Private Colleges In Malaysia

[chenchow]

Following much interest in this topic, I think we should start up a thread on this topic.

DecentMerson: if in business ? and accounting ?

i think in business....Metropolitan college is consider as one of the best...

and accounting?... if u plan to take up ACCA, then, i would recommend Sunway College....

john_doe_85: Quite concur with Merson... Sunway if you're looking for accounting although their business quite good lah... HELP if you're going for Science and Economics. There was an exodus of lecturers from Taylors to HELP some years ago so heard the good lecturers are now in HELP... Your choice, though. :)

moozy: But I thought for accounting, TAR is the best? Not too sure with accounting courses.

masterof_none: Hi KobeBryant.
I would RecomMend SUnway College for Business and Accounting.
I took A-levels at SUnway and I'm impressed with how well the course was executed. I also got lots of friends who were doing ACCA/CPA etc., and all business-related course, at that time.
If you're looking for the business course at Sunway, try look around at their twinning program: such as Monash and Victoria Uni.
Those are good schools/programs. and the students also are very hardworking (despite the fact that most people perceive Sunway as no more than a party school).

Not sure about other colleges. You should check em out before jump to the college. (don't regret later). BUt Sunway is your best bet for Business and Accounting.

kobebryant: thank you, masterof_none

the accounting and finance degree......
b4 joining a college , we should see which uni is the college collaborating with ?

HELP- Charles Sturt Uni degree
Monash- Monash Uni degree
Sunway- Victoria Uni degree
Taylor-Uni of Technology Sydney degree
INTI-Uni of Hertfordshire degree

which 1 is better
who can rank all these?
we rate these based on the unis'ranking or the quality of lecturers at the college ?

[chenchow]

On kobebryant question on how to rank those universities, I think there are many factors to take into consideration. It is up to each person to see what you care most. Some care about the research facilities. Some care about the quality of courses in the major. Some care about the reputation of the university. Some care about the quality of faculty. Some care about the facilities, weather etc.

So, I would say you need to do a thorough research on various aspects that you are concerned with. Go to ReCom's Weblinks. For most of the universities you have listed, we have the links to their Malaysian Students Assoc. You can contact the seniors over there to get more information too.

[KobeBryant]

But I thought for accounting, TAR is the best? Not too sure with accounting courses.

I would RecomMend SUnway College for Business and Accounting.
I took A-levels at SUnway and I'm impressed with how well the course was executed. I also got lots of friends who were doing ACCA/CPA etc., and all business-related course, at that time.
If you're looking for the business course at Sunway, try look around at their twinning program: such as Monash and Victoria Uni.
Those are good schools/programs. and the students also are very hardworking (despite the fact that most people perceive Sunway as no more than a party school). Not sure about other colleges. You should check em out before jump to the college. (don't regret later). BUt Sunway is your best bet for Business and Accounting.

kobebryant: thank you, masterof_none

the accounting and finance degree......
b4 joining a college , we should see which uni is the college collaborating with ?

HELP- Charles Sturt Uni degree
Monash- Monash Uni degree
Sunway- Victoria Uni degree
Taylor-Uni of Technology Sydney degree
INTI-Uni of Hertfordshire degree

which 1 is better
who can rank all these?
we rate these based on the unis'ranking or the quality of lecturers at the college ?

[KobeBryant]

IS TAR college good at accounting ? How about Uniten ?
in TAR, SPM school leavers can only do DIPLOMA in accounting b4 proceeding to degree, right?
there is no foundation class ??

any kind soul can answer this ?

[naturesimple]

my parents had bad impression on private colleges . they said that onli rich people go there...or is that true??? what i mean is top colleges in malaysia.

[KobeBryant]

but i dun have enough confidence in our local universities.......
although the government is aspired to make malaysia the regional academic centre of excellence ,but i think we still have a long way to go in order to achive this target.
do u know that the lecturers always biased towards bumiputras....
just like chinese are out of place and we should not be there
i doubt that quality education is given emphasis in local universities although we are informed that admission to the universities is merit-based........
there is bound to be exception

if u dun believe me, just ask any of ur friends who are studying in local universities.....

[chenchow]

kobebryant, i disagree with you on your last post.

I have a large number of friends in various IPTAs, and I have not heard any of them being denied any opportunity or being discriminated at. They were given ample opportunities to go for projects and a number of them got internship at Intel, IBM, etc.

I have never heard of any lecturer being biased and I know that many of my friends in IPTA got Dean's list etc.

[pandaboy]

my parents had bad impression on private colleges . they said that onli rich people go there...or is that true??? what i mean is top colleges in malaysia.

huh? i dont think so.....there are a lot of not-so-rich-ppl in private colleges too (like me! haha...) ... But have to admit that majority of them are rich....especially those in sunway college.....try taking a tour in their car park....

[pandaboy]

but i dun have enough confidence in our local universities.......
although the government is aspired to make malaysia the regional academic centre of excellence ,but i think we still have a long way to go in order to achive this target.
do u know that the lecturers always biased towards bumiputras....
just like chinese are out of place and we should not be there
i doubt that quality education is given emphasis in local universities although we are informed that admission to the universities is merit-based........
there is bound to be exception

if u dun believe me, just ask any of ur friends who are studying in local universities.....

hmm....i dun know how true is this...but one of my friend ( a non-bumiputra) studied in a SM teknik ( mostly bumiputras) and he claimed that he was being discriminated. The teachers there kinda show prejudice to him...and look down on him...... hmm.... How about the case in local unis? I dont know....

[jiinjoo]

if u dun believe me, just ask any of ur friends who are studying in local universities.....

Yeah I just asked. there were mixed feelings. some said yes, some said so so, none of them said none, but at the same time some said they prefer it that way. very mixed feelings.

The out of place factor is because Chinese / Indians are the minority, both in the student level and the admin level. Trust me it feels that same all around the world. Minority always feels "out of place" whether you like it or not. It depends on the people to make a difference, to make your friends feel better about you, and to accept others in to your life as well, then you won't feel so out of place.

The admission is merit based. If you're the exception, I urge you to voice it out, beyond this forum.

[thesoothsayer]

kobebryant, i disagree with you on your last post.

I have a large number of friends in various IPTAs, and I have not heard any of them being denied any opportunity or being discriminated at. They were given ample opportunities to go for projects and a number of them got internship at Intel, IBM, etc.

I have never heard of any lecturer being biased and I know that many of my friends in IPTA got Dean's list etc.

Getting internships at Intel or IBM or any other MNC does not mean that there are no biased lecturers out there. Of course there are. Only thing is, are they in the majority? In my experience, I would have to say no.

I've attended 1 class where the lecturer said outright that he would give grades based on racial quotas but I also attended 1 class where I was the only 1 out of ~300 students to get an A.

I feel that in general the grades given out to me were mostly fair and expected so I feel that racial discrimination by my faculty lecturers was at a small minority.

From my experience, the most racist and biased people come from the university's student's affair administration and also the faculty that teaches humanities subjects! Be prepared for the administration to allow daily Islamic ceramahs but ban even 1 day exhibitions of other cultures and religions. Also, be prepared to sit in classes where the lecturers insult religions other than Islam by laughing at Hindus as people who worship cows, Jesus Christ as a someone who veered from the right path by claiming to be the son of God and so on. Since I'm an atheist I didn't really care about what they spouted but some of my friends did. Fortunately, I only had to take 3 or 4 classes of this rubbish.

My advice if you are in a local public university is to just do your best. Work on your own projects. Even if you feel that your grades don't reflect your actual performance, hopefully your experience in doing your own projects will show the prospective employer what you are capable of. I have mixed feelings about my time there. You can probably see it in my rambling post. :) It's hard to summarise the feelings but I just wanted to share my experience.

Anyway, local universities will expose you to the reality of living in Malaysia now. You'll definitely find that you are discriminated against mostly by the administration (read govt) but the people whom you work most closely with will treat you as just another person. :)

[aquila]

hmmm... interesting assessment

i think being a minority worked to my benefit in high school. Because there were so few Chinese and Indians, teachers usually know us really closely. And the teachers I'm talking about are of all races.

Because we were the minority, there were some unique opportunities that wouldn't have surfaced otherwise. For eg, when I was in Form 2 -3, I'd join the choir in state level competitions without having to turn up for practice. I just had to hop on the bus with them and show my face of diversity.

Of course, it kinda sucks when there's the requirement of at least one bumi in every quiz or contest. However, in my school, the Malays are equally competitive and smart (at least before form 4 when we lost all the smart ones to MRSM) so didn't quite feel we were discriminated against or anything.

About jawatan in organizations, there are indeed traditional positions for people of different races. But I think that just really depends on the students' interests and not so much on the race. FOr eg, if you're good enough, you'll be the Ketua Pengawas or not. One thing I did hate was how they discriminated against the F5 students. Imagine electing Form 6 students as Head prefect and assistant head prefect when they had only been in the school for a year when the rest of us had been there for 4 years!!!

There was certainly rivalry between the Rancangan Khas kids (the morning F1 to F2 classes) and the afternoon classes. THe rest of us in the afternoon session often compete with them. I mean, very obviously, the RC in my days were only for Malays. However, you'll have Malay classmates telling you that you must beat those kids in RK. Uphold the class pride. since our numbers were really small (like 7 in a class of 35), perhaps there was no point discriminating.

Yea, I'd go so far to say we were "special" in a sense. Esp since we could lepak around when the Malays went to prayers and kuliah agama. Really enjoyed my lower secondary school years.

[KobeBryant]

IS TAR college good at accounting ? How about Uniten ?
in TAR, SPM school leavers can only do DIPLOMA in accounting b4 proceeding to degree, right?
there is no foundation class ??

any kind soul can answer this ?

hello, who can answer me?

[DecentMerson]

Following much interest in this topic, I think we should start up a thread on this topic.

DecentMerson: [quote=KobeBryant]if in business ? and accounting ?

i think in business....Metropolitan college is consider as one of the best...

and accounting?... if u plan to take up ACCA, then, i would recommend Sunway College....

john_doe_85: Quite concur with Merson... Sunway if you're looking for accounting although their business quite good lah... HELP if you're going for Science and Economics. There was an exodus of lecturers from Taylors to HELP some years ago so heard the good lecturers are now in HELP... Your choice, though. :)
moozy: But I thought for accounting, TAR is the best? Not too sure with accounting courses.

masterof_none: Hi KobeBryant.
I would RecomMend SUnway College for Business and Accounting.
I took A-levels at SUnway and I'm impressed with how well the course was executed. I also got lots of friends who were doing ACCA/CPA etc., and all business-related course, at that time.
If you're looking for the business course at Sunway, try look around at their twinning program: such as Monash and Victoria Uni.
Those are good schools/programs. and the students also are very hardworking (despite the fact that most people perceive Sunway as no more than a party school).

Not sure about other colleges. You should check em out before jump to the college. (don't regret later). BUt Sunway is your best bet for Business and Accounting.

kobebryant: thank you, masterof_none

the accounting and finance degree......
b4 joining a college , we should see which uni is the college collaborating with ?

[quote]

There was an exodus of lecturers from Taylors to HELP some years ago so heard the good lecturers are now in HELP... Your choice, though. :)

there's also a mass departure of lecturers(A-level Lecturers) from Taylor to Sunway... dunno how sure... but that's what the lecturers in Sunway said....

but statistically, INTEC(international education centre), UiTM has the best result in Malaysia for AUSMAT last year... i think is bcoz of the selected students there...We beat Taylor....
:D :D

[KobeBryant]

IS TAR college good at accounting ? How about Uniten ?
in TAR, SPM school leavers can only do DIPLOMA in accounting b4 proceeding to degree, right?
there is no foundation class ??

any kind soul can answer this ?

hello, who can help me?

[KobeBryant]

Is MMU and Uniten good at accouting course ?

[KobeBryant]

who can enlighten me on my last two replies ?

[ElansarGelmir]

IS TAR college good at accounting ? How about Uniten ?
in TAR, SPM school leavers can only do DIPLOMA in accounting b4 proceeding to degree, right?
there is no foundation class ??

any kind soul can answer this ?

hello, who can help me?

You like to quote yourself? Hmmm.... To be frank, I dun think that I know a lot about good local colleges, but what I know is that, if i were to choose, I would narrow down to top 3 colleges, and then compare their study environments and facilities, finance, and other stuffs.
If you really want good advice, you can ask those people during education fairs. Their information, though could be a little bias, are thorough and tells you what they specialize in.

[jiinjoo]

They are all good :) The very fact that you're able to enumerate them shows that they are all capable of grooming you to become a good accountant. I'm not too sure about the various kinds program you get to go to for each college though.

My brother is in Sunway accountancy, he's enjoying his time :) My dad did commented that it was reasonably steep though. (My hunch on the exodus is probably because Sunway pays the teacher better?) My sis is in UTAR (TAR college) accountancy, she's enjoying her time too :) She once told me that UTAR has some legacy good teacher around. I think she did one year of some foundation class thing, before proceeding to degree.

I had 2 ex-classmates in Uniten accountancy. Both of them enjoyed their time ;) Both got employed by big 4. Both also say Uniten is a great school.

See, I told you, everything is good :) haha! As a distant observer though, I suggest UTAR, new school, new challenges. You might be able to get more out of your education than just accountancy the subject. Looking further down the road, UTAR is speculated to be one of the more renowned uni in M'sia. Maybe it helps to be their alumni... Ultimately, the choice is yours!

LSE is good too :)

[KobeBryant]

thanks alot, Jin Joo

finally my queries are answered!
thank you, ur reply is very informative!
so, every uni has its own programme and all is also very good

[Hush]

I was from Taylor's College. Well, if you are thinking of doing A-Levels, Taylor's College is a good choice. Well, the exodus of lecturers from Taylors to other colleges might be true. However, there are still many good lecturers in Taylors. There are two intakes per year. Undoubtedly, the Jan intake is the larger one than the July intake. But, the quality of the two intakes are not different at all.

Perhaps, before you go to Taylors, some people might have told you which lecturers are not good....blah blah blah... DON'T BOTHER TO LISTEN!!! If you listen to them, your mindset is already set. So, before even your first lesson, you already think that they are not good and owing to that, you don't pay attention to what they are teaching. Ultimately, you are the one who will suffer.

I never regret my decision of going to Taylors. Life is perhaps a bit daunting, but the rewards are priceless. If I were to choose again, Taylors would be my first choice.

By the way, Taylors does not offer AUSMAT. Instead, they offer SAM, which is different. So, how are you gonna compare Taylors with INTEC?

[KobeBryant]

hi, HUSH

i just want to know is there any scholarship for SPM leavers 2003 who are intending to enrol in July intake A-level at Taylor's

[Hush]

Hi, KobeBryant...

If nothing changes, I am sorry to say that scholarships are only given to those who enter Taylors with forecast results and not actual SPM results. So, it means that, to be qualified for the scholarship, first of all, you must fulfil that unless, you are doing O-Level. So, for O-Levels students, they usually opt for July intake since they complete their studies in the middle of the year. And, of course, they apply to Taylors using forecast results.

[widagdo]

By the way, Taylors does not offer AUSMAT. Instead, they offer SAM, which is different. So, how are you gonna compare Taylors with INTEC?

For you information, AUSMAT is just the name of the Australia program in INTEC. The students there are doing the same thing -South Australian Matriculation(SAM). The only difference between those two prgrams, perhaps, is that AUSMAT is a sponsored 5-to-6-year program for JPA scholars, ie 1.5 year in INTEC, 4 years in Australia. It is longer for medicine program though.

[KobeBryant]

HUSH ,
u r from SPM 2002 ?
Taylor's.....ppl there very geng 1 ?

[Hush]

I was from SPM 2001.

I joined Taylors in July due to some reasons. Well, some may think that those who are from Jan intake perform better in SPM. This is not true at all. The only difference between the two intakes is the size of the each intake. Most of the SPM leavers will usually choose to admit in Jan because they don't want to waste any time.

For your information, I was put in the same class with many JPA scholars....roughly about 65% of the people in my class. So, it was rather competitive. Everyone was good. Well, I did get JPA scholarship, but I was offered to do medicine in Russia. So, I rejected since I did not wish to go to Russia. I never thought that I would study with so many JPA scholars. It was an interesting competition, indeed.

[KobeBryant]

Hush , u rejected the JPA offer to study in Russia!!??
are u going to do medicine after ur A-level ?
what is ur desired country ?

who knows whether there are alot of chinese in Uniten and MMU ?
Jin Joo , i do believe that Uniten is a great school , since it opened a branch campus in Bandar Muadzam Shah Pahang , dedicated to Business programme , which means that it will focus and emphasise on this area to provide quality education for students!

[KobeBryant]

i just wonder whether the students in local unis speak in english with their fellow friends to improve their proficiency of english ?

because i know that at some colleges like Taylor's and Sunway , students there speak english only and i would say that it is a very good environment to learn english.

[sueyi]

I was from Taylor's College. Well, if you are thinking of doing A-Levels, Taylor's College is a good choice. Well, the exodus of lecturers from Taylors to other colleges might be true. However, there are still many good lecturers in Taylors.

Just doing thumbs-up to this .. I so enjoyed my time doing A-levels in Taylors. Some of my favourite teachers have left, but my younger brother is currently doing A-levels there now too and the quality seems to be as before.

[DecentMerson]

i just wonder whether the students in local unis speak in english with their fellow friends to improve their proficiency of english ?

because i know that at some colleges like Taylor's and Sunway , students there speak english only and i would say that it is a very good environment to learn english.

hell no.... the majority speaks their own language... i'm talking about in general here.... just take a bus ride(INTEC,UiTM)... or walk along the corridor of any University in Malaysia... u will observe that most people speak of their own languages... Malay Language, Chinese Language....English Language(listed according to popularity among campuses...)

[KobeBryant]

hell no.... the majority speaks their own language... i'm talking about in general here.... just take a bus ride(INTEC,UiTM)... or walk along the corridor of any University in Malaysia... u will observe that most people speak of their own languages... Malay Language, Chinese Language....English Language(listed according to popularity among campuses...)
so unlike private colleges , the students of local unis seldom speak english ?

[KobeBryant]

can i know who are studying or has studied at Uniten Bandar Muadzam Shah Campus before ?

is the environment very conducive ? english-spoken community ?
alot of malay there ?

Any Uniten students can help ?

[Hush]

KobeBryant...

I rejected JPA offer to study in Russia because I never intended to go there in the first place. Secondly, medicine might not be the suitable course for me. I chose medicine due to peer pressure, for one reason. Everyone seemed to be obsessed with medicine. Everyone was saying that top students must do Medicine...blah blah blah..... this is what you refer to as typical Malaysian. So, I was somehow affected.

I am going to do engineering in NUS this July. I know, for many people, it might look like a ridiculous twist. I have been under pressure for some time as many of those whom I know did not agree with my decision of taking engineering course. It's tough, but I am moving on.

Oh, by the way, basically, everyone in Taylor's College speaks English. When I was still there, some spoke Mandarin also, but not much that I heard of.

[chenchow]

Post from kobe bryant in Scholarship thread. I copy here, since it should be here:-

usually , they are 2 intakes for A-level in January and July every year , right ? exam is in June and December respectively ?

but , why the A-level programme offered by INTI college is on April30 ? anybody knows ? then when will they sit the exam ?

[DecentMerson]

Post from kobe bryant in Scholarship thread. I copy here, since it should be here:-

usually , they are 2 intakes for A-level in January and July every year , right ? exam is in June and December respectively ?

but , why the A-level programme offered by INTI college is on April30 ? anybody knows ? then when will they sit the exam ?

i'm not sure about the INTI, but i know the 2nd intake A-levels last year, which is Mid March 2003... the 2nd intakers have to undergo a more hectic schedule for the semester just to catch up with those who went in during January... means that the 2nd intakers will be joining the first intakers for test and exams and will be completing the course at the same time.... and there's a catch... he 2nd intakers are paying the same amount as the 1st intakers...

[KobeBryant]

i'm not sure about the INTI, but i know the 2nd intake A-levels last year, which is Mid March 2003... the 2nd intakers have to undergo a more hectic schedule for the semester just to catch up with those who went in during January... means that the 2nd intakers will be joining the first intakers for test and exams and will be completing the course at the same time.... and there's a catch... he 2nd intakers are paying the same amount as the 1st intakers...

which college do u mean , decent merson ?

[The_Observer]

You guys don't deceive yourself la.

The local A-levels are dangerously hovering in the 'crap' zone.

:wink:

I suddenly feel so unpatriotic...
Too bad for you guys in local A-Lvls...

[DecentMerson]

i'm not sure about the INTI, but i know the 2nd intake A-levels last year, which is Mid March 2003... the 2nd intakers have to undergo a more hectic schedule for the semester just to catch up with those who went in during January... means that the 2nd intakers will be joining the first intakers for test and exams and will be completing the course at the same time.... and there's a catch... he 2nd intakers are paying the same amount as the 1st intakers...

which college do u mean , decent merson ?

ops... i mean the one in Sunway College....

and i wonder why the observer has no faith in M'sia A-levels which is the carbon copy of the one in UK... my frens, who has the bomb to spend is currently studying A-levels in UK... and according to them, the A-levels is just the same ...

[The_Observer]

Sorry that I had to say that...

Perhaps I should have re-phrase my words.

I had always believed in a universal public system for education and health. Too bad Malaysia does not provide for it. The private side of it is merely a stop gap measure. Half-hearted at best. BUT, I do not knock the students. I say you guys are great, some brilliant, just that you guys are victims of circumstances.

My comments regarding local A-levels is made in comparison to other uni-entrance exams. It looks inadequate compared to some other major exams and even certain uni-entrance programmes.
If you say, its the same with the A-levels in UK...well...I would say that my comments will extend to UK A-levels then...

[littlebigone]

eh? that doesn't make much sense then...

either that or you think that most education systems in the world are retarded coz I think the UK A-Level's is widely accepted and some even give advanced credits for certain subjects.

My comment on local private uni's:

I feel that many of the mushrooming private uni's are basically tuition centers that cost a lot of money. I don't think they provide a good environment for students to gain knowledge. All they do is provide you notes that the professors probably don't even prepare themselves and then provide you with a room to do the test.

But then again, I've never been to a private college. This is simply the impression I got from when I was scouting around for one.

[The_Observer]

Hahaha...yeah what you say is true...

BUT, we are talking about local private colleges, aren't we?
Let's not bring this to so far away as UK...

[The_Arbiter]

My comments regarding local A-levels is made in comparison to other uni-entrance exams. It looks inadequate compared to some other major exams and even certain uni-entrance programmes.
If you say, its the same with the A-levels in UK...well...I would say that my comments will extend to UK A-levels then...

hmm... excuse me if i'm mistaken, but i believe that the so called 'local' A-levels are in fact, the Cambridge A-Levels which is virtually identical to the "UK A-Levels". The observer, ur implying that u may be mistaken that malaysia has its own A-Levels, unlike singapore, which actually has its own version of the A-Levels. the local equivalent of the CAL would be the STPM, and if you mean to say that the STPM is below par... hmm, would anyone like to comment on this? (however this topic is about PRIVATE colleges, so, moving on...)

since the cambridge a-levels is one of the most highly regarded and widely accepted pre-u qualifications in the world, i wouldnt see any reason to call it "inaquedate". perhaps you have ur reasons for all your negative comments? i assume that since you're so "supportive" of the a-levels, u have not gone through it. perhaps an insider's perspective of the situation may be more credible. although personally i am not a product of the A-levels, and i may have my doubts about the (exam-based) method of assessment, i would not go so far as to totally disregard the quality of the programme.

[KobeBryant]

hi, the_arbiter
can i know where are u studying now ?
which pre-u programme did u do ?

[jiinjoo]

Jiin Joo , i do believe that Uniten is a great school , since it opened a branch campus in Bandar Muadzam Shah Pahang , dedicated to Business programme , which means that it will focus and emphasise on this area to provide quality education for students!
I sincerely hope so too. I don't know anyone inthat branch to gauge it. Perhaps you can pay them a visit and find out?

so unlike private colleges , the students of local unis seldom speak english ?
That is something that can be rectified. There can be more activity based groups who works on English-based projects that can spend their time communicating in English.

I think it's ok to speak one's own mother tongue if everyone around the table understands it. The problem so far is not that, rather, people around the table usually almost always understands it. If everyone around the table is always of the same ethnic background, or worst, from the same place such that they speak their own dialect (e.g. penang hokkien or kelatanese), then forget the English speaking environment, you can't even have the basic camaraderie atmosphere.

Sometimes I use this phenomena as a meter to gauge how much I'm sticking to the Malaysians in school when I'm overseas. If more than half of my day is spent speaking our local cacophonic tongue, then I'm probably hanging out with too many Malaysians (or Singaporeans, same accent), and vice versa.

Maybe it's a chicken and egg problem. The way I believe it is that, if we can have more people from different background coming together, then we can have that English speaking atmosphere that you're looking for naturally. (As to whether it should be English or Malay people speak when they come together, that's a seperate issue we can talk about in another thread)

[jiinjoo]

the local equivalent of the CAL would be the STPM, and if you mean to say that the STPM is below par... hmm, would anyone like to comment on this?
As far as I know (my info might be dated), STPM is still identical to CAL, and is Harder than the sg version of A-levels in terms of syllabus.

since the cambridge a-levels is one of the most highly regarded and widely accepted pre-u qualifications in the world, i wouldnt see any reason to call it "inaquedate". perhaps you have ur reasons for all your negative comments?
There's usually a mixed up judgement between the syllabus and the implementation of teaching. My personal complain is about the syllabus, on the one hand it's a good collection of topics that surveys the many disciplines within the subjects you're taking, on the other, it's throughly mundane to have to go through so many of them at such depth when one might not be interested in it or the cliche "this will not be useful in my life". There already exist mechanisms to alleviate the situation (e.g. mechanics versus statistics questions in further maths) but I still think it's unnecessarily broad.

Otherwise, we have a universally accepted, exam-oriented system, with rich resources all around for any student who needs them, what exactly is wrong?

But the other side of the picture is the implementation part. How are the teachers teaching that syllabus? Do you learn anything in the end or do you become robots answering past year questions? Do you feel satisfied when you're able to solve a problem? Instead of commenting on the colleges, my experience with sg a-levels is that i became one super complicated finite-state-machine that has answers to all exams. Is this kind of education what you don't like or like?

So joining The_Arbiter's question - what exactly do you think is "crap"?

[The_Observer]

I see that I have found my alter-ego in The_Arbiter. An online profile made specifically for me....how interesting...

I said in COMPARISON. Is that a word you can't comprehend?
You said I disregard the quality of A-levels? Have you actually read my post and thought about it? or are you just answering irrationally?

BTW, your CAL whatever it may be. I have 1 word for you: Semantics. Go check it in the dictionary if you need to.
Just because the name may sound the same. It does not mean that it will produce the same results, the same..argh...how can people be so stupid?

STPM is a much much more tougher route follow compared to A-Levels, boy. Ask any former Form 6 students. I seriously respect those STPM aces. Conservative learning as it may be but damn hell still good.
The syllabus of the STPM is much greater in depth every time I look at it. A-levels just falls short.

The Korean and Japanese Uni entrance exams are HELL. And look where it has brought them in terms of standard...

The Americans well...their style is different. I shan't comment on that. Perhaps, thats why they pulled ahead of the Brits in the last century...hmm...point to consider.

Yes, A-levels is a universally accepted system. It doesn't mean it is the correct one. As a sift for separating the chaff from the wheat, especially for fields like health sciences for example, it fails miserably because too many of the wrong people manage to get through. A-levels is indeed inadequate. If made tougher, than I give thumbs up, no further comments. But it is not, so...thumbs down...
And yeah, Singaporean A-levels produce better stuff than we do from private colleges here.

To tell you the truth, I didn't go through A-levels at all. If you say it takes an insider to know best, I say their views are biased and flawed. It takes an outsider to make a comparison.

An analogy: If you are in a crowd, you can only see the people adjacent to you. If you are outside the crowd, you can get to see the whole lot.

Now, take that, sit in a corner, and think up something worthwhile for me discuss, please.

[The_Arbiter]

KobeBryant: i recently completed my uni foundation pre-u program and am currently attending uni in australia. further details, i feel, are irrelevant at this time. i hope you understand.

The Observer: i apologise if i seem to be overly interested in your comments, but i find them extremely intriguing. however, i believe we're all educated, civilized, open minded people here, arent we? no need to resort to narrow viewpoints and personal insults.

BTW, your CAL whatever it may be. I have 1 word for you: Semantics. Go check it in the dictionary if you need to.
Just because the name may sound the same. It does not mean that it will produce the same results, the same..argh...how can people be so stupid?
now, you seem to have some confusion over the nature of our "local" a-levels, the Cambridge A-Levels. the reason they have the same name is because it IS the Uk A-Levels, one and the same. the syllabus, the exams, even the examiners, they all come from the UK. And yes, the same results come out. to clear some matters up:

You said I disregard the quality of A-levels? Have you actually read my post and thought about it? or are you just answering irrationally?


The local A-levels are dangerously hovering in the 'crap' zone.

if that's not "disregarding quality", then i dont know what is. true, you did mention that you base your comments in comparison to other pre-u programs, but based on your oversight on the relationship between the "local" and "UK" a-levels, such comparisons, to me, may be somewhat lacking.

But the other side of the picture is the implementation part. How are the teachers teaching that syllabus? Do you learn anything in the end or do you become robots answering past year questions? Do you feel satisfied when you're able to solve a problem? Instead of commenting on the colleges, my experience with sg a-levels is that i became one super complicated finite-state-machine that has answers to all exams. Is this kind of education what you don't like or like?

my sentiments exactly. on one hand, while exam-based programmes such as the A-Levels or STPM may produce students highly skilled in regurgitating answers and past exam questions; i.e. lacking in certain problem-solving and analytical skills, they may also turn out people with detailed knowledge of "the Facts". while immense knowledge only with the ability to complete exams may prove to be a hindrance to uni/real life, how much better are well-developed problem-solving skills - without sufficient base information to begin with? i believe success largely lies within the student; whether he/she has the ability to intelligently use the knowledge learnt (in reference to A-Levels). the quality is there, but my only doubts are about the implementation.

...it fails miserably because too many of the wrong people manage to get through. A-levels is indeed inadequate. If made tougher, than I give thumbs up, no further comments. But it is not, so...thumbs down...

"Boy", I have noticed while you place great emphasis on your claim that the A-Levels is "inadequate", yet you fail to mention WHY. Wrong people getting through? what kind of people? those who study too hard? too little? im sure some of us here would love to hear your reasons.

now what you're saying here is that the A-Level exams should be made more difficult, correct me if i'm wrong. But do we need students to be more highly skilled in regurgitating points? in my opinion, exams do not neccessarily need to be made tougher. do we need just more experts in rote-learning; memorizing details in greater amounts, quicker? a change of educational methods should be in order.

If you say it takes an insider to know best, I say their views are biased and flawed. It takes an outsider to make a comparison.

not all A-level scholars have undying praise for their program. my cousin, who happens to be doing her A-Levels (yes, in a private college in Malaysia, JPA scholar, "dont play play") just so happens to have several criticisms about it. I don't see how it is fair to condemn their views just because they're 'insiders'. in that case, what right have you to credit your own education system? (assuming you do, that is. no offense intended)
So far, it seems to me that you are basing your comments on your general view of the A-Level scholars from your experience. Refering to your "crowd" analogy,
If you are in a crowd, you can only see the people adjacent to you. If you are outside the crowd, you can get to see the whole lot.

an honest question. how many a-level scholars do you personally know? you seem to judge individuals based on their general categories. i feel it is difficult to judge a crowd if you are too detached. from a distance, all you see of your proverbial "crowd" are a large bunch of people milling about. but what are they doing and why? a demonstration over labor laws for instance. why are they there? the individuals may have their own sentiments whereby some of them just want less work and more money, while others are struggling to feed a family with 6 children and aged parents. And all the authorities see is people who should be locked up (and shot and the cost of the bullet charged to their families, to quote *someone*). my point is that one should not segregate students just because of a certain kind of education. is that what you mean by "the wrong people getting through?" that, my friend, is the basis of discrimination and bigotry.

well, i hope my thoughts are worth your while. oh, and one last thing. Mr. Under the Southern Cross, what makes you think i should be called "Boy"?

::wink:: to you too. ;)

[weich]

I guess the 2 of you got insulted by each other's comments, let's hear from my point of view, haha =) :

STPM/A-levels is just a stage of life to get you thru' to university, so what if one or the other is tougher....employers won't look at your 'A' level/STPM results, they seek for good university grads....so why bother bickering over it? All you might get is an 'A' level mentality or an STPM mentality...haha....Just choose one that offers the best way to get to the university of your dreams =)

And also you should choose a college based on the ppl who are there, the ppl you meet are more important than the syllabus itself..trust me, you'll learn more from brighter peers...Teachers are there only to guide you, but it's up to you to educate yourself....

Anyway, just a question to ponder about:

Do you wanna be the 'best of the worst' or the 'worst of the best'?

[soul_out]

STPM/A-levels is just a stage of life to get you thru' to university, so what if one or the other is tougher....employers won't look at your 'A' level/STPM results, they seek for good university grads....so why bother bickering over it? All you might get is an 'A' level mentality or an STPM mentality...haha....Just choose one that offers the best way to get to the university of your dreams =)

And also you should choose a college based on the ppl who are there, the ppl you meet are more important than the syllabus itself..trust me, you'll learn more from brighter peers...Teachers are there only to guide you, but it's up to you to educate yourself....

Anyway, just a question to ponder about:

Do you wanna be the 'best of the worst' or the 'worst of the best'?

Totally agree!

Pre-University is just a stage of life, like UPSR, PMR and SPM. You will know that it's doesn't make much difference when you're in univeristy.

Just to add that it's better to choose a college based on the competitiveness among the students there. Hence you should ask yourself whether you wanna be the 'best of the worst' or the 'worst of the best'?

Good luck.

[KobeBryant]

can u name some colleges that are based on the competitiveness among their students ?

[blumarine]

can anyone recommend me some private colleges which is good in engineering program n not so expensive...Besides wat should i choose between Form 6 or foundation in private college..Anybody can help?

[KobeBryant]

hi, blumarine
can i know ur SPM result? maybe u r qualified for a full scholarship
for engineering.....which area do u intend to specialise in ?

[KobeBryant]

hell no.... the majority speaks their own language... i'm talking about in general here.... just take a bus ride(INTEC,UiTM)... or walk along the corridor of any University in Malaysia... u will observe that most people speak of their own languages... Malay Language, Chinese Language....English Language(listed according to popularity among campuses...)

even in INTEC , u all also speak BM ?

[morpheous]

private college...another interesting thread from chenchow.

tell u all what..morheous has original intention of posting some sharp criticism remarks about private colleges in msia.refrain myself from doing so.
doing so will make morpheous to be viewed as one of the many "detractors"... until morpheous read some interesting exchanges between The Observer and The Arbiter.

morpheous already remarked "... fix msia education system" , "why waste money on both STPM and matriculation" in other threads..
aargh..morpheous forget to mention a-level.miss that too..

in the past,morpheous did post some postings on education issue..guess not many recomers be "aware" of it.. pls refer these past postings..

pls pardon morpheuos.morpheous like to ask some very surface-type, simple questions...some will say stupid questions..questions that hopefully can throw some lights on STPM vs A-level vs Matriculation...

1)To The Observer, what do u mean by " victims of circumstances". can you pls elaborate more on this..perhap your "awareness level" is the same with mine?something you and morpheous know about that many recomers are unaware...i like to hear it from you...pm me if you want to..

2)who are the main people/organizations that offered A-level?private colleges, right? what are the main purpose private colleges here for? making tonnes of easy money??for who?they themselves and their foreign unis collaborators?

morpheous will finish this posting with this simple example:
supposely you walk in into a kedai makan and order a glass of tea costs RM$1.20. The taukeh kedai made the tea and hand it to you.you sipped the tea and found out that it is not sweet. the taukeh is suppose to put in 3 teaspoonful of milk to sweeten the tea. instead the taukeh put in only one teaspoonful of milk.now is he shortchanging you?cheating your money?trying to increase his profit margin?

now think if it is not tea we r talking about but education....

[The_Observer]

To The_Arbiter:
LOL....I don't wish to develop a personal feud here so...I 'll be the first to lay my hands off..
Yeah, the 'semantics' part was done out of spite. My apologies.
Hmm...to make things simple. A-levels need a boost. Thats all I ask for. A-levels to me still lacks a few things some other programmes do good in. Reforms well...I 'll vote for it. But I am after all just 1 vote. Heck, even you have 1 vote too...
BTW, you are in Australia too? Mind telling me where you did your foundations and which uni are you in? PM if you want to.

To blumarine:
KobeBryant is right. We need more information regarding your long term goals, ambitions, etc. and of course your results.

To morpheus:
'victim of circumstances'...hmm...me say Government not doing job well, wrong policies, country suffer, students suffer...give room to private college because tertiary education in country not good enough...if Government do job right...me also no need to complain about A-levels.
Dangerous thing to say...but somebody must do it.

[blumarine]

Hey guys! I got 10 A's for Spm but i din even get any scholarship from any institution.feel quite disappointed..I hv interest on chemistry but i wanna do bussiness..But unfortunately my parent want me 2 do engineering..So how i gonna do?Any suggestion???

[MEW_MEW]

I hv interest on chemistry but i wanna do bussiness..But unfortunately my parent want me 2 do engineering..So how i gonna do?Any suggestion???

it just like the problem i face last time. My opinion is do what u interested. If your parent ask you take the course that you dislike, try to discuss with them and tell them what you actually interested. last time, i always dream to be a lawyer but my one day i realise that my real interest is to be an engineer. So, think carefully what is your actual interest. Gook luck and all the best!

[DecentMerson]

hell no.... the majority speaks their own language... i'm talking about in general here.... just take a bus ride(INTEC,UiTM)... or walk along the corridor of any University in Malaysia... u will observe that most people speak of their own languages... Malay Language, Chinese Language....English Language(listed according to popularity among campuses...)

even in INTEC , u all also speak BM ?

among frens of different races, we speak mostly English... but the problem arises when we are of the same race.... we will start to talk in our mother tongue...... that's my case...

but i can observe that some(quite a number of) students still can't converse in English fluently (even in daily conversation and in the classroom...)becoz they are toooooo used to speaking in Mother Tongue....

[KobeBryant]

but i can observe that some(quite a number of) students still can't converse in English fluently (even in daily conversation and in the classroom...)becoz they are toooooo used to speaking in Mother Tongue....

they are JPA-sponsored students ?? if under JPA , should be ok what? like me, even though i speak mandarin everyday , if i mingle with those english-educated.. i think it is still ok , maybe not very proficient and have some grammatical errors only.......but no1 is perfect !!!

[KobeBryant]

do u all agree that in colleges like Taylor's , students speak only english ? or it depends on who are u friends ? but then the mostly-used language at Taylor's is still english because too many 'banana'

[Iceheart_Firebreath]

As a former A-level student, I may be able to provide relevant 'insider' commentary.

I cannot speak for the quality of the science courses, as I was an Arts student; but I felt the Arts/Humanities/Business courses (e.g. Business Management, Economics, Literature, Law and the like) were sufficiently challenging. For example, we had to read up on a lot of global trends and real-life examples for the Economics (like the pegging of the ringgit, the national bank, globalisation) and Business Management courses (Enron/Arthur Andersen/WorldCom fiasco, advertising etc).

Analytical skills had to be incredibly sharp for Lit - we had to come up with paragraphs of supposed symbolism about something as simple as a colour, or sound. However, for Law it is very much read-and-vomit, with the occasional amusing and unfairly judged case. Excellent or very good English is essential...some of my coursemates really struggled, not because they lacked the grey matter, but because they just could not express their opinions in the essays (which should be at least 3 1/4 pages long, and there are several in each test.)

Hence I do believe it is a good benchmark for academic quality, at least where the Arts/Humanities/Business subjects are concerned.

[KobeBryant]

it seems that A-level is very hard !
yeah , for pure science students to take arts subjects in A-level , is it very difficult for them to cope with ? e.g. i would like to take accounting but i am from from science background and took prinsip akaun in SPM also....so haven't learned subjects like economic

is it ok for us ?

[pandaboy]

it seems that A-level is very hard !
yeah , for pure science students to take arts subjects in A-level , is it very difficult for them to cope with ? e.g. i would like to take accounting but i am from from science background and took prinsip akaun in SPM also....so haven't learned subjects like economic

is it ok for us ?

i think should be no problem.....
i have friends who are taking econs, biology, chem and maths....
and other science students who are studying for business degree now.....
so dun worry much...
and i heard that with a science degree, u can also pursue MBA even though u've never study business before....how true it this?

[weich]

hmm....I guess if you read alot, the Arts subjects can be quite fun and enjoyable.....if not, you should better catch up on your reading...

...the reason why most ppl take MBAs is for a change of career, or to further improve their qualifications, or to improve their business dealings....but you'll need a basic degree first and for most prestigious unis....a few years of business experience....so yeah...you don't have to do a business bachelor's degree just to do an MBA later

...it is also known as a place to gain useful contacts...more discussion based than lecture-based....

[KobeBryant]

can anyone here recommend some leading private colleges in malaysia that are very good in accounting ? what should we take into consideration ? the exemptions we will get from the degree or which university's degree we will get ?

[chiunlin]

can anyone here recommend some leading private colleges in malaysia that are very good in accounting ? what should we take into consideration ? the exemptions we will get from the degree or which university's degree we will get ?

Are you planning to take the professional papers like ACCA or are you planning for a degree in accountancy?

If you intend on ACCA, the quickest route is to study CAT then proceed to take the professional exams. I heard that Sunway is quite good(produced a few world prize winners), so does FTMS(I'm not sure what does it stand for, but ask around people who study ACCA, it's a private college specialising in accountancy)

[Iceheart_Firebreath]

If you hate miles of essays, Arts A-level will be tough. You find yourself doing about 12 pages per test if you want to score, and boy does your hand hurt afterwards. If I am not mistaken, science subjects don't have essays for A-levels although they do have subjective questions (just a few paragraphs). There are so many SPM science students who end up taking Econs, Finance and Commerce though, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Yeah, science students can take MBAs, just that it will prolly be a bit harder for them compared to Arts students and it requires you to have about 2 years' working experience after your degree (no matter what you studied). Mature students (like those in their forties) who have only SPM can also do their MBA if they have long and relevant work experience.

[windy_city]

Hey guys! I got 10 A's for Spm but i din even get any scholarship from any institution.feel quite disappointed..I hv interest on chemistry but i wanna do bussiness..But unfortunately my parent want me 2 do engineering..So how i gonna do?Any suggestion???

Do both, I like to do business and economics, and I think they are more interesting than engineering. But since i am JPA sponsored, I have to do engineering anyway. But i am doing industrial engineering and economics now, the perfect combination for me, because industrial engineering here is gear towards finance, consultancy and management, plus economics is fun too. And I am happy now, most probably will take my MBA in Kellogg after a few years working.

So dun despair, there will be engineering that matched your business interest too. Dun thinks that doing sciences will not lead you to business, it will, because at the end of the day, you are the one who will decide what you want to do in your life, not your major.



Yeah, science students can take MBAs, just that it will prolly be a bit harder for them compared to Arts students and it requires you to have about 2 years' working experience after your degree (no matter what you studied). Mature students (like those in their forties) who have only SPM can also do their MBA if they have long and relevant work experience.

And the thing about engineering student will face difficulty doing MBA is not true at all, especially in the case of industrial engineer. In addition, engineers have good analytical skills and good math background which is very essential especially if you want to go to the financial part of business (the places where the big money comes from). About the working experience and MBA, it all depend on what school you want to go into, some schools do not need any working experience to do MBA, but some prestigious B-schools require you to have a degree and to works for a few years (minimum 3 years) before you can even apply. This holds true for the best B-school such as Harvard B-school, Kellogg, Wharton, Sloan, UChicago B-school, IMD, and INSEAD........

So dun worry, if your parent is really adamant about you doing engineering, then you should try to find the engineering field that you like, dun worry too much about working in business or engineering after you graduate, because it all depends on you.

[pandaboy]

If you hate miles of essays, Arts A-level will be tough. You find yourself doing about 12 pages per test if you want to score, and boy does your hand hurt afterwards. If I am not mistaken, science subjects don't have essays for A-levels although they do have subjective questions (just a few paragraphs). There are so many SPM science students who end up taking Econs, Finance and Commerce though, so it shouldn't be a problem.

There are essays in Biology....starting this year...I'm the first to sit for it....sob sob...anyway the paper was over just few days ago...

Yeah, science students can take MBAs, just that it will prolly be a bit harder for them compared to Arts students and it requires you to have about 2 years' working experience after your degree (no matter what you studied). Mature students (like those in their forties) who have only SPM can also do their MBA if they have long and relevant work experience.

what kind of working experience a science graduate need? relevant working experience? Like for example, a pharmacy graduate works in a pharmacy for 2years after graduating....will he/she eligible to take up MBA?

[DFish]

I help a friend to ask: Which colleges can be recommended for engineering course (chemical or E&E)? Or form 6 better?

[KobeBryant]

i think Uniten is quite good

[chenchow]

I agree on the point about MBA program would accept student from any major. Basically it would be application process like what you go through for your degree program. Essays, recommendation letters etc and your performance, course selectionand university for your degree would count somewhat, but your work experience would be essential part. As Windy_city said, most top Business Schools require you to work first, before applying. How have you progressed in your career? Perhaps you should be able to answer why this is the right time for you to take MBA? Career advancement, new skill sets required? etc etc...

Blumarin, do any program you like and especially if you are looking at diverse education in US, you can fit your program as you wish. I am majoring in electrical and computer engineering. However, I manage to fit 3 minors (Engineering Management, Information Science, Industrial System & Information Technology) in it, and take a number of courses in diverse field like, business law, entrepreneurship, social psychology, international relations, wine tasting, debates, golf etc... There is no limit on what you can learn.

[chenchow]

On the question by DFish on whether private college or Form 6 for Chem Eng and ECE, I guess it would depend on the person's goal. I think IPTS, namely MMU, University Technology Petronas and UNITEN are pretty established in their engineering program. So, if they want to enter directly into a specific program, those IPTS would be great place. I am not too sure about private colleges that are good for engineering, perhaps others could provide a cue.

Going through Form 6 would be a good alternative too. However, your friend would need to do well. Doing very well would open a large horizon, including scholarship from universities abroad, if your friends could capture some awards in the National Maths and Physics Olympiad, which are open to Form 6 students. Those honor may not help in IPTA application, but it will go a long way in building credentials and also it is looked highly upon in many prestigious universities in the world, and if you are among the top few in the country, chances of getting scholarship is there!