail to secure the JPA scholarship (which will most probably happen...). Do I need to take the SATs exam? How's the procedure like? Someone please enlighten me on this...

for oxford and cambridge, A levels is what u need and of course the way u describe usself in the UCAS form. for the others, SATs are quite important, so r ur cocurricular activities.....

A Level's? Does this mean that I'll have to wait until the next intake and study at local private colleges? If that's the case, then how do I apply for a place? What's UCAS? Sorry if these questions seem trivial.... maybe a link to a website/thread/forum?

[kevinkhoo1986]

Not getting JPA scholarships is not the end of the world. Like me, i was a straight 10 a1s student in SPM 2003 but so what? I didn't get the scholarship as well eventhough i appeal for 3 times. At first i was quite sad when i found out that "maaf anda tidak berjaya" from the JPA website and it really took me a few months to calm down. Right now i am studying in form 6 and going to take STPM this year. To be frankly, i am still regretting for not appealling for the matriculation course. So for those who are not selected for the first batch, put your best foot forward to appeal and fight until the end. If not, you will end up like me. :wink:

[bush]

I'm still quite new here. I have a question, how do you apply to study at Ivy League + Oxford + Cambridge unis if I fail to secure the JPA scholarship (which will most probably happen...). Do I need to take the SATs exam? How's the procedure like? Someone please enlighten me on this...

for oxford and cambridge, A levels is what u need and of course the way u describe usself in the UCAS form. for the others, SATs are quite important, so r ur cocurricular activities.....

A Level's? Does this mean that I'll have to wait until the next intake and study at local private colleges? If that's the case, then how do I apply for a place? What's UCAS? Sorry if these questions seem trivial.... maybe a link to a website/thread/forum?

no, generally if u r a consistent student......ur trials or mocks would do the job for u. cambridge and oxford do give out conditional offers based on ur forecast results( ur college mocks) and a firm offer will be given when ur actual results meet the requirements. since the application to cambridge and oxford is usually at the end of the year, u will most likely use ur forecast results to do the academic part of the application. Ur lecturers also play an important role in it, as the unis might want some letter of recommendation or references. So dun be an ars*hole in class.

UCAS stands for university and colleges admissions service, a body which handles all applications for british universities. So u need to fill in this form if u r apply to any british Unis, and there is a part where u need to convince the admission officer to give u a place in that particular uni.

for cambridge, u may need to fill in additional forms, and the forms are usually given to those who qualify to apply to cambridge. u will then be required to go for an interview, usually towards the end of the year, october.....november.....

[lyzzy]

I wrote this a while ago, but here goes:

Rejected by JPA?

This is the time of the year where some fortunate students reap the harvest of their SPM results - others don?t. PSD (Public Service Department), being the largest giver of scholarships for students, have just released their results which would impact thousands of SPM?04 takers. If you got the JPA scholarship, congratulations! If you haven?t, but feel that you got what it takes, don?t worry!

I have many friends, including myself, who have been rejected from scholarships, but get admitted to universities such as Yale, Princeton, MIT, Harvard and so forth ? with scholarships.

US universities weigh extracurricular activities as well as passion, determination, and leadership qualities equally with (if not more, in some cases) results. The entire person counts ? grades do matter, but not much. Getting one or two more A1s in SPM than another applicant will not affect your application in the least, all other things being equal.

At need-blind universities in the USA, there are ?unlimited? scholarships available for undergraduates. The term ?unlimited? is not used specifically, but the term ?need-blind? is. ?Need blind? signifies that scholarships are automatically given upon acceptance.

The value of the scholarships (the official term is ?financial aid?) varies based on financial need. For Yale and Harvard, if the student?s family makes less than RM 171 000 ($45 000) per year, they get full financial aid, which pays for tuition, room and board. If they make above that line, then their amount of financial aid decreases. For very wealthy families, they are not offered financial aid.

While there are many need-blind universities for US citizens and permanent residents, there are only six for international students, and four of them happen to be Yale, Harvard, MIT, Princeton. This is a very important fact to note. Many a student have been misled by the term ?need-blind?, thinking that it applies to all; there?s the fine print ? it is need-blind only for US citizens and permanent residents.

The only problem about getting these scholarships (the correct term is ?financial aid?) is actually getting admitted to the university in the first place ? Peterson?s Guide for International Students 2003 quotes an average admission rate of 1 in 20 international applicants for four of these universities. It has become even more difficult since. The other two have staggering statistics as well? 1 out of 12 is admitted.

To get financial aid, one has to go through the normal application process like every other applicant, as well as sending in extra forms to apply for financial aid. Application forms and instructions can be found on every university?s website.

But rest assured, if you get admitted, you will definitely get financial aid! (The universities ?meet full need?) The financial aid that they give is very generous ? for example, Yale has just implemented an additional policy where every international student (on financial aid) will get a return plane ticket home each year.

Going through the admission process is a long and convoluted process ? to learn more, pick up a book on the US university admissions process in Kinokuniya. I especially recommend Fiske Guide to Choosing Colleges. The MACEE library has good materials and counseling for those who wish to apply to US universities.
The only advice I have about the admission process is that one should start preparing immediately! It?s best to start preparing a year before the academic year begins in September.

Once again, I must emphasize that admission is not solely based on grades; rather, it is also based on other factors such as extracurricular activities, essays, interviews and letters of recommendations.

To quote the MIT admission website, ?When we admit a class of students to MIT, it's as if we're choosing a 1,000-person team to climb a very interesting, fairly rugged mountain ? together ? At the same time, we want each to add something useful or intriguing to the team, from a wonderful temperament or sense of humor, to compelling personal experiences, to a wide range of individual gifts, talents, interests and achievements.?

Online resources:
http://www.edupass.org
http://www.yale.edu/admit/international ? For international students applying to Yale
________
design host (http://hostndesign.com)

[serene]

I wrote this a while ago, but here goes:

Rejected by JPA?

This is the time of the year where some fortunate students reap the harvest of their SPM results - others don?t. PSD (Public Service Department), being the largest giver of scholarships for students, have just released their results which would impact thousands of SPM?04 takers. If you got the JPA scholarship, congratulations! If you haven?t, but feel that you got what it takes, don?t worry!

I have many friends, including myself, who have been rejected from scholarships, but get admitted to universities such as Yale, Princeton, MIT, Harvard and so forth ? with scholarships.

US universities weigh extracurricular activities as well as passion, determination, and leadership qualities equally with (if not more, in some cases) results. The entire person counts ? grades do matter, but not much. Getting one or two more A1s in SPM than another applicant will not affect your application in the least, all other things being equal.

At need-blind universities in the USA, there are ?unlimited? scholarships available for undergraduates. The term ?unlimited? is not used specifically, but the term ?need-blind? is. ?Need blind? signifies that scholarships are automatically given upon acceptance.

The value of the scholarships (the official term is ?financial aid?) varies based on financial need. For Yale and Harvard, if the student?s family makes less than RM 171 000 ($45 000) per year, they get full financial aid, which pays for tuition, room and board. If they make above that line, then their amount of financial aid decreases. For very wealthy families, they are not offered financial aid.

While there are many need-blind universities for US citizens and permanent residents, there are only six for international students, and four of them happen to be Yale, Harvard, MIT, Princeton. This is a very important fact to note. Many a student have been misled by the term ?need-blind?, thinking that it applies to all; there?s the fine print ? it is need-blind only for US citizens and permanent residents.

The only problem about getting these scholarships (the correct term is ?financial aid?) is actually getting admitted to the university in the first place ? Peterson?s Guide for International Students 2003 quotes an average admission rate of 1 in 20 international applicants for four of these universities. It has become even more difficult since. The other two have staggering statistics as well? 1 out of 12 is admitted.

To get financial aid, one has to go through the normal application process like every other applicant, as well as sending in extra forms to apply for financial aid. Application forms and instructions can be found on every university?s website.

But rest assured, if you get admitted, you will definitely get financial aid! (The universities ?meet full need?) The financial aid that they give is very generous ? for example, Yale has just implemented an additional policy where every international student (on financial aid) will get a return plane ticket home each year.

Going through the admission process is a long and convoluted process ? to learn more, pick up a book on the US university admissions process in Kinokuniya. I especially recommend Fiske Guide to Choosing Colleges. The MACEE library has good materials and counseling for those who wish to apply to US universities.
The only advice I have about the admission process is that one should start preparing immediately! It?s best to start preparing a year before the academic year begins in September.

Once again, I must emphasize that admission is not solely based on grades; rather, it is also based on other factors such as extracurricular activities, essays, interviews and letters of recommendations.

To quote the MIT admission website, ?When we admit a class of students to MIT, it's as if we're choosing a 1,000-person team to climb a very interesting, fairly rugged mountain ? together ? At the same time, we want each to add something useful or intriguing to the team, from a wonderful temperament or sense of humor, to compelling personal experiences, to a wide range of individual gifts, talents, interests and achievements.?

Online resources:
http://www.edupass.org
http://www.yale.edu/admit/international ? For international students applying to Yale

thanks lyzzz for the inspiring info.

Do you think i can apply? I am only a SPM leaver and the application forms from the Yale's website looks confusing.
Also is it possible that our application fees to be waived? Any examples of the reasons that i can submit to them?

[lyzzy]

You can apply with SPM results... but it's rather hard to get admitted that way. Do A Levels or SAM or something.

I didn't get mine waived - but if you were to give any reason, just mention your family income.
________
Land Rover 1/2 ton Lightweight picture (http://www.ford-wiki.com/wiki/Land_Rover_1/2_ton_Lightweight)

[serene]

You can apply with SPM results... but it's rather hard to get admitted that way. Do A Levels or SAM or something.

I didn't get mine waived - but if you were to give any reason, just mention your family income.

What if i am only doing a foundation studies in art? :(

[lyzzy]

You can apply with SPM results... but it's rather hard to get admitted that way. Do A Levels or SAM or something.

I didn't get mine waived - but if you were to give any reason, just mention your family income.

What if i am only doing a foundation studies in art? :(

Hmm.. that's pretty hard to judge - I'm not sure what your situation exactly is. You should go to MACEE one day to talk with the nice people there. :D
________
Mazda Savanna picture (http://www.ford-wiki.com/wiki/Mazda_Savanna)

[pangping1510]

how bout stpm?can we apply wit stpm?

[zAiTsEv]

how bout stpm?can we apply wit stpm?

yes

[chenchow]

For those who do not get an interview from JPA, please do apply. For official appeal, you must submit an appeal letter to JPA.
You can submit another copy of your appeal letter to political parties or other organizations who can help you appeal, but you must remember in submitting an official appeal letter to JPA. That is the most important thing.

On how JPA selects, I believe that JPA looks at the actual scores of the critical subjects, so, whether you get 90+, 80+ etc for those courses, would matter, even though all of you got same identical number of A1. The critical subjects vary by the major you select.

Plus co-curricular activities matter. It would be 5% for sports, 5% for co-curricular activities, and 5% for other achievements, basically following the 3 categories JPA assign. And then, JPA do assign extra bonus for those whose parents are government servants, although I am not sure how many points would that be.

On appeal letter, do highlight on what you stand out. Most applicants would have gotten many A1s, 8A1s, 9A1s, 10A1s, 11A1s etc... you should mention your results, but that is not your focus. The same goes for your school-level co-curricular activities, like President/VP/Secretary/Treasurer/AJK etc of your school clubs. Almost every applicant would have that kind of achievement, so, that is not a good leverage as well.

If you have achievements in sports, especially participating at state, national and international level, highlight that. As well as other achievements at state, national and international level. Those would set you apart from others.

As well as each of you may have some other aspects that you are really strong, and unique compared to all other people. Those would set you apart. As well as show your passion, spirit to serve the nation etc.

Anyway, try submit the appeal. Without the appeal, you will not get the interview. With the appeal, you may get an interview. All the best~!

[Angelia]

I was having insomnia last nite.......my brain couldn't stop thinking of my fate.
After tossing n turning abt in bed until 3 am,I had finally came to a conclusion that luck is always a thousand miles from me.I never won a lucky draw b4.The scenes in"A Series of Unfortunate Events"that I had watched on the day b4 SPM results were released coruscated through my mind.I shouldn't had watched that movie as I seemed to be cursed by its luckless cuss.(just kidding)
The unfortunate events that had came across my life recently were as folowed.
Firstly,my PC was struck by lightning 2 days after April Fool and i need to go be in alma mater's freezing cold computer lab for a couple of days in order to do my stuff.Perhaps it was some kind of indication.
Secondly,i was being rejected by Petronas,BNM,SC n so on after spending most of my pocket money on postal order and express post.
Thirdly,my application for matriculation was unsuccessful while loads of students in my school had been successful to secure a place in the matriculation.
Lastly,I was rejected by JPA when one of my frens got it with fewer As than me.
I guess my prays r not adequate or couldn't be heard by God to even secure a place in the interview list.
After all,I think I should be a polytheism believer in order to get more blessings. :o

[digimushu]

When life gives u lemons...make lemonade.
:)

[yian04]

Cheer up, Angelia. Don't be despair and dejected. Try to trust urself, ok,maybe luck does play quite an important part in everything, but for me, the most essential is confidence. U have been rejected by bnm, petronas, matrix and jpa, but it doesn't mean anything. For JPA and Matrix, u can actually appeal for it. Maybe they overlook u, who knows? An kindly advice for ya, don't give urself up, try every chance u have. Who can predict our future, maybe urs will be brighter than us, even better than us, so gambatee.....

[latent_talent]

'Life is like a box of chocolate, you will never know what you gonna get...'
quote from Forrest Gump

tell you all what, we have to start to accept the facts that sometimes life is like that.....you might have hope for something, but if its not yours, you never will get it until the rite timing

Everyone of us has come to a stage of adulthood, where we have to learn to see things in the overall picture.....you might not get something, but b optimistic, something better is there for you, which destined you not to get the thing.....get it?

take a step at a time, thatz the magical of life, itz full of mystery, and you need time to prove you what is being offered for your future.....itz partly destined, partly based on your own decision and effort, what you can do is simply to try your best, you cant fight against your destiny

as what Forrest Gump said at the end of the movie, 'i wondered whether we are destined or simply flying like a feather in the breeze, but i think itz both....'

hope this short message may inspire many of us........good luck...

[khor_albert]

When life gives u lemons...make lemonade.
:)

It's true. Make use of what we have. God will not let us alone in this earth. (Beginning of biblical story) When Cain was punished to be thrown into the wilderness, Cain was worried that he will be killed because he "have nothing". However, God assures him that he will be able to survive by saying the man who kills him will suffer seven-fold (End of biblical story)

Our life is in our hands. We mould it into what we want. If we mould it into a plastic, then we will live like plastic (wear and tear). If we mould it into gold, we will live like gold(hopefully!)

Don't give up coz energy and confidence is what that is awarded to us to overcome our failure. If you think you are the worst, NAH!! Millions more are suffering out there without even know the meaning of public education.

[serene]

For those who do not get an interview from JPA, please do apply. For official appeal, you must submit an appeal letter to JPA.
You can submit another copy of your appeal letter to political parties or other organizations who can help you appeal, but you must remember in submitting an official appeal letter to JPA. That is the most important thing.

On how JPA selects, I believe that JPA looks at the actual scores of the critical subjects, so, whether you get 90+, 80+ etc for those courses, would matter, even though all of you got same identical number of A1. The critical subjects vary by the major you select.

Plus co-curricular activities matter. It would be 5% for sports, 5% for co-curricular activities, and 5% for other achievements, basically following the 3 categories JPA assign. And then, JPA do assign extra bonus for those whose parents are government servants, although I am not sure how many points would that be.

On appeal letter, do highlight on what you stand out. Most applicants would have gotten many A1s, 8A1s, 9A1s, 10A1s, 11A1s etc... you should mention your results, but that is not your focus. The same goes for your school-level co-curricular activities, like President/VP/Secretary/Treasurer/AJK etc of your school clubs. Almost every applicant would have that kind of achievement, so, that is not a good leverage as well.

If you have achievements in sports, especially participating at state, national and international level, highlight that. As well as other achievements at state, national and international level. Those would set you apart from others.

As well as each of you may have some other aspects that you are really strong, and unique compared to all other people. Those would set you apart. As well as show your passion, spirit to serve the nation etc.

Anyway, try submit the appeal. Without the appeal, you will not get the interview. With the appeal, you may get an interview. All the best~!

chen chow... do you have the address of the political parties? or maybe i should get some "links" to pass the appeal letter to them in person? Can you please elaborate further on this matter.? Also... when is the latest date that u suggest i can send my appeal letter? By Pos Laju?

I think i am good in coco activities but i'm not that outstanding in sports.. I have never represented my school before in sports but only in rumah sukan. Wat other aspects that i can highlight to them that i'm really worthy the scholarship? My personality? My community works?

Any suggestions??

Thanks for answering..
God BLess!

[chenchow]

I will let fellow ReComers to share the address. If I am not wrong, some ReComers have posted it.

On passing the letter to JPA, if you could manage to make an appointment with the officers, go down to JPA and pass it to them. Their phone number is 03-88853000 . Most of the JPA officers would be out of town for JPA interview next week. If you can't hand it over by hand, then send it via Pos Laju. Send it as soon as you are ready.

On good at co-cu, it really depends on how good one is. Most applicants do have some president/VP etc position at school level, and hence, having those positions would mean, you are on average with other applicants in that aspect, and then missing out on sports, would make you losing out on some points.

Highlight your very outstanding achievements, you can elaborate on community work, personality etc. Keep it to one page if possible.

[wild_card_my]

When life gives u lemons...make lemonade.
:)

i sthat a cliche'?

cuz if it is not, im suspect that u were the one, or u are a friend of the person who made the article "when god gives u lemons, make lemeoneda"

dating minda showed it to us...

[serene]

You can apply with SPM results... but it's rather hard to get admitted that way. Do A Levels or SAM or something.

I didn't get mine waived - but if you were to give any reason, just mention your family income.

What if i am only doing a foundation studies in art? :(

Hmm.. that's pretty hard to judge - I'm not sure what your situation exactly is. You should go to MACEE one day to talk with the nice people there. :D

Where is MACEE? What does it stand for?

[bert]

I posted this in the scholarships forum too but i just wanted to bring it to attention for ppl who did not get jpa.

as lyzzy mentioned, not getting JPA is not the end of the world. This is another very good opportunity that you should explore. I rejected my JPA scholarship to go to United World College and I have not regretted one bit. In my opinion, one would gain much more under this than JPA. I may be generalising but it is my personal opinion.

This scholarship is for post-SPM students.

If you have good grades, good ko-ku, an interest in global and regional issues, do take a look.

http://www.uwc.org/about_intro.html

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/4/10/education/10222960&sec=education

If you would like to find out more, you can contact me personally.

[flibbertigibbet]

Where is MACEE? What does it stand for?

MACEE = Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange

You can find more about it by googling MACEE or visit www.macee.org.my.

I know there is one MACEE in Penang, and another in KL.

[nutz]

i think this isnt the right place to post this but i juz want to release a lil anger rite now b'cos i juz called jpa and asked them y i'm not selected and the ans i got was "Patutlah, anda pilih farmasi dan dapat A2 bagi bio dan ada ramai pemohan". Using the word "PATUTLAH" sounds as tho i deserve not to be picked. And Bio was my only A2 out the 11 subjects i took(the rest A1) and other friends of mine who picked medicine with an A2 for Bio was called for the interview. How unfair when i thought medicine was more competitive than pharmacy. Furthermore, i think their service is really bad as they'll keep transfering you to different units. After numerous rings, an officer will pick up a phone, less than 30 secconds, they'll say "Saya akan sambung anda ke unit yang berkenaan" and hence u'll gotta wait for another few minutes until an officer will pick up the phone. Juz wondering y cant they ans my question in the first place when my question was only "Bagaimana saya boleh membuat rayuan", that simple.

[Patrick]

i think this isnt the right place to post this but i juz want to release a lil anger rite now b'cos i juz called jpa and asked them y i'm not selected and the ans i got was "Patutlah, anda pilih farmasi dan dapat A2 bagi bio dan ada ramai pemohan". Using the word "PATUTLAH" sounds as tho i deserve not to be picked. And Bio was my only A2 out the 11 subjects i took(the rest A1) and other friends of mine who picked medicine with an A2 for Bio was called for the interview. How unfair when i thought medicine was more competitive than pharmacy. Furthermore, i think their service is really bad as they'll keep transfering you to different units. After numerous rings, an officer will pick up a phone, less than 30 secconds, they'll say "Saya akan sambung anda ke unit yang berkenaan" and hence u'll gotta wait for another few minutes until an officer will pick up the phone. Juz wondering y cant they ans my question in the first place when my question was only "Bagaimana saya boleh membuat rayuan", that simple.

Sorry if anyone find this childish or annoying but i'm quite pissed of now by the jpa officer's attitude.

Dude, this is the Malaysian way of dealing with things, so get used to it....You can't complain much, as they couldn't care less.

[zqax]

i think this isnt the right place to post this but i juz want to release a lil anger rite now b'cos i juz called jpa and asked them y i'm not selected and the ans i got was "Patutlah, anda pilih farmasi dan dapat A2 bagi bio dan ada ramai pemohan". Using the word "PATUTLAH" sounds as tho i deserve not to be picked. And Bio was my only A2 out the 11 subjects i took(the rest A1) and other friends of mine who picked medicine with an A2 for Bio was called for the interview. How unfair when i thought medicine was more competitive than pharmacy. Furthermore, i think their service is really bad as they'll keep transfering you to different units. After numerous rings, an officer will pick up a phone, less than 30 secconds, they'll say "Saya akan sambung anda ke unit yang berkenaan" and hence u'll gotta wait for another few minutes until an officer will pick up the phone. Juz wondering y cant they ans my question in the first place when my question was only "Bagaimana saya boleh membuat rayuan", that simple.

Sorry if anyone find this childish or annoying but i'm quite pissed of now by the jpa officer's attitude.

Dude, this is the Malaysian way of dealing with things, so get used to it....You can't complain much, as they couldn't care less.

I disagree.That is not "Malaysian way".You're humiliating our country.You can't blame whole Malaysian cause of a lazy department.
I am a Malaysian, and I don't do things that way.

[chenchow]

i think this isnt the right place to post this but i juz want to release a lil anger rite now b'cos i juz called jpa and asked them y i'm not selected and the ans i got was "Patutlah, anda pilih farmasi dan dapat A2 bagi bio dan ada ramai pemohan". Using the word "PATUTLAH" sounds as tho i deserve not to be picked. And Bio was my only A2 out the 11 subjects i took(the rest A1) and other friends of mine who picked medicine with an A2 for Bio was called for the interview. How unfair when i thought medicine was more competitive than pharmacy. Furthermore, i think their service is really bad as they'll keep transfering you to different units. After numerous rings, an officer will pick up a phone, less than 30 secconds, they'll say "Saya akan sambung anda ke unit yang berkenaan" and hence u'll gotta wait for another few minutes until an officer will pick up the phone. Juz wondering y cant they ans my question in the first place when my question was only "Bagaimana saya boleh membuat rayuan", that simple.

Try to stay relax, but one thing, the phone number that you call is most likely the main phone number of JPA. JPA is in charge not only of scholarship. Scholarship is just one of say 20, 50 functions of JPA. So, they have to send you to the right departments. Moreover, there are many of you all try to call JPA right now?

nutz, it is fine for your outburst. But try to appeal, ok?

[worthy]

well this is what i think about jpa's scholarship this year! well since the tsunami hit us late last year so the goverment actually used a lot of money to help the victims both inside the country and outside as well!so i believe the number of scholarships this year is actually less compared to last year!this thing occured to me during tsunami disaster but i thought it wouldn't effect the scholarships!so if u didn't get the interview do appeal because u will never know right!just like what chenchow said!appeal !SO if even u didn't get the jpa scholarship do not despair!according to cosmic equlibrium everything good has a bad in it and everything bad has a good in it! so even if u get the jpa scholarship u will soon find out the bad things or limitation of it! so it is not all bad if u didn't get jpa there are some good things about it!think out about it ,think deep and hard about it and u will find a good in it!

[zAiTsEv]

well this is what i think about jpa's scholarship this year! well since the tsunami hit us late last year so the goverment actually used a lot of money to help the victims both inside the country and outside as well!so i believe the number of scholarships this year is actually less compared to last year!this thing occured to me during tsunami disaster but i thought it wouldn't effect the scholarships!so if u didn't get the interview do appeal because u will never know right!just like what chenchow said!appeal !SO if even u didn't get the jpa scholarship do not despair!according to cosmic equlibrium everything good has a bad in it and everything bad has a good in it! so even if u get the jpa scholarship u will soon find out the bad things or limitation of it! so it is not all bad if u didn't get jpa there are some good things about it!think out about it ,think deep and hard about it and u will find a good in it!

What a philosophical post... By the way, I believe there's a certain amount that's allocated for scholarships. The tsunami won't affect a thing. Don't worry.

[Patrick]

i think this isnt the right place to post this but i juz want to release a lil anger rite now b'cos i juz called jpa and asked them y i'm not selected and the ans i got was "Patutlah, anda pilih farmasi dan dapat A2 bagi bio dan ada ramai pemohan". Using the word "PATUTLAH" sounds as tho i deserve not to be picked. And Bio was my only A2 out the 11 subjects i took(the rest A1) and other friends of mine who picked medicine with an A2 for Bio was called for the interview. How unfair when i thought medicine was more competitive than pharmacy. Furthermore, i think their service is really bad as they'll keep transfering you to different units. After numerous rings, an officer will pick up a phone, less than 30 secconds, they'll say "Saya akan sambung anda ke unit yang berkenaan" and hence u'll gotta wait for another few minutes until an officer will pick up the phone. Juz wondering y cant they ans my question in the first place when my question was only "Bagaimana saya boleh membuat rayuan", that simple.

Sorry if anyone find this childish or annoying but i'm quite pissed of now by the jpa officer's attitude.

Dude, this is the Malaysian way of dealing with things, so get used to it....You can't complain much, as they couldn't care less.

I disagree.That is not "Malaysian way".You're humiliating our country.You can't blame whole Malaysian cause of a lazy department.
I am a Malaysian, and I don't do things that way.

Yes, I don't do thing that way too, but, you know, it's just the truth from what I've been experiencing. Chill. I'm not humiliating my own country. I love my country. I just want my country to improve.

[khor_albert]

i think this isnt the right place to post this but i juz want to release a lil anger rite now b'cos i juz called jpa and asked them y i'm not selected and the ans i got was "Patutlah, anda pilih farmasi dan dapat A2 bagi bio dan ada ramai pemohan". Using the word "PATUTLAH" sounds as tho i deserve not to be picked. And Bio was my only A2 out the 11 subjects i took(the rest A1) and other friends of mine who picked medicine with an A2 for Bio was called for the interview. How unfair when i thought medicine was more competitive than pharmacy. Furthermore, i think their service is really bad as they'll keep transfering you to different units. After numerous rings, an officer will pick up a phone, less than 30 secconds, they'll say "Saya akan sambung anda ke unit yang berkenaan" and hence u'll gotta wait for another few minutes until an officer will pick up the phone. Juz wondering y cant they ans my question in the first place when my question was only "Bagaimana saya boleh membuat rayuan", that simple.

Sorry if anyone find this childish or annoying but i'm quite pissed of now by the jpa officer's attitude.

Dude, this is the Malaysian way of dealing with things, so get used to it....You can't complain much, as they couldn't care less.

I disagree.That is not "Malaysian way".You're humiliating our country.You can't blame whole Malaysian cause of a lazy department.
I am a Malaysian, and I don't do things that way.

Yes, I don't do thing that way too, but, you know, it's just the truth from what I've been experiencing. Chill. I'm not humiliating my own country. I love my country. I just want my country to improve.

For nutz, u r not alone. Thousands across the country are experiencing this problem. If you are blaming the government for it, you are actually being selfish. However, I understand it as a natural response. It seems as a nail that goes right through your lungs. It's real bad and that is exactly why you must not rest with the decision. If you think you are for it, go for it. Never give up. Giving up is giving in.

For patrick, yea. It's quite true. However, these are some of those cases where our country's image is tarnished. However, it's in our hands to change it. Therefore, with your 13 A1s, go ahead and change the nation bacause you are virtually in the driver's seat now. So, buck up and strive for a better Malaysia with all of us!!

For zqax, I agree as well. We cant be blamers to our own country but must channel positive ideas. JPA faces a mountain of applications and maybe it's a problem on their part to not let more officers to handle it or making the selection transparent. However, these are their policies. U got that rite...

From me : I personally will not give up or give in. Giving in is not helping the government to make a better choice. We have to do our part. Provide competitions. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. I will not give up the battle even if it's a sword against ten cannons. I will continue to battle for this to the minute the first JPA scholar steps into INTEC.

No heart feelings, ok?

[nutz]

Try to stay relax, but one thing, the phone number that you call is most likely the main phone number of JPA. JPA is in charge not only of scholarship. Scholarship is just one of say 20, 50 functions of JPA. So, they have to send you to the right departments. Moreover, there are many of you all try to call JPA right now?

nutz, it is fine for your outburst. But try to appeal, ok?[/quote]

Chenchow, I'm ok now and i'll try to appeal. Anyway, i called the correct number as i called to double confirm whether i got called for the interview. Then i continue to ask bout appealing and the keep forwardin me to different lines. I dont think the scholarship depeartment is not the same as the appealing one :D

One more question, the sample of the appealing letter in pg 44 and 48 in the scholarship thread is for those who went for the interview and didnt get it. So just wondering is it alright if i do mine now the same way as the one posted?? If there's an alternative sample of the appeal leatter, anyone mind sharing??

Thankz

[succubus]

bert Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 4:11 am Post subject: United World College

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I posted this in the scholarships forum too but i just wanted to bring it to attention for ppl who did not get jpa.

as lyzzy mentioned, not getting JPA is not the end of the world. This is another very good opportunity that you should explore. I rejected my JPA scholarship to go to United World College and I have not regretted one bit. In my opinion, one would gain much more under this than JPA. I may be generalising but it is my personal opinion.

This scholarship is for post-SPM students.

If you have good grades, good ko-ku, an interest in global and regional issues, do take a look.

http://www.uwc.org/about_intro.html

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/4/10/education/10222960&sec=education

If you would like to find out more, you can contact me personally.


bert- i thought the uwc scholarship is only for the IB program? Doesn't JPA sponsor your university studies? The JPA scholarship sounds like a better deal to me.[/quote]

[Patrick]

i think this isnt the right place to post this but i juz want to release a lil anger rite now b'cos i juz called jpa and asked them y i'm not selected and the ans i got was "Patutlah, anda pilih farmasi dan dapat A2 bagi bio dan ada ramai pemohan". Using the word "PATUTLAH" sounds as tho i deserve not to be picked. And Bio was my only A2 out the 11 subjects i took(the rest A1) and other friends of mine who picked medicine with an A2 for Bio was called for the interview. How unfair when i thought medicine was more competitive than pharmacy. Furthermore, i think their service is really bad as they'll keep transfering you to different units. After numerous rings, an officer will pick up a phone, less than 30 secconds, they'll say "Saya akan sambung anda ke unit yang berkenaan" and hence u'll gotta wait for another few minutes until an officer will pick up the phone. Juz wondering y cant they ans my question in the first place when my question was only "Bagaimana saya boleh membuat rayuan", that simple.

Sorry if anyone find this childish or annoying but i'm quite pissed of now by the jpa officer's attitude.

Dude, this is the Malaysian way of dealing with things, so get used to it....You can't complain much, as they couldn't care less.

I disagree.That is not "Malaysian way".You're humiliating our country.You can't blame whole Malaysian cause of a lazy department.
I am a Malaysian, and I don't do things that way.

Yes, I don't do thing that way too, but, you know, it's just the truth from what I've been experiencing. Chill. I'm not humiliating my own country. I love my country. I just want my country to improve.

For nutz, u r not alone. Thousands across the country are experiencing this problem. If you are blaming the government for it, you are actually being selfish. However, I understand it as a natural response. It seems as a nail that goes right through your lungs. It's real bad and that is exactly why you must not rest with the decision. If you think you are for it, go for it. Never give up. Giving up is giving in.

For patrick, yea. It's quite true. However, these are some of those cases where our country's image is tarnished. However, it's in our hands to change it. Therefore, with your 13 A1s, go ahead and change the nation bacause you are virtually in the driver's seat now. So, buck up and strive for a better Malaysia with all of us!!

For zqax, I agree as well. We cant be blamers to our own country but must channel positive ideas. JPA faces a mountain of applications and maybe it's a problem on their part to not let more officers to handle it or making the selection transparent. However, these are their policies. U got that rite...

From me : I personally will not give up or give in. Giving in is not helping the government to make a better choice. We have to do our part. Provide competitions. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. I will not give up the battle even if it's a sword against ten cannons. I will continue to battle for this to the minute the first JPA scholar steps into INTEC.

No heart feelings, ok?

ooH, im with 12A1s, not 13 >.<

[khor_albert]

ooH, im with 12A1s, not 13 >.<

Sorry, kinda misled by the newspaper (The Star). However, it's still over the moon though.

[Angelia]

One more question, the sample of the appealing letter in pg 44 and 48 in the scholarship thread is for those who went for the interview and didnt get it. So just wondering is it alright if i do mine now the same way as the one posted?? If there's an alternative sample of the appeal leatter, anyone mind sharing??

[quote]

Alamat Pengirim
_____________________________________________________

Pengarah Urusan,
Bahagian Latihan,
Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Malaysia,
Aras 4-6,Blok C1,Parcel C,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, Tarikh
62510 PUTRAJAYA.

Tuan,

Rayuan Untuk Mengkaji Semula Permohonan Biasiswa

Merujuk perkara di atas,dukacita dimaklumkan bahawa permohonan saya,Nama(No.K/P)untuk mendapatkan peluang temuduga telah ditolak oleh pihak tuan dan melalui surat ini saya merayu kepada pihak tuan agar dipertimbangkan semula permohonan kerana saya amat memerlukan biasiswa berkenaan.

2. Bisnes bapa saya telah kian merosot sejak kemelesetan ekonomi yang berlaku setelah berlakunya insiden 911 yang menyayat hati.Hanya bapa saya seorang yang mencari rezeki dalam keluarga saya dan pendapatannya cuma mencukupi untuk menanggung sara hidup kami sekeluarga.Saya masih mempunyai seorang adik yang berada dalam Tingkatan Empat dan juga akan menjejak kaki ke menara gading dalam masa terdekat.

3. Saya lulus dengan cemerlang dengan pangkat A dalam semua mata pelajaran termasuk GCE-O dalam peperiksaan SPM.Saya telah mencapai keputusan 12A,iaitu merangkumi 8A1 dan 4A2 dalam peperiksaan SPM.Selain daripada keputusan yang agak baik dalam bidang akademik,saya juga melibatkan diri secara aktif dalam aktiviti kokurikulum.Saya merupakan Penolong Setiausaha dalam Kelab Sains dan Pereka serta Ahli Jawatankuasa dan Penasihat Pelajar dalam Pusat Sumber Sekolah(Perpustakaan).Tambahan pula,saya juga ialah ahli dalam Persatuan Bulan Sabit Merah dan Sudut Budaya dan Informasi.

4. Memang sejak sekolah rendah saya amat bercita-cita hendak melanjutkan pelajaran dalam bidang sains makanan(nutrition).Saya berharap pengambilan makanan secara seimbang dan produk kesihatan yang bersesuaian akan mengurangkan peratusan manusia menghidapi penyakit peradaban(civilization illnesses)pada masa kelak.Saya berhasrat agar kaedah berkenaan akan menjadi salah satu daripada perubatan alternatif yang paling efektif di dunia dalam masa tersingkat.

5. Selepas lulus dengan ijazah,saya ingin menjalankan kajian dan penyelidikan yang berkonsep pencampuran herba tradisional yang boleh didapati di dalam hutan khatulistiwa Malaysia dengan herba cina serta lain-lain bagi menambah keberkesanan produk kesihatan tersebut untuk mengubati suatu penyakit tanpa kesan sampingan.Saya berdoa agar kejayaan tanah airku yang tercinta dalam sektor kesihatan akan mengharumkan nama Malaysia di persada antarabangsa pada masa kelak.

6. Saya amat yakin dengan bantuan kewangan yang ditawarkan oleh pihak tuan dapat memenuhi impian saya untuk meneruskan pelajaran dalam kursus yang telah diidam-idamkan saya selama ini.Pada hemat saya,dengan wang yang mencukupi barulah seseorang itu dapat belajar dengan selesa,gembira dan penuh keyakinan sehingga berjaya sepenuhnya.

7. Besarlah harapan saya agar permohonan ini diberi pertimbangan semula dengan sewajarnya.Saya merayu kepada tuan agar saya diberi peluang untuk membuktikan keupayaan saya.Bersama surat ini,saya kemukakan juga keputusan peperiksaan SPM,sijil-sijil,testimonial dan dokumen lain yang berkaitan.Atas keprihatinan dan kerjasama tuan,saya dahului dengan ribuan terima kasih.

Sekian,terima kasih.

Yang benar,

__________________________
(Nama)(I/C)

[zAiTsEv]

bert- i thought the uwc scholarship is only for the IB program? Doesn't JPA sponsor your university studies? The JPA scholarship sounds like a better deal to me.

Different people have different ambitions. If he can afford it (university studies) while at the same time enjoy himself in UWC, why not?

[nutz]

My Name
Add etc etc

Ketua Pengarah Perkhidmatan Awam
Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam
Bahagian Latihan
Aras 5, Blok C1, Parcel C
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan
62510 Putrajaya.
(u.p.: Unit Latihan Sebelum Perkhidmatan) 15 APRIL 2005

Tuan/Puan,
Rayuan Terhadap Temuduga Bagi Biasiswa Tajaan Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam.
Dengan segala hormat, saya My Name(No. K/P: XXXXXX) ingin membuat rayuan atas kegagalan mendapat panggilan temuduga bagi biasiswa tajaan Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam(JPA) bagi lepasan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia(SPM) tahun 2004 di bawah program ijazah luar negara tahun 2005. Untuk makluman pihak Tuan/Puan, saya memperoleh 10 A1 dan 1 A2 bagi peperiksaan SPM tahun 2004.
2. Saya sungguh berharap agar diberi peluang untuk menghadiri temuduga tersebut supaya berpeluang untuk mendapat biasiswa tajaan JPA untuk melanjutkan pelajaran ke menara gading dalam bidang farmasi. Saya amat berminat dalam bidang farmasi kerana saya suka melakukan kajian-kajian yang dijalani oleh ahli-ahli farmasi serta berhasrat untuk menyumbang usaha saya dalam perkembangan bidang perubatan dengan mencipta ubat yang baru untuk melawan penyakit-penyakit serius seperti kanser dan AIDS . Impian saya untuk menjadi seorang ahli farmasi hanya dapat direalisasikan dengan tajaan pihak Tuan/Puan kerana pendapatan bapa saya hanya sekadar cukup untuk menanggung kehidupan keluarga saya.

3. Bagi pengetahuan pihak Tuan/Puan, saya merupakan seorang pelajar yang aktif dari segi kurikulum mahupun ko-kurikulum. Selain cemerlang dalam pelajaran, saya juga amat aktif dalam aktiviti-aktiviti luar darjah. Antara aktiviti-aktiviti luar darjah yang telah saya ambil bahagian adalah seperti berikut:
a. Mewakili sekolah dalam Kuiz Kimia Kebangsaan Malaysia 2004. Mendapat pangkat Cemerlang.
b. Mewakili sekolah dalam STAR Best School News Paper Award 2003 & 2004.
c. Mewakili rumah sukan dalam temasya sukan tahunan sekolah saya.
d. Bendahari Sidang Redaksi Sekolah
e. Naib Setiausaha Persatuan Skim Lencana Anti Dadah(SLAD)
f. Ahli Jawatankuasa Persatuan Geografi sekolah
Selain itu, sebagai seorang ahli Kelab Interact, saya telah mengambil bahagian dalam pelbagai kerja amal seperti mengunjungi Rumah Anak-Anak Yatim dan Rumah Kanak-Kanak Terencat Akal. Di samping itu, saya juga merupakan seorang Pembimbing Rakan Sebaya(PRS) serta telah menamatkan Program Skim Lencana Anti Dadah tahun 2004 di peringkat negeri dan menamatkan ExxonMobil Young Entrepreneur Programme tahun 2003.

4. Bersama surat ini, saya sertakan salinan slip keputusan SPM 2004, sijil-sijil ko-kurikulum dan akademik, penyata pendapatan bapa saya serta beberapa pucuk surat perakuan daripada pihak sekolah saya untuk menyokong rayuan saya. Saya harap rayuan saya akan mendapat perhatian dan pertimbangan yang sewajarnya dari pihak Tuan/Puan kerana saya benar-benar ingin melanjutkan pelajaran saya dalam bidang farmasi supaya dapat menjadi seorang ahli farmasi yang berjaya pada suatu hari nanti. Lagipun, saya berminat untuk berkhidmat untuk negara kami yang kini amat kekurangan ahli farmasi.

5. Segala perhatian dan pertimbangan yang sewajarnya dari pihak Tuan/Puan amat dihargai dan didahului dengan ucapan jutaan terima kasih.

Sekian, terima kasih.

Yang benar,


This is my copy of the appeal letter i'm gonna send. Anyone pls give me your view on it and mind pointing out to me any errors that i made and also is my letter too long winded. The bolded words are those i would like to highlight to the jpa department and eventho its nothing much but its the best of mine and hopefully i did it the right way.Thankz.

One more question, should i add in that i was awarded the 2005 ASEAN Pre-university Merit Award??

[chenchow]

Both nutz and angelia have pretty good appeal letter. First of all, I would like to remind fellow ReComers not to plagiarize others' appeal letter. Use it as a reference, but do not copy.

Angelia, I don't think JPA has Pengarah Urusan. Ketua Pengarah would be the right word I believe.

Both of you explain your passion and that's very good.

The bold on certain key words by nutz is very good.

Try to cut short your letter. Perhaps cut it by 20-25%. Use shorter sentence, while conveying the same passion and content. Remember that JPA has to read hundreds of such letter.

Print it on good quality paper (that little touch may actually makes a little difference).

All the best~!

[nicodemus]

when actually is the dateline to submitting the appeal letter?

[zAiTsEv]

when actually is the dateline to submitting the appeal letter?

As soon as posssible! The earlier the better! There's no dateline for such a thing.

[nicodemus]

I see....

By the way, does this appeal will enable us to go for the interview? Or we have to wait for another second interview later, different from this batch? :?

[kwangster]

ahha..heyz...

i am the new kid round here :D sze kwang's my name..n im from kuching.

yeah,im one of the unlucky few who din get the jpa interview too..eventho i only got 1 a2 for spm..

and yes,im appealing oso..join all u guys in the same boat.hehe.. from what i've been reading, quite a lot of u ppl deserve to get the interview wad..so i wish all of u all the best! hope u guys all get it :) i aint got any questions to post yet so far..cos i practically got everythin i needed to know from the questions u guys posted..haha

rites then,have a blessed weekend everyone and good luck to all who are appealing

[bert]

bert- i thought the uwc scholarship is only for the IB program? Doesn't JPA sponsor your university studies? The JPA scholarship sounds like a better deal to me.

Different people have different ambitions. If he can afford it (university studies) while at the same time enjoy himself in UWC, why not?

Yes you are right that the UWC scholarship is only for the IB program. If you assume I am rich and I am able to pay for my uni studies, no, i can't. My agreement with my parents was if i let go of JPA and choose UWC, i'm on my own for uni.

But the thing is, there are more opportunities available to me because I am a UWC student. Some colleges in the US like UWC students and will give need based financial aid. A philanthropist named Davis will give full need based aid to any UWC student who gets into Princeton, Middlebury, Colby, College of the Atlantic or Wellesley. Apart from these schools there are also other Davis Incentive grant schools like Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Yale etc.

So i won't say that I will get a scholarship for sure.. it depends which uni i get accepted to. but there are more opportunities.

Remember JPA also has a bond.

[naoj]

arent the letters a little too long? i thought stick to one page worth enough already. just asking..no offense.

[flibbertigibbet]

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: 11 A1s not enough for scholarship?

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/Letters/NST32310080.txt/Article/indexb_html

"IT is the same every year, isn't it? And this year it is my sister's turn to try her luck in getting a scholarship. This isn't about my sister not getting a scholarship after going for an interview. The fact is, she did not even get called for any interview."

Cases of straight A1s scorers being left out for interviews are so common nowadays...scary.

[xt]

I'm new here. Just wondering whether can get help(recommendation letter) from member of parliament to appeal.
Will it increase the chance to be called to the interview?

[nutz]

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: 11 A1s not enough for scholarship?

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/Letters/NST32310080.txt/Article/indexb_html

"IT is the same every year, isn't it? And this year it is my sister's turn to try her luck in getting a scholarship. This isn't about my sister not getting a scholarship after going for an interview. The fact is, she did not even get called for any interview."

Cases of straight A1s scorers being left out for interviews are so common nowadays...scary.

i read ur letter from another forum. anyway, did your sis get a call by jpa??

[bunny]

One more question, should i add in that i was awarded the 2005 ASEAN Pre-university Merit Award??

whatever you do, don't mention ASEAN. During my time, having ASEAN means, "oh, kamu sudah dapat biasiswa? cukup lar. " is biasiswa=scholarship? oh my malay is so horrible now.. I don't think that the malaysian government cares much about ASEAN or who singapore decides to take in. Besides, taking a scholarship outside malaysia is a sign of unloyalty. Just my two cents.

[vseehua]

yeah...i think the letters are too long too...the ketus pengarah's kinda busy person...so keep it as brief as possible...that'll do better for you..anyway..good luck in your appeals...:)

[flibbertigibbet]

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: 11 A1s not enough for scholarship?

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/Letters/NST32310080.txt/Article/indexb_html

"IT is the same every year, isn't it? And this year it is my sister's turn to try her luck in getting a scholarship. This isn't about my sister not getting a scholarship after going for an interview. The fact is, she did not even get called for any interview."

Cases of straight A1s scorers being left out for interviews are so common nowadays...scary.

i read ur letter from another forum. anyway, did your sis get a call by jpa??


Oops, sorry for creating such a confusion. Actually, the letter is written by someone else and I'm quoting it from NST.

[DecentMerson]

One more question, should i add in that i was awarded the 2005 ASEAN Pre-university Merit Award??

whatever you do, don't mention ASEAN. During my time, having ASEAN means, "oh, kamu sudah dapat biasiswa? cukup lar. " is biasiswa=scholarship? oh my malay is so horrible now.. I don't think that the malaysian government cares much about ASEAN or who singapore decides to take in. Besides, taking a scholarship outside malaysia is a sign of unloyalty. Just my two cents.

well... i dun think u shld mention the ASEAN... coz i dun think many people understand the MERIT award... which as far as my knowledge, it is not a full scholarship... it's like ur monthly tuition fee of SGD $240 is waived... u still need to get ur own funding for room and board and living expenses...

so, if they(the interviewers) misunderstood that u already have a scholarship in hand, they might think that u dun need JPA...

either that, or they think that u are good becoz u are awarded by ASEAN Merit scholarship... but they are others with ASEAN full scholarship rite... so, if u did mention u only got the Merit, they might think that u are not good enough for the scholarship...

ur call... I was an ASEAN scholar, but didn't mention it at the interview... I still remember thinking, whether i shld threaten them that they must give me a scholarship, or else i will continue with my ASEAN and continue my studies in Singapore... and in the end, spend my entire life on the red dot...
...but dun have the guts to voice out such crazy crap.

[Tab]

I'm new here. Just wondering whether can get help(recommendation letter) from member of parliament to appeal.
Will it increase the chance to be called to the interview?

my personal opinion: don't waste your time and effort. JPA isn't gonna be 'intimidated' by a letter from an MP. In fact, don't even bother approaching ADUNs or Menteri Besars or even the Sultan of your state... no effect!
If you can get ministerial backing, maybe might be more effective... coz JPA is a federal body and comes directly under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Department. Basically, only the PM alone (and not even our federal ministers) has absolute 'control' over JPA.
Good luck in appealing! Remember... whatever you do, never give up hope! :)

[Skeith]

lyzzy ur tips on the first page came out in the newspapers in Malaysia today ;)

I'm sure it'll help ppl realize that JPA and SPM isn't everything. Well written.

[reign226]

IMHO, there should be a clear word seperating "wavier from tuition fees" and "full financial aid". Many 'scholarships' nowadays are simply just the former. It's very distressing that we need to hunt for some sort of fine print to differentiate the two. Sometimes, you even have to call them up to further clarify. I've always wondered which catergory the Star Edu Fund is under.

[chenchow]

On whether to mention ASEAN or not, it is your call. As decentmerson mentioned, it could be interpreted either way. I decided to mention ASEAN last time around, but a number of my friends decide not to.

All 4 combinations happen, so it really depends on your call:-
a) Mention ASEAN and get JPA
b) Mention ASEAN and not get JPA.
c) Not mention ASEAN and get JPA
d) Not mention ASEAN and not get JPA.

[chenchow]

Posts from redundant thread.

I'm new here.Just wondering whether we can get help(like recommendation letter) from any member of parliament to appeal.

wow....i've never heard of it b4.....perhaps u can give it a try

does anyone know how to appeal?

hey may i know where do we send the appeal letter to? =)
do we go straight to the jpa office in putrajaya?
anybody know the exact procedure? :wink:
thx~!

Write your appeal letter and bring your certified photostated copy of your SPM result slip to Putrajaya. They'll give you a form to fill in.

anyone know when should we submit our appeal letter. would it be too late if i submit it this friday coz i'm wont be around till then.

[lyzzy]

Thanks, skeith! :) Good luck with Northwestern!
________
Dodge Ram Rumble Bee (http://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Dodge_Ram_Rumble_Bee)

[xt]

I have a good news for all of u.If u have appealed 4 jpa scholarship, I think u can check your status now.

I was not called 4 the interview when the list was out on15th.I also got confirm after called up the jpa(I think I gave her right ic number)
I sent the appeal letter on18th through pos express.When i checked the status again(just want 2 try my luck) just now, I was stunned bcoz I was called 4 the jpa interview on 26th.
There is a little problem, my interview location is kedah but I live in Penang.
4 those who are not get selected 2 the interview, may be jpa haven't received or processed your appeal letter yet, so don give up!

[escalion]

hey, well, my dad called the jpa hotline.. its 03 8885 3000
and the person asked to fax the appeal letter to 603 8889 2176. I don't think you guys don't know what to write in an appeal letter.. juz state ur reasons why you should get the scholarship and stuff like that..
BTW, im from sarawak, and I just checked at the website again.. and i got the interview slip.. I checked a week ago, but it said I failed.. I don't know if this has anything to do with the appeal letter I faxed and emailed.. but, for s'wakians and sabahans, u might want to double check at the website or call up the hotline.
all the best to all of ya!

[caramel_nut]

I got the interview offer as well. Wah, I'm so happy!!!

[chongstk]

I met a teacher whose daughter also got the chance for interview yesterday. According to him, non-Malays should not get A2 for Moral in order to be given the offer.

[chenchow]

Congrats to xt, escalion and caramel_nut for getting the interview. As a fellow ReComer, I feel so happy, that you guys are getting the interview~! Make full use of the opportunities.

The location is just a small issue. Penang and Kedah is just neighboring state.

To all those ReComers who have appealed, please check the outcome.

[DecentMerson]

I met a teacher whose daughter also got the chance for interview yesterday. According to him, non-Malays should not get A2 for Moral in order to be given the offer.

who is he to give such comment? he is a teacher, nothing more, nothing less...

it is up to JPA to determine whether one has the chance for interview or not...
don't listen to such comment....

even if one didn't get the scholarship, he or she can still appeal for one.

[zAiTsEv]

I met a teacher whose daughter also got the chance for interview yesterday. According to him, non-Malays should not get A2 for Moral in order to be given the offer.

who is he to give such comment? he is a teacher, nothing more, nothing less...

it is up to JPA to determine whether one has the chance for interview or not...
don't listen to such comment....

even if one didn't get the scholarship, he or she can still appeal for one.

I think what the teacher meant was it would be hard for a non-Malay to get considered for an offer if he gets anything less than an A1 for Moral. :wink:

[chenchow]

I met a teacher whose daughter also got the chance for interview yesterday. According to him, non-Malays should not get A2 for Moral in order to be given the offer.

Fully agree with decentmerson. It is a baseless statement. I am sure there are many ReComers with A2 or less for Moral, and have gotten the JPA interview, as well as a number of current JPA scholars with A2 or less for Moral.

[flyinghigh]

is it too late if i send my appeal 2day or 2morow?

[zAiTsEv]

is it too late if i send my appeal 2day or 2morow?

asap!

[chenchow]

is it too late if i send my appeal 2day or 2morow?

Call up JPA now. If possible, fax it in today.

[windrunner]

I did not sent any appeal letter, i tried checking my status just in case a miracle happens.....




Tahniah anda telah berjaya!!


Unbelievable for someone with my results.

Anyway, good luck to all who are going for the second interview! Who knows, we might end up on the same boat again. My chances are slim though ( no worries). I'll do this for the fun of it, not to mention i will learn quite alot from this, MY FIRST FULL BLOWN INTERVIEW. :D

[Ecinue]

I met a teacher whose daughter also got the chance for interview yesterday. According to him, non-Malays should not get A2 for Moral in order to be given the offer.

for your information, one of my friends and i myself got an A2 in moral (i got all A1s but 1A2, my friend got 9A1s, an A2 for moral and a B3 for chinese). i just checked our status again - both of us were called for an interview! well, for those who haven't appealed, please check your status again as i just sent my appeal letter yesterday evening and my friend did nothing at all!! i think this is the 2nd round of interview.

[vseehua]

well, for others who haven't appealed, these stories should be enough to convince you that there is a chance for you to get the interview, even though you didn't get it the first round, so, go write your appeal letter now, and hope for the best:)

[khor_albert]

Haizzz.....not again. I was busted again. This is beyond my boiling point.....Grrrr....


However, for those who din got it, feel free to drop your views at the second square.....JPA SECOND round failures square

[bush]

i thought one of the requirement is to have at least an A2 for moral in order to apply for the scholarship.

[khor_albert]

yea, i thought so as well.....A2 in BM, Moral and Sejarah as the MINIMUM requirement....

JPA is unclear of what they want...haizzz...

[N-Guy]

at this point one thing that i can observe is that there is some sort of streaming occuring.....well,hmm...my hypothesis...JPA is considering exact scores....Not sure about this....but i have a friend who got 11 1A but didn t even got called by JPA for an interview for the first round!!!....and now....It states Anda Berjaya!! ...Strange (peculiar,should i say,indeed)

[Tab]

at this point one thing that i can observe is that there is some sort of streaming occuring.....well,hmm...my hypothesis...JPA is considering exact scores....Not sure about this....but i have a friend who got 11 1A but didn t even got called by JPA for an interview for the first round!!!....and now....It states Anda Berjaya!! ...Strange (peculiar,should i say,indeed)

Sometimes, JPA works in 'mysterious' ways which is incomprehensible to the public! :D

After nearly three years under JPA sponsorhip, I still haven't figured how things work out over there in Putrajaya! :lol: The way they handle things sometimes baffles me.

They can be very 'slack' at times. Yet, sometimes, they do things super-efficiently!

In my opinion, the new JPA method of selecting scholars is noteworthy, if not laudable. At least they're doing something to increase selectivity. (yes, i know... it's not fun for the students). Back in my time, we had only a 'mass interview' in groups of 20 or so students.... which, IMHO, is a total mockery of the system. It was as if they were not interested to have an interview at all; that they just want to get the 'interview' over and done with. That the interview was nothing but a formality.

Anyway, nice to read about all your experieces. Hope you ppl will get the scholarships of your dreams! :)

[chenchow]

In my opinion, I believe what JPA did was to lower the cut-off point, and hence invite more students for the JPA Scholarship interview.

This could be due to the massive ton of appeal letters that JPA gets, and hence, they decide to call upon more students to attend the interview, based on lowering the cut-off point, rather than going through piles of appeal letters.

As an illustration, out of 85% that JPA calculates, they used to call upon those with 76.50% and above (An artificial number I created) for interview, and after tons of appeal, they could have lower the cut-off of interview to 73.50% and above (Another artificial number I created).

As interview would counts 15%, those who get the 2nd round interview, which means that they are getting lower scores out of 85% than those who went for 1st round interview, should definitely try your very best to perform very excellently for the interview. You would definitely need to perform better in interview than those who went for 1st round interview, to get JPA Scholarship.

All the best~!

[lotus]

It may be way too late. Could someone give me the address and the name of the person in-charge to send an appeal letter for a JPA interview ? Thank you.

[khor_albert]

It may be way too late. Could someone give me the address and the name of the person in-charge to send my appeal letter for a JPA interview ? Thank you.

Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Malaysia,
Bahagian Latihan,
Aras 5, Blok C1, Parcel C,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan,
62510 Putrajaya.

Name of person in-charge : En. Hishamuddin bin Mohd. Hashim

(Correct me if I am wrong)

However, I sent my appeal letter to them. I didn't get the second interview. I rang them up, and guess what they said? 9 A1s AND ABOVE!!! They never mentioned anything about that in the "iklan". I was so disappointed and worse, I felt cheated as I spent so much time and effort over this. Maybe taking Accounts or Commerce or Basic Science - 9A1s, 3A2s will help?

I sent an email to the PM though. I don't know how much will it helps, but that's all I can do, somebody who is even HIGHER than the JPA. I have a feeling that my email will not even reach his computer, but I will keep on sending.

May God bless all those who got the second interview~!!

[lyzzy]

I just thought I share this with you guys.. it's pretty funny...

Last Sunday, a bunch of Recommers and I and some other people (from Cornell/ Harvard/ MIT/ Yale) had dinner with the guy, yes, I mean, the guy who was in charge of the JPA scholarship section, Dr. Zulkeflli.

He asked me whether I was a JPA scholar, as we were sitting next to each other during dinner, and hence was making small talk. I was like, no. Then I mentioned that JPA rejected me. And he was like.. oh...

Anyway, what I didn't mention was the fact that he was my JPA interviewer.

Oh, and he very kindly paid for our dinner...

I'm not sure what my point is... but I'm pretty sure that it goes in the lines of... things always turn out fine in the end.. :D [/b]
________
Toyota Alphard specifications (http://www.toyota-wiki.com/wiki/Toyota_Alphard)

[lotus]

Thank you, Albert, for your kind help and info. The appeal letter has just been sent. Regards.

[serene]

It may be way too late. Could someone give me the address and the name of the person in-charge to send my appeal letter for a JPA interview ? Thank you.

Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Malaysia,
Bahagian Latihan,
Aras 5, Blok C1, Parcel C,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan,
62510 Putrajaya.

Name of person in-charge : En. Hishamuddin bin Mohd. Hashim

(Correct me if I am wrong)

However, I sent my appeal letter to them. I didn't get the second interview. I rang them up, and guess what they said? 9 A1s AND ABOVE!!! They never mentioned anything about that in the "iklan". I was so disappointed and worse, I felt cheated as I spent so much time and effort over this. Maybe taking Accounts or Commerce or Basic Science - 9A1s, 3A2s will help?

I sent an email to the PM though. I don't know how much will it helps, but that's all I can do, somebody who is even HIGHER than the JPA. I have a feeling that my email will not even reach his computer, but I will keep on sending.

May God bless all those who got the second interview~!!


U mean only those with 9A1s and above can appeal??! Where did they put the "iklan"??

Sob! I feel so disappointed.. 8O :(
Suddenly feel like sending an email to PM too......... :roll:

[khor_albert]

It may be way too late. Could someone give me the address and the name of the person in-charge to send my appeal letter for a JPA interview ? Thank you.

Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Malaysia,
Bahagian Latihan,
Aras 5, Blok C1, Parcel C,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan,
62510 Putrajaya.

Name of person in-charge : En. Hishamuddin bin Mohd. Hashim

(Correct me if I am wrong)

However, I sent my appeal letter to them. I didn't get the second interview. I rang them up, and guess what they said? 9 A1s AND ABOVE!!! They never mentioned anything about that in the "iklan". I was so disappointed and worse, I felt cheated as I spent so much time and effort over this. Maybe taking Accounts or Commerce or Basic Science - 9A1s, 3A2s will help?

I sent an email to the PM though. I don't know how much will it helps, but that's all I can do, somebody who is even HIGHER than the JPA. I have a feeling that my email will not even reach his computer, but I will keep on sending.

May God bless all those who got the second interview~!!


U mean only those with 9A1s and above can appeal??! Where did they put the "iklan"??

Sob! I feel so disappointed.. 8O :(
Suddenly feel like sending an email to PM too......... :roll:

YES, That's what THEY told me.......but I will not rest with that. I will continue with my e-mails. Gosh, it's unfair, they can't use irrational judgement like this. When I debated with her about ECA and other factors, she strictly said that ACADEMIC comes first. What type of scholarship is this? I thought that the scholarships should only given to those in need, not to mention those with outspoken students as well. Ahh.....I said.

Battle on, Serene!! We gotta show them what's rite and what's wrong!! With faith, we will move on or lose after battling!!

We don't fight the fights that we can win, we fight the fights that need fighting!!

PS : Btw, u r a christian, rite?

[khor_albert]

I just thought I share this with you guys.. it's pretty funny...

Last Sunday, a bunch of Recommers and I and some other people (from Cornell/ Harvard/ MIT/ Yale) had dinner with the guy, yes, I mean, the guy who was in charge of the JPA scholarship section, Dr. Zulkeflli.

He asked me whether I was a JPA scholar, as we were sitting next to each other during dinner, and hence was making small talk. I was like, no. Then I mentioned that JPA rejected me. And he was like.. oh...

Anyway, what I didn't mention was the fact that he was my JPA interviewer.

Oh, and he very kindly paid for our dinner...

I'm not sure what my point is... but I'm pretty sure that it goes in the lines of... things always turn out fine in the end.. :D [/b]

Lyzzy, I admire your fighting power that gets u center stage right there in America's Ivy League. What I admire more is your self challenge to reverse your fate. I am sure that God let JPA rejects you for a reason. It's the fruit today that I am sure more valuable than when you get the JPA scholarship. And yes, I totally agree that you should express your experience to that JPA officer.

Malaysians have been taking things for granted. Glad to know that someone managed to not rely on that but on her own very strength. Way to go!!!

Now I am almost in that same condition. I am battling at the end of the battlefield after being rejected for the interview twice. Even the website address is an eyesore for me now. I will continue to battle to the very final second.

Let's just see if I can walk at the walkways of Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Pennsylvania, etc....someday....like you....

[chenchow]

I think that the officer could have mentioned it on her own intuition. I don't think JPA would deny those with fewer than 9A1 automatically, especially since JPA only looks at those core subjects.

In the future, try get the name of the officer, and hence you would be able to prove that you hear from a certain officer.

Don't give up and keep on trying.

[khor_albert]

I have called JPA again to reconfirm and debate again about my wrecking condition on chenchow's advice. I called on 22 April 2005, 10:30am.

This time I received a ruder and firmer reply, NO!! Only 9A1s and above!! I talked to her politely but she will never listen, sticking to her ideas. I quoted some important names in JPA and it's VERY VERY true....but instead of getting an attention, I got extra mockings that I don't need. When I asked her about why JPA didnt put the 9A1s stuff in the iklan, she said it was ad-hoc. I find it very hard to accept.

However, after all that verbal battles, I got that woman's name. However, the last thing I want to do is to put that lady center stage. I will use it only when it's time.

[khor_albert]

I wish to appeal again for JPA interview after I failed the first and second round. Can everybody give me the name whom u addressed your letter of appeal to?

Please...and thank you.
State his/her position as well if it's possible.

[caramel_nut]

When I appealled, I didn't even put the name of the offiecr-in-charge. I just wrote "Ketua Bahagian, Bahagian Latihan" but I handed it in to JPA in Putrajaya by myself. Try to talk to the clerk there. The one I met that day was extra friendy. Maybe she can suggest some other alternatives on how to get the interview offer.

[flyinghigh]

When I appealled, I didn't even put the name of the offiecr-in-charge. I just wrote "Ketua Bahagian, Bahagian Latihan" but I handed it in to JPA in Putrajaya by myself. Try to talk to the clerk there. The one I met that day was extra friendy. Maybe she can suggest some other alternatives on how to get the interview offer.



so, u succeed right?

[khor_albert]

she(caramel_nut) succeed.....i m gonna follow her....hmmm....dunno my 8A1s can make it or not...hopefully everything else matters

[Salvation]

However, I sent my appeal letter to them. I didn't get the second interview. I rang them up, and guess what they said? 9 A1s AND ABOVE!!! They never mentioned anything about that in the "iklan". I was so disappointed and worse, I felt cheated as I spent so much time and effort over this. Maybe taking Accounts or Commerce or Basic Science - 9A1s, 3A2s will help?

I sent an email to the PM though. I don't know how much will it helps, but that's all I can do, somebody who is even HIGHER than the JPA. I have a feeling that my email will not even reach his computer, but I will keep on sending.

May God bless all those who got the second interview~!!


That's the stupiest crap I have ever heard. I have friends with 7A1 going for the first interview. I am sure that there some with 6A1s and below that are also accepted....why suddently 9A1s? IMO if you told them you have 10 A1s they will say that only those with 11A1s and above will appeal. Good luck on your email to PakLah.

[khor_albert]

It may be crap, may be......but that's the word that is administered into my auditory nerves. I think that the whole department, in the midst of thousands of appeal, may have went paranoid and hence all the ugliness appear.

Ok now, weakness on my side for getting just 8A1s. However, I think that they are serious about that 9A1s stuff. lkh1986 said all his friends who have 9A1s and above and appealed got the second interview. Another of his friend who is a head prefect and got 8A1s and 2A2s didnt get the interview. Heh.....

[flyinghigh]

7A1s also can go 4 the interview?
oh gosh
alas!

anyone know pak lah's e-mail addy?
pls tell me..
i wanna e-mail him as well!
por favor!

[khor_albert]

7A1s also can go 4 the interview?
oh gosh
alas!

anyone know pak lah's e-mail addy?
pls tell me..
i wanna e-mail him as well!
por favor!

ppm[AT]pmo[DOT]gov[DOT]my

Good luck, I am sending in my fourth email tonight. Just hope that it will reach his table somehow. I am sending it everyday.

[flyinghigh]

ppm[AT]pmo[DOT]gov[DOT]my

Good luck, I am sending in my fourth email tonight. Just hope that it will reach his table somehow. I am sending it everyday.

thnx. khor_albert. :D
i'll send mine too. :wink:

[caramel_nut]

You definitely have my support, khor_albert. I know of quite a number of non-bumis getting the interview offer even though they get 6a1s, 7a1s or even a strings of B and C. So, do not give up. Gambade. I'll pray for you as well. God has answered my prayers, He will answer yours as well as long as you put enough faith in him. Don't worry.

[N-Guy]

albert

why not use news paper as your medium???

or sending an email to the media

its the most powerful instrument,,,

[digimushu]

ppm[AT]pmo[DOT]gov[DOT]my

Good luck, I am sending in my fourth email tonight. Just hope that it will reach his table somehow. I am sending it everyday.

thnx. khor_albert. :D
i'll send mine too. :wink:

Probably wont go thru the spam filter....

[chenchow]

On a note, sending an email everyday to PM, would actually decrease your credibility. A strong email would be good, but sending it multiple times would actually backfire.

PM receives hundreds of emails per day, may be even thousands. I believe his secretary are filtering through those, but if you put your title well, it would be read. Sending multiple emails just make people feel frustrated.

While I am a completely nobody, sometimes I face this problem to a lesser extent. For instance, some ReComers who want to ask some questions regarding some scholarships issues. And some actually email the exactly same email to me, with tons of exclamation mark every hour or every 2 hours. That is unacceptable to me. I get back every email within 24 hours, unless I am out of town, and I am a full time student too. With these kind of behaviors, I would actually reply those kind of emails last, until I reply others' first.

So, I really hope that you guys do not spam PM's mailbox, or any other people's mailbox. Imagine yourself, getting the same email from the same person with the same content everyday, would you feel that it is more irritating, than anything else?

[Tab]

hey everyone, I emphatise with all of you in your 'battle' with JPA.
Why?

Simple. I used to be in a similar position as all of you. Well, sort of.

Here's an anecdote of my experience when I was at your age. Pls be warned that it's a bit long, but in hindsight, I found my experience to be.. erm... eventful! :wink:

I did my SPM in 2001. (wow.. can't believe that's 4 years ago!) I was one of the 300+ students who scored straight 1As in our SPM exams. The memories of the 'legendary' Ong Jin Hock from Sungai Petani, Kedah (yea.. the 13 1A guy who revolutionised the face of SPM) and his gang of 100+ straight 1A top scorers and how scholarships were literally knocking on their doors were still fresh in our minds. After getting our SPM results, we set off with our JPA application, full of hope, promise and optimism that we would be accorded a similar sort of 'reward' by the government and by JPA. Well, it did work out to expectation for most of my friends who got straight 1As, but not for me.

No, unlike you lucky people this year and the year before me, we didn't get to dine with the PM or any hotshots. And no, there isn't a tinge of envy in me; in fact, I feel glad for you people who were invited since it offers a ray of hope of securing a scholarship.

But I digress.

OK, I had this life-long ambition to become a doctor. I worked towards this dream by putting in my very best effort in my SPM. So, naturally, I applied for the JPA scholarship to study medicine in the UK. During the interview, the JPA officer announced to us that those who didn't score straight 1As were advised to switch their choices to either the Germany & France programme for engineering, and twinning or Russia programme for medicine.

Logically, I didn't do that since I was quite confident that my SPM, cocurricular, sports and other academic and non-academic credentials would pull me through. Heck, even my dad is a senior government official. Everything that I had to offer were more or less in favour of me getting the UK medicine scholarship. Or so I thought.... hehe....

As for the interviews, I think I did rather reasonable. I don't wanna say I did too well, because that would discredit contribution of the other people who were in the same interview group as I. But, just to give you an idea, I was in both my school English and Malay debate team. Yes, even Malay debate team.. and I'm a Chinese in a predominantly Malay school. My spoken Malay was (and still is!) very fluent, even when you compare me to a native Malay speaker. And the interview was conducted in Malay.. so, naturally, I encountered not much problem in getting through the interviews.

So, all was well until I got a call from my mum one fine morning. (you see.. I was studying in a private college away from home at that time). My mum sounded rather exasperated over the phone. I was perplexed. What could make my mum sound so worried?

Apparently, the JPA results were out. Yes, I got a scholarship. But I didn't get the UK medicine programme. I got 'pushed' to the Russian medical programme. I was baffled and lost beyond words.

Now, it's not that I've anything against Russian medical schools, fine in their own right (though the ubiquituous reports of students getting beaten up by Russian thugs just doesn't help!). What made me frustrated was this: that JPA earlier on asked us to switch our choice of country to Russia if we didn't score good results in our SPM.... what does this imply to you? I'm not gonna answer that question. I'll leave it to you to judge for yourself.

And I felt rather 'short-changed' when I learnt of many students (bumis and non-bumis included, straight 1As and non-straight 1As included) who got their first choice scholarships.

My mum tried to reason things out with them over the phone. But guess what, they told her this: there're many other students with better results than your son's, you know? And the UK programme is only for those with straight 1As.' Then, my mum told them my SPM results. The officer was shocked and lost for words. Then, my mum's call was put to another officer, who said that apparently, I willingly changed my course to the Russian medic programme (what rubbish!). My mum told them that I didn't do so. Again, this officer couldn't answer my mum and another officer came by. This time, the officer told my mum ' panel kata anak awak tak boleh cakap masa interview'. This time, my mum couldn't say anything, coz there's no evidence to prove otherwise. There's no tape recording of the interview or anything like that to prove the officer was wrong. Look at the many different unrelated 'reasons' given by them within a short span of minutes!

OK fine. I accepted this news with fortitude. I told myself that I'm gonna appeal 'like crazy' to JPA.... no matter what. So, what I did was I temporarily 'accepted' the Russian programme, in order to 'buy time' for me to appeal. At the same time, I sent out DOZENS of letters of appeals to LOTS of people... including my ADUN, my MP, my state Menteri Besar, the state MCA, the national MCA, the past president of MCA (you know who), Ketua Pengarah of JPA, the past education minister (you know who).. bla...bla.. bla... ( I could remember the heartache and agony that I went through a I typed my appeal letter and at the same time, try to figure out who's next to appeal to) I think the list of people whom I sent my appeal letters is quite an exhaustive list for a student like me! :lol:

The Star got to know about my problem and my plight was highlighted in the Star. I don't think any of you can remember this... I don't want to either! :D

My emotions at that time were a mix of bitterness, disappoinment, anger and frustration. But I kept telling myself to face this adversity with fortitude, hope and perseverance.

And much to my chagrin, all my letters yielded no answer. Man...

There were only a few kind people willing to meet me. One person was my State Sultan. During a state government function to award the top scorers of SPM in my state, I had a chance to have a few words with the Sultan and His Royal Highness gave me a ray of hope when he offered to support my appeal. He arranged for me to meet with the Menteri Besar and instructed the Menteri Besar to issue a royal letter of support and recommendation to me. A few days later, I was summoned to the MB's office and after I presented my case to him, he gladly offered me the royal letter (cool yellow coloured letter with the royal seal on it!), plus a letter of support from himself, being the head of the state government.

I hopes flared up for the moment as I got a royal and state government backing. I then happily went down to Putrajaya and wanted to hand the letters personally to the Ketua Pengarah of JPA. Much to my dismay, his secretary said that he wasn't around coz he went for a medical appointment or something to that effect. Since I couldn't come down again to Putrajaya and I handed the letters to the secretary. She seemed to have a cheerful disposition and she even comforted me and told me to be patient and wait.

At the same time, I was doing my Russian prep course in INTEC UiTM. Man.. can you imagine having to face this problem and having to face the living conditions in INTEC... life sucks back then! It hurts to hear people saying behind your back things like "what's the use of being one of the best students in the country? he can't even get the scholarship that he applied for!" or things like "haha.. no use being such a smart student, now see what happen to you... you think you're so great izzit? hahaha...". Heartless people.

At the same time, there were letters to the editors and letters to the Education Section of the Star which condemned and disparaged my actions as not befitting a national top scorer. They claimed that it is shameful to go down on my knees and begged for help. According to them, my public appeal strips me off my dignity. And they also said that I should just be thankful with what I get and shut up. Indeed, they have the right to their own opinions, but I just wished that they could stop for the moment, put themselves in my shoes and emphatise with me. Yes, thankfully, there were a few folks who understood my agony and wrote in to show some support, but from what I could tell, the general notion of the public was of disdain. But I couldn't care less.... :lol:

Weeks passed and I didn't hear anything. I tried phoning the secretary to the Ketua Pengarah, but noone picked up the call. Nobody ever does pick up the call. I tried calling up all those bigshots but again, no one ever picks up the phone. Or the phone just goes dead. Or being put on hold for eternity! :D

I remember only telling this to my mum: "sigh.. the only person who could realistically help me is the Prime Minister himself! Coz only he has full control over JPA since JPA comes under the jurisdiction of the PM's department'

God is almighty. For it is in Him that I place my trust.

One fine day in INTEC halfway through my Russian language class, I got a call from my parents. This time, something really did happen! They got a call from.... from all places..... the Prime Minister's Department! I was like... what?! I didn't believe my ears when my mum, half-crying, told me over the phone that one of the Secretaries to the PM wanted to meet me in his office. I don't remember writing in anything to the PM's dept, but I guess I must thank The Star for highlighting my plight. For it really went all the way up until the PM's dept.

A new breath of hope indeed.

So, I bravely marched off to the PM's office complex in Putrajaya and met the PM's Secretary. He was the PM's political secretary to be exact. After presenting my case to him, he seemed rather impressed and event commented that he don't know what nonsense JPA is up to these days. :lol: According to him, there must be some hanky-panky business going on in JPA. His 'hypothesis' was that some other student, with not so good SPM results but with the right connections wanted a place and so, JPA just randomly pick some 'victim' to kick out. And unfortunately that was me.

Finally, he asked me this: 'You do have a case here. Do you want to present your case to the (then) Prime Minister himself?' I couldn't believe me ears. I told him that I would be more than happy if he could forward my case to the PM.

Instead, he told me: 'No, JPA said that you couldn't speak well during the interview right? I find that you are a very eloquent speaker. So, why not YOU present YOUR own case in person to the Prime Minister? Thus, if those people at JPA say something like 'you can't speak well' then the PM would know who to believe.'

Of course, given such a golden opportunity, I immediately say YES, as if on a reflex action!

And so, one fateful Tuesday morning the following week, I was finally met the Prime Minister himself in person. I was so nervous before that, and I kept going through my talking points over and over again, since I was going to meet the No. 1 person in the Malaysian government.

My meet lasted for about half an hour. it was really an experience of a life time.. being in his office (absolutely fantastic!) with him sitting opposite me. It was just myself, the PM and the PM's secretary. Nobody else was there. And I presented my case. The look on the PM's face was a priceless experience.. I must say that he looked rather bemused!

At the end of the meet, I told him that I give him my word and my pledge to commit myself to study hard, work hard, get myself into one of the world's top universities and return to Malaysia to serve the people.

The next day (a Wednesday), my case was brought up in the Cabinet meeting and with the consensus of all the Cabinet ministers (including some of the people who didn't even bother to pay heed to my letters in the first place), my appeal was granted with immediate effect, without even needing the approval of the Ketua Pengarah of JPA! hah!

I was not complacent after that. There were people who weren't quite satisfied with this. They said that my SPM results was a fluke.. that it didn't really show how good I am... and bla bla bla.... I told myself that I'm gonna prove them wrong by getting myself into one of the world's top universities. Besides, I had a promise to keep with the PM! :D

And two years later, here I am today in Cambridge. I think I already fulfilled some, but not all of my pledge to the then PM.
Before I left for Cambridge last year, I had a chance to meet the now ex-PM again in his office in the Petronas Twin Towers to bid him goodbye and thank him once again for everything. He was very pleased to hear that I was going to Cambridge and he was even more amused when I told him that I have kept to my first half of my promise (i.e. to get into one of the world's top university). He reminded me to study hard and challenged me to fulfil the second half of my promise. He reminded me that the government machinery is not always perfect but with each passing generation, the new generation has the potential to improve the country and take it one step ahead toward the dream of a better country.

I'm currently working on fulfiling the other half of my pledge. And may God allow me to fulfil my promise.

Sorry for this rather long winded post. But I just hope that you people out there who are appealing, DON'T give up hope. No matter how dim it is, hold on to the believe that God work in many mysterious ways and if things don't turn out like what we hope they will, it means that God is testing us.

Have faith everyone! :)

[kiddo]

hey, i remember u.. ur the one frpm sungai petani rite? Ibrahim school? U went to kdu for the elocution competition rite?

[caramel_nut]

hey everyone, I emphatise with all of you in your 'battle' with JPA.
Why?

Simple. I used to be in a similar position as all of you. Well, sort of.

Here's an anecdote of my experience when I was at your age. Pls be warned that it's a bit long, but in hindsight, I found my experience to be.. erm... eventful! :wink:

I did my SPM in 2001. (wow.. can't believe that's 4 years ago!) I was one of the 300+ students who scored straight 1As in our SPM exams. The memories of the 'legendary' Ong Jin Hock from Sungai Petani, Kedah (yea.. the 13 1A guy who revolutionised the face of SPM) and his gang of 100+ straight 1A top scorers and how scholarships were literally knocking on their doors were still fresh in our minds. After getting our SPM results, we set off with our JPA application, full of hope, promise and optimism that we would be accorded a similar sort of 'reward' by the government and by JPA. Well, it did work out to expectation for most of my friends who got straight 1As, but not for me.

No, unlike you lucky people this year and the year before me, we didn't get to dine with the PM or any hotshots. And no, there isn't a tinge of envy in me; in fact, I feel glad for you people who were invited since it offers a ray of hope of securing a scholarship.

But I digress.

OK, I had this life-long ambition to become a doctor. I worked towards this dream by putting in my very best effort in my SPM. So, naturally, I applied for the JPA scholarship to study medicine in the UK. During the interview, the JPA officer announced to us that those who didn't score straight 1As were advised to switch their choices to either the Germany & France programme for engineering, and twinning or Russia programme for medicine.

Logically, I didn't do that since I was quite confident that my SPM, cocurricular, sports and other academic and non-academic credentials would pull me through. Heck, even my dad is a senior government official. Everything that I had to offer were more or less in favour of me getting the UK medicine scholarship. Or so I thought.... hehe....

As for the interviews, I think I did rather reasonable. I don't wanna say I did too well, because that would discredit contribution of the other people who were in the same interview group as I. But, just to give you an idea, I was in both my school English and Malay debate team. Yes, even Malay debate team.. and I'm a Chinese in a predominantly Malay school. My spoken Malay was (and still is!) very fluent, even when you compare me to a native Malay speaker. And the interview was conducted in Malay.. so, naturally, I encountered not much problem in getting through the interviews.

So, all was well until I got a call from my mum one fine morning. (you see.. I was studying in a private college away from home at that time). My mum sounded rather exasperated over the phone. I was perplexed. What could make my mum sound so worried?

Apparently, the JPA results were out. Yes, I got a scholarship. But I didn't get the UK medicine programme. I got 'pushed' to the Russian medical programme. I was baffled and lost beyond words.

Now, it's not that I've anything against Russian medical schools, fine in their own right (though the ubiquituous reports of students getting beaten up by Russian thugs just doesn't help!). What made me frustrated was this: that JPA earlier on asked us to switch our choice of country to Russia if we didn't score good results in our SPM.... what does this imply to you? I'm not gonna answer that question. I'll leave it to you to judge for yourself.

And I felt rather 'short-changed' when I learnt of many students (bumis and non-bumis included, straight 1As and non-straight 1As included) who got their first choice scholarships.

My mum tried to reason things out with them over the phone. But guess what, they told her this: there're many other students with better results than your son's, you know? And the UK programme is only for those with straight 1As.' Then, my mum told them my SPM results. The officer was shocked and lost for words. Then, my mum's call was put to another officer, who said that apparently, I willingly changed my course to the Russian medic programme (what rubbish!). My mum told them that I didn't do so. Again, this officer couldn't answer my mum and another officer came by. This time, the officer told my mum ' panel kata anak awak tak boleh cakap masa interview'. This time, my mum couldn't say anything, coz there's no evidence to prove otherwise. There's no tape recording of the interview or anything like that to prove the officer was wrong. Look at the many different unrelated 'reasons' given by them within a short span of minutes!

OK fine. I accepted this news with fortitude. I told myself that I'm gonna appeal 'like crazy' to JPA.... no matter what. So, what I did was I temporarily 'accepted' the Russian programme, in order to 'buy time' for me to appeal. At the same time, I sent out DOZENS of letters of appeals to LOTS of people... including my ADUN, my MP, my state Menteri Besar, the state MCA, the national MCA, the past president of MCA (you know who), Ketua Pengarah of JPA, the past education minister (you know who).. bla...bla.. bla... ( I could remember the heartache and agony that I went through a I typed my appeal letter and at the same time, try to figure out who's next to appeal to) I think the list of people whom I sent my appeal letters is quite an exhaustive list for a student like me! :lol:

The Star got to know about my problem and my plight was highlighted in the Star. I don't think any of you can remember this... I don't want to either! :D

My emotions at that time were a mix of bitterness, disappoinment, anger and frustration. But I kept telling myself to face this adversity with fortitude, hope and perseverance.

And much to my chagrin, all my letters yielded no answer. Man...

There were only a few kind people willing to meet me. One person was my State Sultan. During a state government function to award the top scorers of SPM in my state, I had a chance to have a few words with the Sultan and His Royal Highness gave me a ray of hope when he offered to support my appeal. He arranged for me to meet with the Menteri Besar and instructed the Menteri Besar to issue a royal letter of support and recommendation to me. A few days later, I was summoned to the MB's office and after I presented my case to him, he gladly offered me the royal letter (cool yellow coloured letter with the royal seal on it!), plus a letter of support from himself, being the head of the state government.

I hopes flared up for the moment as I got a royal and state government backing. I then happily went down to Putrajaya and wanted to hand the letters personally to the Ketua Pengarah of JPA. Much to my dismay, his secretary said that he wasn't around coz he went for a medical appointment or something to that effect. Since I couldn't come down again to Putrajaya and I handed the letters to the secretary. She seemed to have a cheerful disposition and she even comforted me and told me to be patient and wait.

At the same time, I was doing my Russian prep course in INTEC UiTM. Man.. can you imagine having to face this problem and having to face the living conditions in INTEC... life sucks back then! It hurts to hear people saying behind your back things like "what's the use of being one of the best students in the country? he can't even get the scholarship that he applied for!" or things like "haha.. no use being such a smart student, now see what happen to you... you think you're so great izzit? hahaha...". Heartless people.

At the same time, there were letters to the editors and letters to the Education Section of the Star which condemned and disparaged my actions as not befitting a national top scorer. They claimed that it is shameful to go down on my knees and begged for help. According to them, my public appeal strips me off my dignity. And they also said that I should just be thankful with what I get and shut up. Indeed, they have the right to their own opinions, but I just wished that they could stop for the moment, put themselves in my shoes and emphatise with me. Yes, thankfully, there were a few folks who understood my agony and wrote in to show some support, but from what I could tell, the general notion of the public was of disdain. But I couldn't care less.... :lol:

Weeks passed and I didn't hear anything. I tried phoning the secretary to the Ketua Pengarah, but noone picked up the call. Nobody ever does pick up the call. I tried calling up all those bigshots but again, no one ever picks up the phone. Or the phone just goes dead. Or being put on hold for eternity! :D

I remember only telling this to my mum: "sigh.. the only person who could realistically help me is the Prime Minister himself! Coz only he has full control over JPA since JPA comes under the jurisdiction of the PM's department'

God is almighty. For it is in Him that I place my trust.

One fine day in INTEC halfway through my Russian language class, I got a call from my parents. This time, something really did happen! They got a call from.... from all places..... the Prime Minister's Department! I was like... what?! I didn't believe my ears when my mum, half-crying, told me over the phone that one of the Secretaries to the PM wanted to meet me in his office. I don't remember writing in anything to the PM's dept, but I guess I must thank The Star for highlighting my plight. For it really went all the way up until the PM's dept.

A new breath of hope indeed.

So, I bravely marched off to the PM's office complex in Putrajaya and met the PM's Secretary. He was the PM's political secretary to be exact. After presenting my case to him, he seemed rather impressed and event commented that he don't know what nonsense JPA is up to these days. :lol: According to him, there must be some hanky-panky business going on in JPA. His 'hypothesis' was that some other student, with not so good SPM results but with the right connections wanted a place and so, JPA just randomly pick some 'victim' to kick out. And unfortunately that was me.

Finally, he asked me this: 'You do have a case here. Do you want to present your case to the (then) Prime Minister himself?' I couldn't believe me ears. I told him that I would be more than happy if he could forward my case to the PM.

Instead, he told me: 'No, JPA said that you couldn't speak well during the interview right? I find that you are a very eloquent speaker. So, why not YOU present YOUR own case in person to the Prime Minister? Thus, if those people at JPA say something like 'you can't speak well' then the PM would know who to believe.'

Of course, given such a golden opportunity, I immediately say YES, as if on a reflex action!

And so, one fateful Tuesday morning the following week, I was finally met the Prime Minister himself in person. I was so nervous before that, and I kept going through my talking points over and over again, since I was going to meet the No. 1 person in the Malaysian government.

My meet lasted for about half an hour. it was really an experience of a life time.. being in his office (absolutely fantastic!) with him sitting opposite me. It was just myself, the PM and the PM's secretary. Nobody else was there. And I presented my case. The look on the PM's face was a priceless experience.. I must say that he looked rather bemused!

At the end of the meet, I told him that I give him my word and my pledge to commit myself to study hard, work hard, get myself into one of the world's top universities and return to Malaysia to serve the people.

The next day (a Wednesday), my case was brought up in the Cabinet meeting and with the consensus of all the Cabinet ministers (including some of the people who didn't even bother to pay heed to my letters in the first place), my appeal was granted with immediate effect, without even needing the approval of the Ketua Pengarah of JPA! hah!

I was not complacent after that. There were people who weren't quite satisfied with this. They said that my SPM results was a fluke.. that it didn't really show how good I am... and bla bla bla.... I told myself that I'm gonna prove them wrong by getting myself into one of the world's top universities. Besides, I had a promise to keep with the PM! :D

And two years later, here I am today in Cambridge. I think I already fulfilled some, but not all of my pledge to the then PM.
Before I left for Cambridge last year, I had a chance to meet the now ex-PM again in his office in the Petronas Twin Towers to bid him goodbye and thank him once again for everything. He was very pleased to hear that I was going to Cambridge and he was even more amused when I told him that I have kept to my first half of my promise (i.e. to get into one of the world's top university). He reminded me to study hard and challenged me to fulfil the second half of my promise. He reminded me that the government machinery is not always perfect but with each passing generation, the new generation has the potential to improve the country and take it one step ahead toward the dream of a better country.

I'm currently working on fulfiling the other half of my pledge. And may God allow me to fulfil my promise.

Sorry for this rather long winded post. But I just hope that you people out there who are appealing, DON'T give up hope. No matter how dim it is, hold on to the believe that God work in many mysterious ways and if things don't turn out like what we hope they will, it means that God is testing us.

Have faith everyone! :)


Incredible, really incredible. Your JPA appeal experience was kinda complicated yet you succeeded. You got to meet the PM in person, impressed him, got the JPA scholarship and end up in one of the world's most prestigious university reading the very coveted medicine. My salute to you.

I'm certainly proud of you. You had fought to the very end for your own future. I truly admire you determination and perseverence. You have reignited the hope in me. Thanks!!

[N-Guy]

hey

i remember you

your dad work as the asst director in RRIM?

you got 13 1A right??

yes yes

by the way....you will succeed....Your determination payed off...way to go my friend!!!

[caramel_nut]

Opps, I wonder what went wrong. My same post appears three times and I can't delete it.

[chenchow]

Thanks tab for a very good sharing. I believe that this would spur fellow ReComers to continue present a good case in your appeal. Concentrate on your appeal, on why you should be offered the scholarship. There are a lot of top scorers, and how you are more outstanding than the rest?

[wendy]

hey everyone, I emphatise with all of you in your 'battle' with JPA.
Why?

Simple. I used to be in a similar position as all of you. Well, sort of.

Here's an anecdote of my experience when I was at your age. Pls be warned that it's a bit long, but in hindsight, I found my experience to be.. erm... eventful! :wink:

I did my SPM in 2001. (wow.. can't believe that's 4 years ago!) I was one of the 300+ students who scored straight 1As in our SPM exams. The memories of the 'legendary' Ong Jin Hock from Sungai Petani, Kedah (yea.. the 13 1A guy who revolutionised the face of SPM) and his gang of 100+ straight 1A top scorers and how scholarships were literally knocking on their doors were still fresh in our minds. After getting our SPM results, we set off with our JPA application, full of hope, promise and optimism that we would be accorded a similar sort of 'reward' by the government and by JPA. Well, it did work out to expectation for most of my friends who got straight 1As, but not for me.

No, unlike you lucky people this year and the year before me, we didn't get to dine with the PM or any hotshots. And no, there isn't a tinge of envy in me; in fact, I feel glad for you people who were invited since it offers a ray of hope of securing a scholarship.

But I digress.

OK, I had this life-long ambition to become a doctor. I worked towards this dream by putting in my very best effort in my SPM. So, naturally, I applied for the JPA scholarship to study medicine in the UK. During the interview, the JPA officer announced to us that those who didn't score straight 1As were advised to switch their choices to either the Germany & France programme for engineering, and twinning or Russia programme for medicine.

Logically, I didn't do that since I was quite confident that my SPM, cocurricular, sports and other academic and non-academic credentials would pull me through. Heck, even my dad is a senior government official. Everything that I had to offer were more or less in favour of me getting the UK medicine scholarship. Or so I thought.... hehe....

As for the interviews, I think I did rather reasonable. I don't wanna say I did too well, because that would discredit contribution of the other people who were in the same interview group as I. But, just to give you an idea, I was in both my school English and Malay debate team. Yes, even Malay debate team.. and I'm a Chinese in a predominantly Malay school. My spoken Malay was (and still is!) very fluent, even when you compare me to a native Malay speaker. And the interview was conducted in Malay.. so, naturally, I encountered not much problem in getting through the interviews.

So, all was well until I got a call from my mum one fine morning. (you see.. I was studying in a private college away from home at that time). My mum sounded rather exasperated over the phone. I was perplexed. What could make my mum sound so worried?

Apparently, the JPA results were out. Yes, I got a scholarship. But I didn't get the UK medicine programme. I got 'pushed' to the Russian medical programme. I was baffled and lost beyond words.

Now, it's not that I've anything against Russian medical schools, fine in their own right (though the ubiquituous reports of students getting beaten up by Russian thugs just doesn't help!). What made me frustrated was this: that JPA earlier on asked us to switch our choice of country to Russia if we didn't score good results in our SPM.... what does this imply to you? I'm not gonna answer that question. I'll leave it to you to judge for yourself.

And I felt rather 'short-changed' when I learnt of many students (bumis and non-bumis included, straight 1As and non-straight 1As included) who got their first choice scholarships.

My mum tried to reason things out with them over the phone. But guess what, they told her this: there're many other students with better results than your son's, you know? And the UK programme is only for those with straight 1As.' Then, my mum told them my SPM results. The officer was shocked and lost for words. Then, my mum's call was put to another officer, who said that apparently, I willingly changed my course to the Russian medic programme (what rubbish!). My mum told them that I didn't do so. Again, this officer couldn't answer my mum and another officer came by. This time, the officer told my mum ' panel kata anak awak tak boleh cakap masa interview'. This time, my mum couldn't say anything, coz there's no evidence to prove otherwise. There's no tape recording of the interview or anything like that to prove the officer was wrong. Look at the many different unrelated 'reasons' given by them within a short span of minutes!

OK fine. I accepted this news with fortitude. I told myself that I'm gonna appeal 'like crazy' to JPA.... no matter what. So, what I did was I temporarily 'accepted' the Russian programme, in order to 'buy time' for me to appeal. At the same time, I sent out DOZENS of letters of appeals to LOTS of people... including my ADUN, my MP, my state Menteri Besar, the state MCA, the national MCA, the past president of MCA (you know who), Ketua Pengarah of JPA, the past education minister (you know who).. bla...bla.. bla... ( I could remember the heartache and agony that I went through a I typed my appeal letter and at the same time, try to figure out who's next to appeal to) I think the list of people whom I sent my appeal letters is quite an exhaustive list for a student like me! :lol:

The Star got to know about my problem and my plight was highlighted in the Star. I don't think any of you can remember this... I don't want to either! :D

My emotions at that time were a mix of bitterness, disappoinment, anger and frustration. But I kept telling myself to face this adversity with fortitude, hope and perseverance.

And much to my chagrin, all my letters yielded no answer. Man...

There were only a few kind people willing to meet me. One person was my State Sultan. During a state government function to award the top scorers of SPM in my state, I had a chance to have a few words with the Sultan and His Royal Highness gave me a ray of hope when he offered to support my appeal. He arranged for me to meet with the Menteri Besar and instructed the Menteri Besar to issue a royal letter of support and recommendation to me. A few days later, I was summoned to the MB's office and after I presented my case to him, he gladly offered me the royal letter (cool yellow coloured letter with the royal seal on it!), plus a letter of support from himself, being the head of the state government.

I hopes flared up for the moment as I got a royal and state government backing. I then happily went down to Putrajaya and wanted to hand the letters personally to the Ketua Pengarah of JPA. Much to my dismay, his secretary said that he wasn't around coz he went for a medical appointment or something to that effect. Since I couldn't come down again to Putrajaya and I handed the letters to the secretary. She seemed to have a cheerful disposition and she even comforted me and told me to be patient and wait.

At the same time, I was doing my Russian prep course in INTEC UiTM. Man.. can you imagine having to face this problem and having to face the living conditions in INTEC... life sucks back then! It hurts to hear people saying behind your back things like "what's the use of being one of the best students in the country? he can't even get the scholarship that he applied for!" or things like "haha.. no use being such a smart student, now see what happen to you... you think you're so great izzit? hahaha...". Heartless people.

At the same time, there were letters to the editors and letters to the Education Section of the Star which condemned and disparaged my actions as not befitting a national top scorer. They claimed that it is shameful to go down on my knees and begged for help. According to them, my public appeal strips me off my dignity. And they also said that I should just be thankful with what I get and shut up. Indeed, they have the right to their own opinions, but I just wished that they could stop for the moment, put themselves in my shoes and emphatise with me. Yes, thankfully, there were a few folks who understood my agony and wrote in to show some support, but from what I could tell, the general notion of the public was of disdain. But I couldn't care less.... :lol:

Weeks passed and I didn't hear anything. I tried phoning the secretary to the Ketua Pengarah, but noone picked up the call. Nobody ever does pick up the call. I tried calling up all those bigshots but again, no one ever picks up the phone. Or the phone just goes dead. Or being put on hold for eternity! :D

I remember only telling this to my mum: "sigh.. the only person who could realistically help me is the Prime Minister himself! Coz only he has full control over JPA since JPA comes under the jurisdiction of the PM's department'

God is almighty. For it is in Him that I place my trust.

One fine day in INTEC halfway through my Russian language class, I got a call from my parents. This time, something really did happen! They got a call from.... from all places..... the Prime Minister's Department! I was like... what?! I didn't believe my ears when my mum, half-crying, told me over the phone that one of the Secretaries to the PM wanted to meet me in his office. I don't remember writing in anything to the PM's dept, but I guess I must thank The Star for highlighting my plight. For it really went all the way up until the PM's dept.

A new breath of hope indeed.

So, I bravely marched off to the PM's office complex in Putrajaya and met the PM's Secretary. He was the PM's political secretary to be exact. After presenting my case to him, he seemed rather impressed and event commented that he don't know what nonsense JPA is up to these days. :lol: According to him, there must be some hanky-panky business going on in JPA. His 'hypothesis' was that some other student, with not so good SPM results but with the right connections wanted a place and so, JPA just randomly pick some 'victim' to kick out. And unfortunately that was me.

Finally, he asked me this: 'You do have a case here. Do you want to present your case to the (then) Prime Minister himself?' I couldn't believe me ears. I told him that I would be more than happy if he could forward my case to the PM.

Instead, he told me: 'No, JPA said that you couldn't speak well during the interview right? I find that you are a very eloquent speaker. So, why not YOU present YOUR own case in person to the Prime Minister? Thus, if those people at JPA say something like 'you can't speak well' then the PM would know who to believe.'

Of course, given such a golden opportunity, I immediately say YES, as if on a reflex action!

And so, one fateful Tuesday morning the following week, I was finally met the Prime Minister himself in person. I was so nervous before that, and I kept going through my talking points over and over again, since I was going to meet the No. 1 person in the Malaysian government.

My meet lasted for about half an hour. it was really an experience of a life time.. being in his office (absolutely fantastic!) with him sitting opposite me. It was just myself, the PM and the PM's secretary. Nobody else was there. And I presented my case. The look on the PM's face was a priceless experience.. I must say that he looked rather bemused!

At the end of the meet, I told him that I give him my word and my pledge to commit myself to study hard, work hard, get myself into one of the world's top universities and return to Malaysia to serve the people.

The next day (a Wednesday), my case was brought up in the Cabinet meeting and with the consensus of all the Cabinet ministers (including some of the people who didn't even bother to pay heed to my letters in the first place), my appeal was granted with immediate effect, without even needing the approval of the Ketua Pengarah of JPA! hah!

I was not complacent after that. There were people who weren't quite satisfied with this. They said that my SPM results was a fluke.. that it didn't really show how good I am... and bla bla bla.... I told myself that I'm gonna prove them wrong by getting myself into one of the world's top universities. Besides, I had a promise to keep with the PM! :D

And two years later, here I am today in Cambridge. I think I already fulfilled some, but not all of my pledge to the then PM.
Before I left for Cambridge last year, I had a chance to meet the now ex-PM again in his office in the Petronas Twin Towers to bid him goodbye and thank him once again for everything. He was very pleased to hear that I was going to Cambridge and he was even more amused when I told him that I have kept to my first half of my promise (i.e. to get into one of the world's top university). He reminded me to study hard and challenged me to fulfil the second half of my promise. He reminded me that the government machinery is not always perfect but with each passing generation, the new generation has the potential to improve the country and take it one step ahead toward the dream of a better country.

I'm currently working on fulfiling the other half of my pledge. And may God allow me to fulfil my promise.

Sorry for this rather long winded post. But I just hope that you people out there who are appealing, DON'T give up hope. No matter how dim it is, hold on to the believe that God work in many mysterious ways and if things don't turn out like what we hope they will, it means that God is testing us.

Have faith everyone! :)

i salute u!

[lolilo]

The Star got to know about my problem and my plight was highlighted in the Star. I don't think any of you can remember this... I don't want to either!


jezz, i remembered. It was a hot issue during that time-la. All ex-Ibrahim student should have remembered it. It was a heart wrenching sight to see you pleaded like that. ( There were tears, weren't there? ) You should have gotten that Uk scholarship as you are one of the top student of that year. heh. JPA.

Your determination and acheivements really shut everyone mouths. hahaha. why don't you present this piece to the press, write in to Star Education column or sthg. ( just suggesting)

[khor_albert]

Ok, I salute your achievements after all the troubles. However, do you actually realise HOW lucky you are?

If people like me have JUST ONE of the MIRACLES that you have....JUST ONE WILL DO, I may have grab it and be like you. I don't mind to face the PM himself, only if he wanted to see a nobody like me. You are a top scorer, you deserve all things in the world for your extraordinary effort and skills.

You have things to prove, ie...best scorer, debater, good ECA....but I am a jack of all trades, master of SOME??! So nobody will gonna accept me or appreciate me or see me, (ahh not even the ADUN, let alone the MP).

So, God works heavily in your life. If I just got ONE, JUST ONE CHANCE to meet wif any VIPs, I can create a difference to my trampled JPA appeal, I am very very sure.

Let's see about that.....this tearful(i dun cry) experience has built me up, not to trust on others but on ourself and the Lord. Only He can help me, NOBODY else. Till the end, Malaysia have all rights to push me away rite? With 8A1s instead of nine, I have no rights but to remain speechless. I can never get a media attention because they will snub me instead for trying to lower their newspaper sales.

Let's just see. I will survive this sandstorm and conquer the desert, even WITHOUT the help of an army if consequences pushed me to the limit.

[Tab]

hie everyone!

Firstly, umm....thanks to all of you for all the salutations, admirations, etc etc. but just to make my intention clear, the reason why I posted my experiences was not to garner praises, adulations or compliments, or even a feeble attempt at publicity! :D

One things for sure: all these events happened within a single month. Looking back, I feel that one month was the LOWEST point in my life.....ever! All these mis-adventures are definitely NOT something that I wanna relive all over again.... and I hope noone will ever have to experience this. Seriously people.... it's not fun at all! Do you think I would go through all these if I had the choice? Certainly not.

khor_albert... yes, in retrospect, I realised that I am indeed very very lucky. All those events were very serendipitous in nature. And it was ONLY my meet with the PM that really gave me a realistic chance to get the UK medic scholarship. Evidently, even with a Royal and State Government backing, that didn't make any difference with JPA. Can you believe that? I think that because of its federal status, JPA is quite unperturbed by what state governments have to say. JPA only reports directly to the Prime Minister himself.

Also, save for a few kind souls who were willing to lend a sympathetical ear, NOBODY else gave a damn! (sorry for the crude language... can't help it :lol: ) Some even went into an extent of launching a written tirade against my plight in the press.

If you ppl analyse my situation at that time, it was rather quite complicated. You see, my case wasn't really that strong. Why? JPA didn't reject me outright. If they did, that would have made things a lot easier. Instead, I was 'thrown' into another scholarship programme. Hence, technically, I still got a scholarship BUT the catch was that it wasn't what I applied for.

An analogy of this situation would be: say you get 4 flat CGPA, announced as the top student for STPM in the country, applied for UM medic, instead, get sent to, say, UMS for the same course. No, not that UMS is not good or anything. Just that you DIDN'T even apply to UMS. By merits, you should get your first choice, but you can't say you're rejected outright by the UPU. It's a tight spot.

So, I can't go around saying 'ooh.. JPA rejected me... darn it, I've got all the academic and non-academic credentials.. but JPA rejected me!', simply because they didn't really reject me.

khor_albert, yes, I clearly realise that not anyone on anyday gets a chance to meet the PM, let alone sit opposite him on his working table and present a case. But, really, it's not something glamorous. The top scorers of this year, and the top scorers of the year before me celebrated their success with and dined with the PM. As for me, I didn't meet the PM in a 'joyous' or 'happy' occasion. I had to engage in a face-to-face 'debate' against him and convince the man that I was worth my salt. As most of us are well aware, the then PM was indeed a very smart and sharp man. He probed and questioned me left and right.. asking me double meaning questions.. it wasn't just a casual friendly chit chat... and I had to be extremely careful with my words, without sounding too dispassionate. I was just so thankful that he was convinced at the end of the half hour of verbal exchange.

I hope that from my post, all of you who face any sort of rejection won't give up fighting. When you're cornered from all sides and there's just no other option, you must rise up to the occasion and bring out the best in yourself.

hey lollilo, did you know that the then Penolong Kanan HEM even condemned me publicly in his morning speech during the weekly school assembly? haha... looks like I've achieved some sense of notoriety amongst the school teachers! And no, I'll never send my story to the press. I don't need to coz they already know abt it. When the story of my successful appeal was published in The Star and other Chinese papers, they only reported the 'fun' part. That I succeeded in my appead thanks to the Cabinet's decision and all was happy and well again.

Besides, my FULL story will just tarnish the government system and our country's name. My experience is in fact a perfect antithesis of the claims of meritocracy by the government! I'm just sharing it with all of you, not fault the government or anyone else at all, but to give an example of how sheer grit and determination can overcome even the most impossible of adversities.

How am I to blame the government as a whole when it was the number one person in the government who gave me a life line in the end? I didn't turn to the opposition parties. I didn't turn to any other foreign country. As much as I feel sore with the government, I must say that it was also the government who saved my life in the end.

And to N-guy, kiddo..yea, both of you are right about my identity. :wink: hahaha....

now that I've shared my tale with all of you, I'll just fade away again into obscurity.... goodbye! :)

[khor_albert]

khor_albert... yes, in retrospect, I realised that I am indeed very very lucky. All those events were very serendipitous in nature. And it was ONLY my meet with the PM that really gave me a realistic chance to get the UK medic scholarship. Evidently, even with a Royal and State Government backing, that didn't make any difference with JPA. Can you believe that? I think that because of its federal status, JPA is quite unperturbed by what state governments have to say. JPA only reports directly to the Prime Minister himself.


That is, if I get even ONE, even ONE of the royal backing OR State Government.


khor_albert, yes, I clearly realise that not anyone on anyday gets a chance to meet the PM, let alone sit opposite him on his working table and present a case. But, really, it's not something glamorous. The top scorers of this year, and the top scorers of the year before me celebrated their success with and dined with the PM. As for me, I didn't meet the PM in a 'joyous' or 'happy' occasion. I had to engage in a face-to-face 'debate' against him and convince the man that I was worth my salt. As most of us are well aware, the then PM was indeed a very smart and sharp man. He probed and questioned me left and right.. asking me double meaning questions.. it wasn't just a casual friendly chit chat... and I had to be extremely careful with my words, without sounding too dispassionate. I was just so thankful that he was convinced at the end of the half hour of verbal exchange.


That is, also, if I get to debate with him or even the present PM.

[lolilo]

hey lollilo, did you know that the then Penolong Kanan HEM even condemned me publicly in his morning speech during the weekly school assembly? haha... looks like I've achieved some sense of notoriety amongst the school teachers! And no, I'll never send my story to the press. I don't need to coz they already know abt it. When the story of my successful appeal was published in The Star and other Chinese papers, they only reported the 'fun' part. That I succeeded in my appead thanks to the Cabinet's decision and all was happy and well again.


nah, i always slept through perhimpunan. i heard about you when my bro went to tennis practises and your mom was there fetching your sis. So, what i heard what was from your mom, ahaha.

Ibrahim teachers are quite unsupportive, heh, i still remember that the whole school was against me when i went to mrsm, saying that i wil indeed fail my studies and be converted. haha. i bet there are more rumors behind my back, but i learnt not to give a damn.
sometimes, doing things ppl say you can't do is the best feeling. :D

And to those who are still appealing, good luck and don't give up. Albert---perseverance......

[Salvation]

Yes, Tab, I remembering reading about you in TheStar, I didn't know it was a happy ending too. :lol: I believe you have done well...now...maybe I want to meet to PM too. Many a times, the only way to get through all thoise jungle of bureaucracy is speaking to the top man himself.

[zqax]

Hey Tab, can I sell you post to the press?I'm in tight budget and need some bucks to eat cause my father paid too much tax to the government to use in sending ppl to oversea...


Just kidding...
Anyway,
wish you good luck in UK cambridge!
May you be successful and fill Malaysian with pride!
:)


(p/s: did you take chinese in spm?I'm just curiuos.)

[kiddo]

hey guys.. i didn't get to go to the interview even after appealing.. guess we're on the same boat..called up the jpa hotline today to check my appeal status, and the lady told me tht i got rejected because they want a student to have at least 9A1's to appeal medic.. feel cheated though, they didn't even mention it in the criteria, though i did fulfill all the criteria mentioned posted in the newspaper.. goodness..

[chenchow]

Tab, it is very good that you maintain a very clear conscience throughout the tough one month, and eventually Dr. M managed to give you a good lifeline, which I believe you have certainly done very well in speaking.

I have spoken with Dr. M, and at all times, you will feel that his thinking is far beyond what we are looking at. Some of the Cabinet ministers that I chat with, have told me about how they have to always read up before attending Cabinet meeting, how they have to do their work, as Dr. M would start querying them on many aspects, and often the progress of the project. Do you guys know that when Petronas Twin Tower and KLIA was built, Dr. M went there to visit at least once per week?

Back to the topic, I would say that we shouldn't blame the situation completely, but rather try to find out how we can change the situation. Often, the outcome is not ideal.

Frankly, I myself may have to forgo my Stanford University admission, if no lifeline is thrown at me within the next 6 days. I have made uncountable number of calls, uncountable number of appeals, and to be frank, I understand how you all feel. It is very tough indeed. I do not blame JPA for not willing to offer me scholarship, as although I gain admission to Stanford, they have set a minimum requirement of CGPA, and I did not meet it. Can I blame anyone? No.

I am trying my very best in my appeals. I am very thankful that I have tons of supportive members, including many here in ReCom. And I have not given up in my appeals. And I hope those ReComers would not give up too. Things may happen nicely, but lets hope for the best.

[iQing]

Back to the topic, I would say that we shouldn't blame the situation completely, but rather try to find out how we can change the situation. Often, the outcome is not ideal.


Yes. Change it. Do your best to change dissatisfaction...

Regarding JPA interview, the competition is too great.
If we cannot get it, we just have to accept the outcome and reappeal.
No need to feel sad or unhappy. :D





改变不能接受的，接受不能改变的-- 王喜--- tvb 追魂交易

[serene]

It may be way too late. Could someone give me the address and the name of the person in-charge to send my appeal letter for a JPA interview ? Thank you.

Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Malaysia,
Bahagian Latihan,
Aras 5, Blok C1, Parcel C,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan,
62510 Putrajaya.

Name of person in-charge : En. Hishamuddin bin Mohd. Hashim

(Correct me if I am wrong)

However, I sent my appeal letter to them. I didn't get the second interview. I rang them up, and guess what they said? 9 A1s AND ABOVE!!! They never mentioned anything about that in the "iklan". I was so disappointed and worse, I felt cheated as I spent so much time and effort over this. Maybe taking Accounts or Commerce or Basic Science - 9A1s, 3A2s will help?

I sent an email to the PM though. I don't know how much will it helps, but that's all I can do, somebody who is even HIGHER than the JPA. I have a feeling that my email will not even reach his computer, but I will keep on sending.

May God bless all those who got the second interview~!!


U mean only those with 9A1s and above can appeal??! Where did they put the "iklan"??

Sob! I feel so disappointed.. 8O :(
Suddenly feel like sending an email to PM too......... :roll:

YES, That's what THEY told me.......but I will not rest with that. I will continue with my e-mails. Gosh, it's unfair, they can't use irrational judgement like this. When I debated with her about ECA and other factors, she strictly said that ACADEMIC comes first. What type of scholarship is this? I thought that the scholarships should only given to those in need, not to mention those with outspoken students as well. Ahh.....I said.

Battle on, Serene!! We gotta show them what's rite and what's wrong!! With faith, we will move on or lose after battling!!

We don't fight the fights that we can win, we fight the fights that need fighting!!

PS : Btw, u r a christian, rite?'

I'm sorry to reply late... sis was using the computer these days..
Well.. actually i only have 6A1, 4A2 so my chances are pretty low. I haven't give up yet...only preparing for the worse.
If i can't get the scholarship, i might be going to nilai to study.... :cry:

I tried calling a few times too.. but my outcome was worse. Nobody ever pick the phone!! I tried this a few times over the few days.. sigh. At least u got the chance to speak and argue with that lady.
:?

Not getting the scholarship is never the end of my world... but it is the end of my dreams. :(

And, yeah i'm a christian =). Nvr knew what would His will be for me. :wink: Must be patient.

All the best to everyone here!!

[serene]

hey everyone, I emphatise with all of you in your 'battle' with JPA.
Why?

Simple. I used to be in a similar position as all of you. Well, sort of.

Here's an anecdote of my experience when I was at your age. Pls be warned that it's a bit long, but in hindsight, I found my experience to be.. erm... eventful! :wink:

I did my SPM in 2001. (wow.. can't believe that's 4 years ago!) I was one of the 300+ students who scored straight 1As in our SPM exams. The memories of the 'legendary' Ong Jin Hock from Sungai Petani, Kedah (yea.. the 13 1A guy who revolutionised the face of SPM) and his gang of 100+ straight 1A top scorers and how scholarships were literally knocking on their doors were still fresh in our minds. After getting our SPM results, we set off with our JPA application, full of hope, promise and optimism that we would be accorded a similar sort of 'reward' by the government and by JPA. Well, it did work out to expectation for most of my friends who got straight 1As, but not for me.

No, unlike you lucky people this year and the year before me, we didn't get to dine with the PM or any hotshots. And no, there isn't a tinge of envy in me; in fact, I feel glad for you people who were invited since it offers a ray of hope of securing a scholarship.

But I digress.

OK, I had this life-long ambition to become a doctor. I worked towards this dream by putting in my very best effort in my SPM. So, naturally, I applied for the JPA scholarship to study medicine in the UK. During the interview, the JPA officer announced to us that those who didn't score straight 1As were advised to switch their choices to either the Germany & France programme for engineering, and twinning or Russia programme for medicine.

Logically, I didn't do that since I was quite confident that my SPM, cocurricular, sports and other academic and non-academic credentials would pull me through. Heck, even my dad is a senior government official. Everything that I had to offer were more or less in favour of me getting the UK medicine scholarship. Or so I thought.... hehe....

As for the interviews, I think I did rather reasonable. I don't wanna say I did too well, because that would discredit contribution of the other people who were in the same interview group as I. But, just to give you an idea, I was in both my school English and Malay debate team. Yes, even Malay debate team.. and I'm a Chinese in a predominantly Malay school. My spoken Malay was (and still is!) very fluent, even when you compare me to a native Malay speaker. And the interview was conducted in Malay.. so, naturally, I encountered not much problem in getting through the interviews.

So, all was well until I got a call from my mum one fine morning. (you see.. I was studying in a private college away from home at that time). My mum sounded rather exasperated over the phone. I was perplexed. What could make my mum sound so worried?

Apparently, the JPA results were out. Yes, I got a scholarship. But I didn't get the UK medicine programme. I got 'pushed' to the Russian medical programme. I was baffled and lost beyond words.

Now, it's not that I've anything against Russian medical schools, fine in their own right (though the ubiquituous reports of students getting beaten up by Russian thugs just doesn't help!). What made me frustrated was this: that JPA earlier on asked us to switch our choice of country to Russia if we didn't score good results in our SPM.... what does this imply to you? I'm not gonna answer that question. I'll leave it to you to judge for yourself.

And I felt rather 'short-changed' when I learnt of many students (bumis and non-bumis included, straight 1As and non-straight 1As included) who got their first choice scholarships.

My mum tried to reason things out with them over the phone. But guess what, they told her this: there're many other students with better results than your son's, you know? And the UK programme is only for those with straight 1As.' Then, my mum told them my SPM results. The officer was shocked and lost for words. Then, my mum's call was put to another officer, who said that apparently, I willingly changed my course to the Russian medic programme (what rubbish!). My mum told them that I didn't do so. Again, this officer couldn't answer my mum and another officer came by. This time, the officer told my mum ' panel kata anak awak tak boleh cakap masa interview'. This time, my mum couldn't say anything, coz there's no evidence to prove otherwise. There's no tape recording of the interview or anything like that to prove the officer was wrong. Look at the many different unrelated 'reasons' given by them within a short span of minutes!

OK fine. I accepted this news with fortitude. I told myself that I'm gonna appeal 'like crazy' to JPA.... no matter what. So, what I did was I temporarily 'accepted' the Russian programme, in order to 'buy time' for me to appeal. At the same time, I sent out DOZENS of letters of appeals to LOTS of people... including my ADUN, my MP, my state Menteri Besar, the state MCA, the national MCA, the past president of MCA (you know who), Ketua Pengarah of JPA, the past education minister (you know who).. bla...bla.. bla... ( I could remember the heartache and agony that I went through a I typed my appeal letter and at the same time, try to figure out who's next to appeal to) I think the list of people whom I sent my appeal letters is quite an exhaustive list for a student like me! :lol:

The Star got to know about my problem and my plight was highlighted in the Star. I don't think any of you can remember this... I don't want to either! :D

My emotions at that time were a mix of bitterness, disappoinment, anger and frustration. But I kept telling myself to face this adversity with fortitude, hope and perseverance.

And much to my chagrin, all my letters yielded no answer. Man...

There were only a few kind people willing to meet me. One person was my State Sultan. During a state government function to award the top scorers of SPM in my state, I had a chance to have a few words with the Sultan and His Royal Highness gave me a ray of hope when he offered to support my appeal. He arranged for me to meet with the Menteri Besar and instructed the Menteri Besar to issue a royal letter of support and recommendation to me. A few days later, I was summoned to the MB's office and after I presented my case to him, he gladly offered me the royal letter (cool yellow coloured letter with the royal seal on it!), plus a letter of support from himself, being the head of the state government.

I hopes flared up for the moment as I got a royal and state government backing. I then happily went down to Putrajaya and wanted to hand the letters personally to the Ketua Pengarah of JPA. Much to my dismay, his secretary said that he wasn't around coz he went for a medical appointment or something to that effect. Since I couldn't come down again to Putrajaya and I handed the letters to the secretary. She seemed to have a cheerful disposition and she even comforted me and told me to be patient and wait.

At the same time, I was doing my Russian prep course in INTEC UiTM. Man.. can you imagine having to face this problem and having to face the living conditions in INTEC... life sucks back then! It hurts to hear people saying behind your back things like "what's the use of being one of the best students in the country? he can't even get the scholarship that he applied for!" or things like "haha.. no use being such a smart student, now see what happen to you... you think you're so great izzit? hahaha...". Heartless people.

At the same time, there were letters to the editors and letters to the Education Section of the Star which condemned and disparaged my actions as not befitting a national top scorer. They claimed that it is shameful to go down on my knees and begged for help. According to them, my public appeal strips me off my dignity. And they also said that I should just be thankful with what I get and shut up. Indeed, they have the right to their own opinions, but I just wished that they could stop for the moment, put themselves in my shoes and emphatise with me. Yes, thankfully, there were a few folks who understood my agony and wrote in to show some support, but from what I could tell, the general notion of the public was of disdain. But I couldn't care less.... :lol:

Weeks passed and I didn't hear anything. I tried phoning the secretary to the Ketua Pengarah, but noone picked up the call. Nobody ever does pick up the call. I tried calling up all those bigshots but again, no one ever picks up the phone. Or the phone just goes dead. Or being put on hold for eternity! :D

I remember only telling this to my mum: "sigh.. the only person who could realistically help me is the Prime Minister himself! Coz only he has full control over JPA since JPA comes under the jurisdiction of the PM's department'

God is almighty. For it is in Him that I place my trust.

One fine day in INTEC halfway through my Russian language class, I got a call from my parents. This time, something really did happen! They got a call from.... from all places..... the Prime Minister's Department! I was like... what?! I didn't believe my ears when my mum, half-crying, told me over the phone that one of the Secretaries to the PM wanted to meet me in his office. I don't remember writing in anything to the PM's dept, but I guess I must thank The Star for highlighting my plight. For it really went all the way up until the PM's dept.

A new breath of hope indeed.

So, I bravely marched off to the PM's office complex in Putrajaya and met the PM's Secretary. He was the PM's political secretary to be exact. After presenting my case to him, he seemed rather impressed and event commented that he don't know what nonsense JPA is up to these days. :lol: According to him, there must be some hanky-panky business going on in JPA. His 'hypothesis' was that some other student, with not so good SPM results but with the right connections wanted a place and so, JPA just randomly pick some 'victim' to kick out. And unfortunately that was me.

Finally, he asked me this: 'You do have a case here. Do you want to present your case to the (then) Prime Minister himself?' I couldn't believe me ears. I told him that I would be more than happy if he could forward my case to the PM.

Instead, he told me: 'No, JPA said that you couldn't speak well during the interview right? I find that you are a very eloquent speaker. So, why not YOU present YOUR own case in person to the Prime Minister? Thus, if those people at JPA say something like 'you can't speak well' then the PM would know who to believe.'

Of course, given such a golden opportunity, I immediately say YES, as if on a reflex action!

And so, one fateful Tuesday morning the following week, I was finally met the Prime Minister himself in person. I was so nervous before that, and I kept going through my talking points over and over again, since I was going to meet the No. 1 person in the Malaysian government.

My meet lasted for about half an hour. it was really an experience of a life time.. being in his office (absolutely fantastic!) with him sitting opposite me. It was just myself, the PM and the PM's secretary. Nobody else was there. And I presented my case. The look on the PM's face was a priceless experience.. I must say that he looked rather bemused!

At the end of the meet, I told him that I give him my word and my pledge to commit myself to study hard, work hard, get myself into one of the world's top universities and return to Malaysia to serve the people.

The next day (a Wednesday), my case was brought up in the Cabinet meeting and with the consensus of all the Cabinet ministers (including some of the people who didn't even bother to pay heed to my letters in the first place), my appeal was granted with immediate effect, without even needing the approval of the Ketua Pengarah of JPA! hah!

I was not complacent after that. There were people who weren't quite satisfied with this. They said that my SPM results was a fluke.. that it didn't really show how good I am... and bla bla bla.... I told myself that I'm gonna prove them wrong by getting myself into one of the world's top universities. Besides, I had a promise to keep with the PM! :D

And two years later, here I am today in Cambridge. I think I already fulfilled some, but not all of my pledge to the then PM.
Before I left for Cambridge last year, I had a chance to meet the now ex-PM again in his office in the Petronas Twin Towers to bid him goodbye and thank him once again for everything. He was very pleased to hear that I was going to Cambridge and he was even more amused when I told him that I have kept to my first half of my promise (i.e. to get into one of the world's top university). He reminded me to study hard and challenged me to fulfil the second half of my promise. He reminded me that the government machinery is not always perfect but with each passing generation, the new generation has the potential to improve the country and take it one step ahead toward the dream of a better country.

I'm currently working on fulfiling the other half of my pledge. And may God allow me to fulfil my promise.

Sorry for this rather long winded post. But I just hope that you people out there who are appealing, DON'T give up hope. No matter how dim it is, hold on to the believe that God work in many mysterious ways and if things don't turn out like what we hope they will, it means that God is testing us.

Have faith everyone! :)

Sob!! Your story is just so touching!!

An epitome of hard work and peserverance! You thoroughly deserve the outcome. =)

Way to go dude!

God Bless!

[brianathome]

Hang on in there, Serene, Albert and other unchosen ones.
Serene -> my results were not too far off from yours but I still managed to get accepted to 5 Ivies. There's more to life than straight A1s. :)

Interesting fact - during a conference in Boston last week with a few other Malaysian students, we did a quick poll and found out that only a very small minority of Malaysian undergrads students at Harvard and Yale obtained straight A1s.

Based on my experience and those of my friends, here are a few pointers to gain a place in the Ivies:

1. Read - there is no substitute for reading. Read newsmagazines and books on a variety of subjects. Learn what's going on in Malaysia and around the world. And don't just rely on mainstream media for access to news.

2. Write, and write well. Learn to spell, avoid making grammatical errors and find your own voice.

3. Expand your vocabulary but don't memorize all the words in a dictionary. Buy one of those Wordsmart books or list of difficult words and learn how to use words like impregnate, voluminous, abominate, inchoate, platitude etc. Don't use those words in a superficial manner to impress others. Instead, strive to reach a level where those words best express your feelings.

4. Find your passion and be good at what you love doing. Don't join a million and one clubs just to list them down in your resume when you apply for scholarships, but truly get involved in an activity that you enjoy and do it well.

5. Research - for goodness sake, don't rely on helpful people like Chenchow all the time. If you're really serious about getting into a good school, use resources like books and the Internet to help you gain information. For example, don't ask others about business courses at Harvard (those courses aren't available at the undergrad level, btw), SATs etc - info is widely available online. No one can help you if you don't help yourself.

Hope this helps. If (and only if) you've covered the above five areas and still have questions, email me and I'll be more than happy to help you out. All the best and God bless.

[lyzzy]

Agreed.

And aren't you supposed to be studying? :)
________
marijuana seed (http://marijuanaseeds.org/)

[chenchow]

Fully agree with brianathome. He has summed it all, very well. And I agree about ReComers have to start explore in trying to research for information. I agree that often, I myself and many other ReComers have been doing spoon-feeding quite a lot over here, and this is not healthy for the development of fellow ReComers in the long run.

It is not that we do not want to share and help, but the process of finding out information, is definitely very valuable~!

[zAiTsEv]

I guess the main reason JPA called up fewer people for interview this year is to cut down cost. Just my two cents.

[chenchow]

I guess the main reason JPA called up fewer people for interview this year is to cut down cost. Just my two cents.

I think the number of students JPA call up this year is at least as many as the number they call up last year, although I don't have the statistics.

[zAiTsEv]

for my year (SPM 2002), a few of my chinese friends who got 5A1s and the rest A2s got called up for interview.

[khor_albert]

hey guys.. i didn't get to go to the interview even after appealing.. guess we're on the same boat..called up the jpa hotline today to check my appeal status, and the lady told me tht i got rejected because they want a student to have at least 9A1's to appeal medic.. feel cheated though, they didn't even mention it in the criteria, though i did fulfill all the criteria mentioned posted in the newspaper.. goodness..

Hey, kiddo. Are you supposed to say you are the first to be in deep agony because of this injustice? I have stressed that 9A1s is JPA's "ad-hoc" and "new" criteria ages ago because I called them. I applied for actuarial science and I suffered the exact same fate. They want students with at least 9A1s to appeal for anything, not only just medic. And I definitely agree with the lower part of your message. However, should I say, miracles and surprising disasters are the things you can expect from JPA if you are hanging mid air with your results (ie. 8A1s or below but still is straight As). No matter how I appeal now, I will never get a chance.

Therefore, I decided to put that worthless burden down through prayer. I did it. Not getting JPA is not losing your life, but gaining more of it. Many of those who didnt get JPA managed to get into the Ivies (salute to lyzzy for that). I mean, that is more important than straight A1s, rite?

Walk over it. Tomorrow is the final round for interview. It's a no-no for us already, kiddo. Nevertheless, I think we have to quickly switch to "lyzzy-lane" before the road gets tougher.

Good luck and God bless you~!!

[khor_albert]

for my year (SPM 2002), a few of my chinese friends who got 5A1s and the rest A2s got called up for interview.

Erm, it's been two years already and JPA's changing their criteria everyday and every minute.

[zAiTsEv]

Albert, what do you plan to do now?

[khor_albert]

I prefer if that's a private message because it's not appropriate in a forum to ask such questions. However, since you ask, I'll answer...

Now I failed to secure JPA, BNM and The Star Edu Fund, which means I have four more opportunities.

If everything fails, I will return to my "home sweet home" F6 to the school which I currently have a strong ground in. Then, I will study like mad for STPM as I know that STPM is another paradox and this is no joke because there's no more STTPM, so it's do-or-die. I will do study groups wif my remaining "F6-supporting" friends, although I will definitely look a bit weird because they are all gals and I am the only guy in the group.

I plan to pick up Physics stream and maybe take Economics if I have the chance to cope with my crazy workload and syllabus. If I manage to score a 4-flat, I will, of course apply for the Ivies because I intend to take my SAT somewhere when I am in F6.

The bottom line is, I wanna show Malaysia what's rite and what's wrong.

PS: Thanks for your concern. Should you need to chat further, feel free to contact me in MSN/YM/ICQ. Use those contacts that I have provided in ReCom.

[lyzzy]

khoralbert, I really admire your determination. I hope you do well in whatever you do. If you want more information about applying to Ivies and financial aid and whatnot (as well as potential tips on how to get admitted... not that I'm that good at it), you can always email me for more info.

Or msn me (but I'm never there... ) Email is usually the best.
________
ipad guides (http://ipadguides.info)

[chenchow]

If I manage to score a 4-flat, I will, of course apply for the Ivies because I intend to take my SAT somewhere when I am in F6.



Albert, you should apply, even if you don't score 4-flat (touch wood). Frankly, academic is just one of the many aspects they are looking at. Remember to have a balanced achievements, and find some activities that you are really passionate in and get really involved in.

[zAiTsEv]

Albert, you should apply, even if you don't score 4-flat (touch wood). Frankly, academic is just one of the many aspects they are looking at. Remember to have a balanced achievements, and find some activities that you are really passionate in and get really involved in.

Don't get overinvolved though. :wink:

[DecentMerson]

I will do study groups wif my remaining "F6-supporting" friends, although I will definitely look a bit weird because they are all gals and I am the only guy in the group.



Don't do study group because for the sake of having a study group... If any of the group members cannot focus in the study group, he or she will distract others from concentrating too... I know study group might be effective for some, but not for all...(not me definitely)...

but being the only guy in a group of girls, i might consider...(just joking)

with ur great determination, u will definitely be successful in life... Kudos to you...

[khor_albert]

Albert, you should apply, even if you don't score 4-flat (touch wood). Frankly, academic is just one of the many aspects they are looking at. Remember to have a balanced achievements, and find some activities that you are really passionate in and get really involved in.

Don't get overinvolved though. :wink:

I will definitely not, after those painful and fearful experience in F5(I was a president of 2 clubs, veep of 3 clubs, secretary of 1 club, AJK of 4 clubs back then). I will try to balance my time, definitely....like I say, there's no STTPM, so this is my final shot....

Don't do study group because for the sake of having a study group... If any of the group members cannot focus in the study group, he or she will distract others from concentrating too... I know study group might be effective for some, but not for all...(not me definitely)...

but being the only guy in a group of girls, i might consider...(just joking)

with ur great determination, u will definitely be successful in life... Kudos to you...

You can be rest assured, DecentMerson, my friends who are not top scorers(mostly guys) will not even care to do a study group. They rather spend the precious minutes in the cyber cafes. The gals are the one who has interest in studying in my school, starting from Day One, but they have no co-cu, so with their shocking two A2s and some with 3A2s, they cannot even get the interviews.(make an exception for JPA).

The gals are top scorers. If I try to fool around, I will be kicked out by them. However, we are committed to turn this failure into a success, so we will work together towards that.

Just for ur records, here are their results :
A=8A1s, 3A2s
B=6A1s, 5A2s, 1B3
C=10A1s, 2A2s (if she didn't get JPA, co-cu very few btw)
D=7A1s, 3A2s, 1B3
E=10A1s, 1A2(if she didn't get JPA, and she applied for medic, btw)

And I can tell you, their attitude in studies(good!!) havent change a bit.

As for all of you guys' greetings, THANK YOU and I will works towards proving your words a.k.a will not let you down.

[Tab]

I prefer if that's a private message because it's not appropriate in a forum to ask such questions. However, since you ask, I'll answer...

Now I failed to secure JPA, BNM and The Star Edu Fund, which means I have four more opportunities.

If everything fails, I will return to my "home sweet home" F6 to the school which I currently have a strong ground in. Then, I will study like mad for STPM as I know that STPM is another paradox and this is no joke because there's no more STTPM, so it's do-or-die. I will do study groups wif my remaining "F6-supporting" friends, although I will definitely look a bit weird because they are all gals and I am the only guy in the group.

I plan to pick up Physics stream and maybe take Economics if I have the chance to cope with my crazy workload and syllabus. If I manage to score a 4-flat, I will, of course apply for the Ivies because I intend to take my SAT somewhere when I am in F6.

The bottom line is, I wanna show Malaysia what's rite and what's wrong.

PS: Thanks for your concern. Should you need to chat further, feel free to contact me in MSN/YM/ICQ. Use those contacts that I have provided in ReCom.

Now, that's the spirit! If you fail to get any scholarship (which I really hope you won't), use this as a motivation to spur yourself through Form 6.

A close friend of mine who's in the same batch as I failed to get straight 1As. He's also one of the best students in my school all along. Somehow or rather, he screwed up his BM paper and got 1A in all subjects except that BM, of which he got a 2A grade. He failed to get any scholarship... and remained in Form 6. He was really disappointed initially, but he didn't give up hope in life.

He really studied to the MAX during Form 6, driven by his failure to get any scholarship. Naturally, he got a 4 Flat CGPA and is studying medicine in UM today.

It's good that you maintain an optimistic mind. I guess everyone here will be supportive of you. Do contact us if you need any advice etc. etc. and I really do hope you achieve your dream to study in an Ivy League university.

Yea, do the 'lyzzy way' :lol: and prove to those people who saw you unworthy of a scholarship that you are indeed not only of scholarship material but you have also what it takes to get to the top ranking universities..... something which clearly not every sponsored student can claim stake to such an honour. :)

[casio]

As a BUMI, I would just like to say, I did not get any government help or sponsorship, but I want to say that if I had anything to do with giving away government scholarships, I would've definitely given them to most of yous in here! God damn lah, your results sound so brilliant. (And I thought mine was brilliant enough,ehhe)

So, always stay positive, don't give up, and be proud of what you have achieved. No one has the right to tell you whether you have failed or not, that right is yours and yours alone, and may I say, WOW. Ooh and life comes with many opportunities, so don't worry.

[khor_albert]

As a BUMI, I would just like to say, I did not get any government help or sponsorship, but I want to say that if I had anything to do with giving away government scholarships, I would've definitely given them to most of yous in here! God damn lah, your results sound so brilliant. (And I thought mine was brilliant enough,ehhe)


Excluding the "God damn" part, I am 100% wif u!! Way to go!

However, let's just remember, NOT all Bumis are unworthy and NOT all non-Bumis are worthy.

PS: I am a non-Bumi, should that question arises.

[ennovy]

well, i got 9A1s n 1A2 for my SPM, appeal for JPA and i still don't get it...

something good always comes out of failure...

so i hope all of us who failed will do well in our further studies and achive our dreams to study in top ranking university.....

good luck to all!

[petertok]

I guess the main reason JPA called up fewer people for interview this year is to cut down cost. Just my two cents.

I think the number of students JPA call up this year is at least as many as the number they call up last year, although I don't have the statistics.

The taklimat the jpa officer gave during my jpa interview... He said there are abt 14000+ applicants for the scholarships but only 4000+ shortlisted for interview.

[khor_albert]

I guess the main reason JPA called up fewer people for interview this year is to cut down cost. Just my two cents.

I think the number of students JPA call up this year is at least as many as the number they call up last year, although I don't have the statistics.

The taklimat the jpa officer gave during my jpa interview... He said there are abt 14000+ applicants for the scholarships but only 4000+ shortlisted for interview.

4000+??!? Nah...I certainly don't think so. Count me out.....what about my friends with 10A1s, 1A2? They are MORE THAN WORTHY for interview, rite? Even I am, having said that only 4462 people score straight As. It's just their red tapes.....wish I can remove it!!

[serene]

Is 2moro really the final day of the second round interview? How did u noe, Albert?

[kiddo]

hey guys.. i didn't get to go to the interview even after appealing.. guess we're on the same boat..called up the jpa hotline today to check my appeal status, and the lady told me tht i got rejected because they want a student to have at least 9A1's to appeal medic.. feel cheated though, they didn't even mention it in the criteria, though i did fulfill all the criteria mentioned posted in the newspaper.. goodness..

Hey, kiddo. Are you supposed to say you are the first to be in deep agony because of this injustice? I have stressed that 9A1s is JPA's "ad-hoc" and "new" criteria ages ago because I called them. I applied for actuarial science and I suffered the exact same fate. They want students with at least 9A1s to appeal for anything, not only just medic. And I definitely agree with the lower part of your message. However, should I say, miracles and surprising disasters are the things you can expect from JPA if you are hanging mid air with your results (ie. 8A1s or below but still is straight As). No matter how I appeal now, I will never get a chance.

Therefore, I decided to put that worthless burden down through prayer. I did it. Not getting JPA is not losing your life, but gaining more of it. Many of those who didnt get JPA managed to get into the Ivies (salute to lyzzy for that). I mean, that is more important than straight A1s, rite?

Walk over it. Tomorrow is the final round for interview. It's a no-no for us already, kiddo. Nevertheless, I think we have to quickly switch to "lyzzy-lane" before the road gets tougher.

Good luck and God bless you~!!

nonono, i certainly did not mean tht.. just tht i havn't noticed tht post i think.. need 9A1's for actuarial science? i have friends who score less A1's than tht plus a B3 and also got the call-up for actuarial science too...

yeah, thx for the advice, just let down over not getting the call-up.. haha, could get some pointers from lyzzy =) gd luck to all too...

[N-Guy]

yeah dude i also have a friend who scored 8 1A 2 2A and 1 3B got called for an interview for acturial science.....another case 10 1A and 1 3B in bio got called for PHARMACY!!!


Life can be cunning at times......

[pangping1510]

yeah dude i also have a friend who scored 8 1A 2 2A and 1 3B got called for an interview for acturial science.....another case 10 1A and 1 3B in bio got called for PHARMACY!!!


Life can be cunning at times......

i thought we hav to get A2 in bio to apply for pharm? 8O

[zqax]

ya..may be they have some special relation ship...or............... :roll:

[nianz]

ya..may be they have some special relation ship...or............... :roll:

there are people that pull strings??!!WOW!!! 8O

a bit unfair to those tht fought fair and square don't you think?

neway my interviews tommorrow at INTAN kampus..hope to meet some recommers the..

[gohweihan]

ya..may be they have some special relation ship...or............... :roll:

there are people that pull strings??!!WOW!!! 8O

a bit unfair to those tht fought fair and square don't you think?

neway my interviews tommorrow at INTAN kampus..hope to meet some recommers the..

Since when is opportunities in Malaysia fair? It always favour certain people.

[jun]

zqax wrote:
ya..may be they have some special relation ship...or...............


there are people that pull strings??!!WOW!!!

that is mere speculation-no more than that.

please refrain from spoiling JPA's image without hard proof.

if people start repeating what u say often enough, mere speculation will be considered true.

this leads to many many problems.

[khor_albert]

zqax wrote:
ya..may be they have some special relation ship...or...............


there are people that pull strings??!!WOW!!!

that is mere speculation-no more than that.

please refrain from spoiling JPA's image without hard proof.

if people start repeating what u say often enough, mere speculation will be considered true.

this leads to many many problems.

A very civil opinion, but this is an open door debate, so....everything's welcomed!!

[khor_albert]

Is 2moro really the final day of the second round interview? How did u noe, Albert?

If memory serves, chenchow told me....hehehe...

[khor_albert]

ya..may be they have some special relation ship...or............... :roll:

there are people that pull strings??!!WOW!!! 8O

a bit unfair to those tht fought fair and square don't you think?

neway my interviews tommorrow at INTAN kampus..hope to meet some recommers the..

Btw, I fought fair and square....because I have no circles, rectangles, hexagons(you know what I mean).....

Try to pull your string into Harvard, you wil be thrown out of the vicinity of Harvard by the guards even before the strings reach the main office!!

The difference is there........

[chenchow]

Is 2moro really the final day of the second round interview? How did u noe, Albert?

If memory serves, chenchow told me....hehehe...

Tomorrow, would be the second round of interview. I think it goes for 2-3 days. But based on my memory of what JPA has done over the past few years, they have never had 3rd round of interview, but who knows.

[chenchow]

Try to pull your string into Harvard, you wil be thrown out of the vicinity of Harvard by the guards even before the strings reach the main office!!

The difference is there........

I beg to differ on this. While I am not putting the blame on anyone going in via pulling strings, it is an open secret to many people here that it is definitely possible to get into most of the top universities in US through some pulling-string. You would need some sort of achievements, but definitely "hanky-panky" does happen in universities admissions, even at those top universities in US.

[jun]

jun wrote:
Quote:
zqax wrote:
ya..may be they have some special relation ship...or...............


there are people that pull strings??!!WOW!!!


that is mere speculation-no more than that.

please refrain from spoiling JPA's image without hard proof.

if people start repeating what u say often enough, mere speculation will be considered true.

this leads to many many problems.


A very civil opinion, but this is an open door debate, so....everything's welcomed!!

hey, if u want a open debate thats fine with me. but if u are going to accuse a certain party( in this case JPA), then the least u can do is invite the certain party(in this case the JPA people) here to defend themselves.
a one sided debate is not truly a debate in its spirit.
thxs.

[khor_albert]

Try to pull your string into Harvard, you wil be thrown out of the vicinity of Harvard by the guards even before the strings reach the main office!!

The difference is there........

I beg to differ on this. While I am not putting the blame on anyone going in via pulling strings, it is an open secret to many people here that it is definitely possible to get into most of the top universities in US through some pulling-string. You would need some sort of achievements, but definitely "hanky-panky" does happen in universities admissions, even at those top universities in US.

It even happened there? This is a universal problem....omg!! Btw, I have no special strings...

[khor_albert]

jun wrote:
Quote:
zqax wrote:
ya..may be they have some special relation ship...or...............


there are people that pull strings??!!WOW!!!


that is mere speculation-no more than that.

please refrain from spoiling JPA's image without hard proof.

if people start repeating what u say often enough, mere speculation will be considered true.

this leads to many many problems.


A very civil opinion, but this is an open door debate, so....everything's welcomed!!

hey, if u want a open debate thats fine with me. but if u are going to accuse a certain party( in this case JPA), then the least u can do is invite the certain party(in this case the JPA people) here to defend themselves.
a one sided debate is not truly a debate in its spirit.
thxs.

The last thing I want to do is to put them center stage, since they have suffered much persecutions due to their shortcomings. However, as freedom of speech is practiced in ReCom, nobody should feel shy of posting anything. Zqax, however are only replying hypothetically and not directly accusing the JPA. No one here does that. We question, but we don't accuse. I believe you know that better.

Questioning them is not only our rights, it's our responsibility. If anybody favours a debate with jun, I will back off to my seat and watch the debate. However, I am not the one asking for a fight or verbal debate. It's not that I have no points, it's that I rest my case and I think others should be given a chance to voice their opinions. I am trying to be civil, and I believe you too.

I hope that clears our misunderstanding.

PS : Do you really think the JPA people will entertain us? They may think this group of so-called "rascals" are not worth to be attended to. Another truly truly hypothetical opinion of mine, not trying to implying anything. Just hope that I am wrong.

[jun]

jun wrote:
Quote:
jun wrote:
Quote:
zqax wrote:
ya..may be they have some special relation ship...or...............


there are people that pull strings??!!WOW!!!


that is mere speculation-no more than that.

please refrain from spoiling JPA's image without hard proof.

if people start repeating what u say often enough, mere speculation will be considered true.

this leads to many many problems.


A very civil opinion, but this is an open door debate, so....everything's welcomed!!


hey, if u want a open debate thats fine with me. but if u are going to accuse a certain party( in this case JPA), then the least u can do is invite the certain party(in this case the JPA people) here to defend themselves.
a one sided debate is not truly a debate in its spirit.
thxs.


The last thing I want to do is to put them center stage, since they have suffered much persecutions due to their shortcomings. However, as freedom of speech is practiced in ReCom, nobody should feel shy of posting anything. Zqax, however are only replying hypothetically and not directly accusing the JPA. No one here does that. We question, but we don't accuse. I believe you know that better.

Questioning them is not only our rights, it's our responsibility. If anybody favours a debate with jun, I will back off to my seat and watch the debate. However, I am not the one asking for a fight or verbal debate. It's not that I have no points, it's that I rest my case and I think others should be given a chance to voice their opinions. I am trying to be civil, and I believe you too.

I hope that clears our misunderstanding.

PS : Do you really think the JPA people will entertain us? They may think this group of so-called "rascals" are not worth to be attended to. Another truly truly hypothetical opinion of mine, not trying to implying anything. Just hope that I am wrong.



after rereading zqax post, i agree it was hypothetical but that was not the reason i posted what i posted.

the reason is this:

there are people that pull strings??!!WOW!!!

somehow, a hypothetical statement quickly transformed to a statement of fact.

this is what i wish to avoid. so i hope fellow recommers wont take
hypothetical statements as statements of fact.

i agree that anybody can post anything they want without being shy as long as it is not offensive(cant find the right word but i think this is close enough).

btw, i'm not looking for a debate.
u said "this is an open door debate......" so what i was trying to say was, any open door debate that u want does not have my objections.

i was not actively looking for any debate with anyone.

that idea about inviting JPA here is something to ponder about. JPA will have "1st hand experience" of the plights and problems of students especially concerning scholarships.

ps: yes, i think your post cleared our misunderstandings. i hope i did not offend anyone....it was not and is still not my intention.

thxs again.

[Tab]

Try to pull your string into Harvard, you wil be thrown out of the vicinity of Harvard by the guards even before the strings reach the main office!!

The difference is there........

I beg to differ on this. While I am not putting the blame on anyone going in via pulling strings, it is an open secret to many people here that it is definitely possible to get into most of the top universities in US through some pulling-string. You would need some sort of achievements, but definitely "hanky-panky" does happen in universities admissions, even at those top universities in US.

I agree with chenchow.
'Pulling string' happens EVERYWHERE!!

You could actually 'pay' your way through to get into top universities.

A good example was an uproar two years ago in Oxford University which resulted in the admission tutor of one of the Oxford colleges getting fired. Apparently, a reporter from one of the UK tabloid posed as a parent and wanted to bribe so that the 'kid' get accepted into Oxford. The admission tutor agreed.. saying that they were willing to accept 'substantial donations' to the college in exchange for a place there. The next day.. it became a national scandal! :lol:

just so you know, Ivy League universities do practice this thing called 'legacy policy', which gives preference to students whose parents attended that university. Ppl say that that's how 'Dubya' got into Yale.... coz bush senior went to yale as well.... :lol:

can't blame the Ivies though... they have to give preference to kids of their alumnus coz they depend heavily on alumnus support....

so, there you go.... 'pulling string' at the highest level of education!!

[lyzzy]

You be surprised that this happens less commonly than you think... Legacy admission only affect a minor percentage of the population.

Also, admitting legacies means that Yale is can afford to pay for my education here. I rather admit one legacy to pay for 10 students' education, then to not admit any at all.

This is an interesting article for anyone to read if they want. http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=28945
________
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What they should have is more disclosure on how many students were admitted on the basis on legacy.
As the article noted, many legacy admits would have been admitted even if their parents were not alums.

[khor_albert]

What they should have is more disclosure on how many students were admitted on the basis on legacy.
As the article noted, many legacy admits would have been admitted even if their parents were not alums.

prince, I seriously think TRANPARENCY is what you are talking about.

[ptamarai87]

if i am not mistaken,when i went to the interview on the name list was written pengambilan satu.so,maybe they have pengambilan 2.just call jpa and ask how to rayu.jpa offficers are very helpful nowadays.

[Anduril]

I heard that there will be 2nd intake somewhere around October, but I am not sure.

[vseehua]

erm, if the second intake is indeed in october, the students will have a hard time catching up with the first intakes...so, don think this will happen though...last yr's second, third, and fourth intake was done at most one month after the first intake, i wonder if this will happen this time... :?: :)

[khor_albert]

I heard that there will be 2nd intake somewhere around October, but I am not sure.

And how can that be?

How can I reapply?

A glimmer of hope is a world of chance.

[Gabriel]

anyone mind sharing how to apply for jpa for the second or more intakes?or telling the jpa office's number?

[khor_albert]

anyone mind sharing how to apply for jpa for the second or more intakes?or telling the jpa office's number?

I so so HOPE that this will happen.....but is there anything such as this? If yes, I will prepare with my army again and rebuild my forces.

[serene]

I heard that there will be 2nd intake somewhere around October, but I am not sure.

Ooh i really really hope what u say is TRUE! :?

Btw.. does pulling string means bribing? Is getting a mere appeal letter from an MP count as an act of pulling string? Can anyone enlightened me on the definition of pulling string?

Thx!

[chenchow]

The second, third etc intake that is done for the previous years, are for those who have attended the interview and not get selected for the scholarship.

As there would be a large number of students who get offered multiple scholarships and hence choose to reject JPA, JPA would have typically around 200 places for those 2nd intake, which is usually around end of June/or some time in July. And usually, among those that are offered 2nd intake, some would have found other scholarships etc, and hence choose to reject the 2nd intake, despite after their relentless appeals. So, for the remaining 20-30 places, there would be 3rd intake, for those who appeal against not get into the 2nd intake.

So, basically JPA does not have another set of interview etc. Having said that, those who do not get JPA interview this time, please keep on trying to appeal. Who knows, JPA may call you up for an interview. JPA's phone number is 03-88853000.

All the best~!

[DecentMerson]

I heard that there will be 2nd intake somewhere around October, but I am not sure.

Ooh i really really hope what u say is TRUE! :?

Btw.. does pulling string means bribing? Is getting a mere appeal letter from an MP count as an act of pulling string? Can anyone enlightened me on the definition of pulling string?

Thx!

pulling string can means anything but bribing... from making a phone call, or meeting up with some people that are involved in deciding who's to get the scholarship and who's not... pulling string doesn't deal with money... but more like a 'favor'...

I don't think getting an appeal letter (if u think that it is 'mere', why do you bother to get the appeal letter at the first place?) from an MP is considered as pulling string, becoz normally, pulling string is kinda unofficial... Writing an appeal letter is very official...

Bribing is bribing... where money is exchanged...


and about the 2nd intake... yes, i think there will be one... but I dun think it is as late as October... SPM 2002 JPA 2nd intake reported on August 11/12... SPM 2003 JPA 2nd intake reported even earlier...

[quasar]

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly
One day a small opening appeared
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours
It struggled to force its body through that little hole
Then it seemed to stop making any progress
It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could
And it could go no farther.

So the man decided to help the butterfly
He took a pair of scissors and snipped off
The remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily, BUT,
It had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings
He continued to watch the butterfly
He expected that, at any moment, the wings would
enlarge
And the body would contract
Neither happened!
In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling
Around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.
It was never able to fly.

The man acted with well-intentioned kindness
But he didn't understand the consequences.
The restricting cocoon and the struggle required to
get
Through the tiny opening, were nature's way of
forcing fluid
From the body of the butterfly once it achieved it's
freedom
From the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in
our life.
If nature allowed us to go through life without any
Obstacles, it would cripple us.
We would not be as strong as we could have been
And we could never fly
Have a great day, great life, and struggle a little.
Then fly!

[khor_albert]

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly
One day a small opening appeared
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours
It struggled to force its body through that little hole
Then it seemed to stop making any progress
It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could
And it could go no farther.

So the man decided to help the butterfly
He took a pair of scissors and snipped off
The remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily, BUT,
It had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings
He continued to watch the butterfly
He expected that, at any moment, the wings would
enlarge
And the body would contract
Neither happened!
In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling
Around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.
It was never able to fly.

The man acted with well-intentioned kindness
But he didn't understand the consequences.
The restricting cocoon and the struggle required to
get
Through the tiny opening, were nature's way of
forcing fluid
From the body of the butterfly once it achieved it's
freedom
From the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in
our life.
If nature allowed us to go through life without any
Obstacles, it would cripple us.
We would not be as strong as we could have been
And we could never fly
Have a great day, great life, and struggle a little.
Then fly!

I felt stronger after reading this.. :wink:

And for me, perhaps the entrance of the cocoon is JPA, AND it is probably much tighter.

[khor_albert]

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly
One day a small opening appeared
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours
It struggled to force its body through that little hole
Then it seemed to stop making any progress
It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could
And it could go no farther.


Thanks again for that story...May I continue with my ad-hoc version from there?

The butterfly spent a lot of time to struggle through that small hole of the cocoon. After hours of trying, perhaps because of exhaustion, the butterfly decided to take a rest to maybe try another different way to release itself from the hole. Perhaps it has been foolhardy all along, but it was too foolhardy to realise it was foolhardy.

After numerous "failures" to release itself from the hole, the butterfly took a retreat and rest to rationally think about the next step before it will successfully come out from the cocoon somehow. One day, after failures and struggles, the butterfly continue to fly but with a new mindset "If I face any problems, I will firstly take a rest, calm myself down, then try again."

(End)

We are like the butterfly(initial attitude) at times. We tend to try too hard until we doesn't realise that it is not worthy anymore. Retreat is never equal to surrender. Retreat merely means that we took a step backwards, temporarily withdrew ourself from the problem, think again and pounce into the problem again, this time from a different angle. Here's another example of the many, many examples:

A logger is doing his job. He is trying hard to chop down a big tall tree(and I mean REAL tall). He tries so hard and swings his mighty axe a few times into the bark. More than halfway through, he still continue to chop the tree. A senior logger walks towards him, gives the tree a light push and the whole tree fell down easily. If he had take a break and think again, he would have done the same thing.

Try to see things from a different angle!! Hence the different results that may be better!!

[serene]

I heard that there will be 2nd intake somewhere around October, but I am not sure.

Ooh i really really hope what u say is TRUE! :?

Btw.. does pulling string means bribing? Is getting a mere appeal letter from an MP count as an act of pulling string? Can anyone enlightened me on the definition of pulling string?

Thx!

pulling string can means anything but bribing... from making a phone call, or meeting up with some people that are involved in deciding who's to get the scholarship and who's not... pulling string doesn't deal with money... but more like a 'favor'...

I don't think getting an appeal letter (if u think that it is 'mere', why do you bother to get the appeal letter at the first place?) from an MP is considered as pulling string, becoz normally, pulling string is kinda unofficial... Writing an appeal letter is very official...

Bribing is bribing... where money is exchanged...


and about the 2nd intake... yes, i think there will be one... but I dun think it is as late as October... SPM 2002 JPA 2nd intake reported on August 11/12... SPM 2003 JPA 2nd intake reported even earlier...

I say "mere" to hint that i did not ask the MP the scholarship or to do some hanky panky stuff to the JPA selections. This i am clearly aware that it is sinfully wrong to ever do that.

However i did ask the MP a favor though.. that is to write me an appeal letter as an additional support for my appeal letter. I hope this is not pulling string huh? :? :?:

Thanks for enlightening me dude!

[khor_albert]

Caess, I don't know about quasar, but I know that you are a Christian and I am too!!!

Yeah, this is in Our Daily Bread. In fact, it is a common story about motivation.

Ok now, back to the topic...