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Entering the Dark Age of Malaysia...

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Private College, a Good Choice for SPM graduates?


Private College. If this is the top choice for you besides JPA scholarships and Matrikulasi, or if you think Private colleges pre U programs can help you save one or two months or even one year of extra studies, better think about it again. Please note that I'm not trying to criticize or to pick on private colleges because of prejudice. I am merely pointing out WHY SPM graduates should think twice before making private colleges as their priority for further studies.

What you're about to read in this post later are my honest and unbiased opinions towards private colleges in Malaysia. To me, Private colleges is a good choice for STPM students who failed to get the courses they desired in local public universities, but certainly not for SPM graduates. Let's see why.


Ridiculously Expensive Tution Fees

Your friends/ private unis "promoters" may tell you...:

“Government can lend us money through PTPTN one lah! No worries lah!”
“ Haiya, UTAR got give away 100% scholarships for Pre U studies, if you get 9 As and above!”
“ Very cheap only lah… Can borrow money, somemore father mother can give pocket money, why not?”

I wish to remind anyone here whose parents are not that rich, THINK carefully before you make your decision to study in private colleges. PTPTN can certainly lend you a generous amount of money, but do not forget it is not for free. You have to pay for the interests and the installment you have to pay can stretch up to as far as 30 years. ( for Pre U fees + degree tuition fees)

Imagine YOU paying installment every month after you graduate from colleges until you’re 50 years old. Scary? And again, this is a fact. I’ve seen some of my friends whose families are not so wealthy, they spend up to/more than 1500ringgit per month for food and lodgings alone, and some even spend money lavishly at night clubs or internet as if they have only 1 lecture per week.

Bear in mind that this amount (approx 1000 ringgit per month) is food and lodgings ONLY, tuition fees not included. I can’t help but to feel sad for their parents, who work 12 hours a day and spare half of their income to support their children whom they thought are studying hard and are receiving top class education in colleges.

The story doesn’t end here. After Pre U in private college, where can you go for your degree? It is either Overseas or stay back in private colleges. For rich kids, yes, no problems. Some are rich enough to do 1 year of Pre U course and fly to UK Australia straight away for their degrees. But as I said, for those who’re not that rich, there is another few years for your parents (if not you) to suffer. All these would not happen to a form six or a local university students as the tuition fees for local universities is approximately 10 times LESS than the tuition fees of private colleges. (this is a fact!)

Do not get cheated by those advertisements which tell you that you are entitled a FREE Pre U course. Think about the degree. Very often the Pre U cost a little, but the tuition fees for degree courses can squeeze blood out of you.
( I’ve just seen a junior failing to get the scholarships she wanted so badly as advertised by the private college. Another victim)



Degree?

Thinking of getting a degree? Doing a Pre U program without continuing degree is useless. Once you have done your Pre U program at private colleges, you have only two choices: Continue your degree at PRIVATE COLLEGES, or at Overseas Universities. There is no way you can get into local university because the chance for that to happen is extremely small. And again, unless your dad owns big business or is a good friend of UMNO big shots, then going overseas would be quite impossible and your only choice is to stay back in that college for the rest of your degree.



Quality?


I had a friend who told me why he chose to study at private college after SPM.
The reason was “ Aiya, form six teachers all very lousy one lar!.... I do A level in XXXXX college sure the lecturers are better than them lar…”

Lecturers? Yea.. Of course it sounds a lot more glamorous than ‘form six teachers’. But only after a few months I spotted him hiding in the corner of my school’s lecture hall, listening to the lecture conducted by our chemistry teacher, Chua Yok Ten. He admitted that those “lecturers” are sucks. Another friend of mine studying in UXXX, told me that his English Language Lecturer couldn’t even speak English fluently. At first I doubt what he said, some other friends testified it. By hiring some jobless fresh graduates or part time job seekers as their lecturers, I believe private colleges can save a lot and earn a lot more. Well, of course, I’m not saying that EVERY lecturer teaching at private colleges sucks. But there are many of them, especially those who conduct Pre U lectures and programs. The stories of my friends experience at Private Collges doing Pre University programs DOES make sense. The number of Pre University programs students, mostly SPM graduates, are demanding even more teaching forces. It is not surprising that colleges that offer you 'scholarships' to do Pre U programs NOT being able to hire top quality lecturers.



Facility?

How much better the facilities a rich Taukeh of a private college can offer you compared to what our GOVERNMENT can give you?

Some people say Nilai Inti is super big..The area is super large, the facilities are super new. But hey, it is still smaller than UKM, UPM , UMS, UniMas ok? Government spent millions of ringgit each year to support EACH local university. Grants for research purposes worth millions of ringgits are poured into local public uni by the government to make sure that students of local uni receive the best. What about private colleges? Do you want me to believe that a super large private college can afford state-of-the-art technologies for education purposes?

Wake up wake up, private college is an INDUSTRY; it has little to do with education!

Low Cost ( cheap manpower, cheap facilities)
High income ( of course get tuition fees from you lar)
= Industry of Private education. Accept it. It’s a fact that its an INDUSTRY.


College life?

When a private college tries to cut cost, do you think they will fund any extracurricular student activities? Big projects or vital research? Unless they're sponsored by government or overseas governments like AIMST University and Nottingham (Nottingham's suckks money though!)

The answer is a BIG NO.

So, what’s about college life besides studying?
Clubbing loh! Dota loh! Somemore? Internet café lor! If not, shopping loh!

Is this the “college life” you are really looking forward to enjoy?
I want to stress here that I do not mean ALL private college students will go clubbing or drinking or smoking or whatever it is, but SPM graduates who are still very young TEND TO get distracted by all these things in places like KL or Shah Alam. Even in Penang, some of my friends become kaki clubbing, and before that, they were nerdssssss at schools.

I must admit there are a few colleges/private universities which are in close collaboration with the government, and they're doing quite well for particular fields ONLY, not all, and not most of them. IMU is famous for its medicine and pharmacy studies, AIMST is famous for its top-class facilities for medical studies, for example. However, these are only for degrees, remember that Pre U programs in private colleges certainly do not offer enough of knowledge, quality experience and fun that a student supposed to have.


I know, that Pre U programs in private colleges has become so popular among SMJK students, that even those UMNO faggots claimed that private colleges are custom-made for non bumiputras.. So according to their reasoning, non bumiputras should not make noise when UiTM offer places for Indonesian but NOT for Chinese and Indians. See how ridiculous things have become? Tell them that we all are Malaysians, we want to get into local public universities!

You can voice out to the government by actions, studying in government institution and fighting to get into public universities. We want our share as Malaysians, in every course at every public university.



C Guevara

8 comments:

David Joshua Lee Chun Keat said...

Dear blogger,
Good post you have there. I totally agree with everythg u said.
I have never regard private colleges highly. Firstly, it is very expensive. Not worth the money for the quality in return.
Secondly, I dun think it is wise for a SPM graduate to think that just bcoz he or she doesn't feel that he or she could make it through stpm means that private colleges is the ultimate choice. Many friends I have seen going to private colleges but ain;t performing as well as students taking STPM. I could see the life there is super boring for ppl like me
I always wanted campus life and therefore I never thought of going to a private college as my choice ever since I visited HELP college and realized the college is just a building. Imagine u r going to study in one building for your whole degree course. What a pathetic scene.
Where is life? Where is excitement? I dun see life and excitement coming from a building itself.
Btw, I hav a fren who took A levels from HELP came to NTU to study. Whereas there are many STPM graduates who end up here and they even save cost on the one year pre u tuition fees.
I am not being bias here but seriously NUS and NTU fits us Malaysian Chinese the best. This is bcoz u r in an environment not far different from what we hav back in our hometown, besides having a better study environment which propels us forward in studies. Staying on campus in NUS gives me the opportunity to hone my leadership skills and social skills by joining up to 10 activities in one year and being promoted to various leadership position here in NUS. Thus, I would like to encourage you guys who r still deciding where to go after STPM to make NUS ur choice and for those who r yet to b enrolled in Pre-u course to rid off ur fear in form 6 and take the challenge. I assure u that u wont regret as STPM is a high standard examination and u will definitely get the most out of it if u work hard instead of going to colleges and end up just like everyone else. I can say those with courage will finish the racce with their heads held high.

Wyatt said...

Hey there!
Glad to know someone finally voice out about this issue.
I, for one, fell for these "packages" a few years ag0, and in turn, i waste not only hard earned cash (one year course = +/-RM30000!!!! That amount of money could pay my way through my degree and master's degree here in Taiwan!!), but i wasted more than 15 months off while i could be doing something better. Word of advice, don't fall for the "PTPTN" promises, "you'd get into a uni, pronto!" promises, and worst, i was doing a foundation in science course in a Medical college in Sungai Petani (i ain't gonna name names), my biology lecturer was a STPM leaver, and word has it that, she was kicked out of some other chain-colleges (my name for those colleges which has franchises in...like everywhere!).

Browse around, ask around, a better opportunity might just be around the corner. I for one, am doing great now, i'm a scholarship receiver (I pay for nothing, and i get RM1000++ allowance every single month without any strings attach!!!), i'm enjoying my University life, and everything turned out fab, although i still deeply regret my decision in wasting my whole year off at some warehouse where classes are what they offer....well, that, and crappy lecturers with little or no credibility whatsoever to speak of, and some lame promises to lure me into that hell hole.

Lo Juinn Cherng said...

It's one thing to tell people to think twice before enrolling for a Pre-U course in a private college, it's another to diss the whole thing all together. I for one, do NOT agree with the post generally. A few valid points were brought up, but the post does not offer a full picture, and is quite biased.
First thing for sure, if you do not come from a family that can pay for your private education, you SHOULD NOT register for a private U's pre-U. Private Uni's pre-Us of course, cost money. It's an industry, a service they provide for you, and a valid alternative for certain students. PTPTN loan's are not a bad deal, adjusted for inflation rate it's actually quite a good loan, however it is still not worth it if you don't have money, at least not for pre-U. As for living costs, clubbing, dota and the like, it's the student's responsibility to maintain a balance between his studies and having fun. Let's face it, you need to eat whether you're in BM or KL. Although KL living costs can be significantly higher, if you learn to save it is not nearly as much as the post suggests. It is my opinion that us Jitsinites are way too sheltered and would do well with some exposure to the outside world. UTAR and TARC do in fact offer 100% free A-levels tuition for almost all Jit sin students (lol). But for students considering going there, heed my advice, 1, be sure you're not going for a local U and you have plans/money for future education after your pre-U, 2, know that the quality isn't significantly better of worst then Jit sin(it's semi-goverment, go figure)then our very own form 6, 3, make sure you have the self control to study and not waste your parent's money. Many times a sheltered Jitsin boy/girl lives alone for the first time and lose focus on thier studies.
Quality wise, if you got for GOOD private colleges it is quite good. One musn't lump all private institutions together, there are shit ones and good ones as well. Well known places like INTI, Taylors, Sunway, Monash are usually good, although it is vital that the student research on the particular pre-u course in the particular college he/she wants to go. For example, Australian matriculation in Sunway is definitely a safe choice.
Facility wise, PRIVATE COLLEGES DO OFFER MUCH BETTER FACILITIES THEN JIT SIN AT LEAST. Much of the post were directed towards research grants, which let's face it, is way beyond pre-U level. You're not doing any breakthrough research on your pre-U, so this won't affect you at all. Look at Inti-UC in Nilai in which i'm studying now. We have a swimming pool, a gym, squash courts, field, air-coned class rooms, pool playing place and internet cafe IN the campus (yup, it's true). Of course you pay for all of this, but no one told you to come if you don't have the money. Also let's face it, the government UNIs aren't exactly top notch either.
Of course, college life is one of the main reasons many students want to study pre-U somewhere OTHER then Jit Sin. And i think we have much to gain for exposure to the outside world. One thing's for sure, always remember to keep your eyes on your studies. There are many temptations out there, dota, clubbing, shopping movies. And a bit of all of those is fine, AS LONG AS YOU KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR STUDIES. If you think you lack the willpower to take care of yourself, then know that eventually you'll have to go out anyway. If anything, living on your own (away from family) and taking care of yourself actually can make you grow and mature sooner. As if us Jitsin students aren't sheltered enough in our Jit Sin world of studying and more studying.
In conclusion, go for pre-U if you have the money, and you're sure where you want to go (Australia, England, whatever), and you fancy a change and want a challenge. If you are sure of your course foundations in many cases are good choices. If your parents can't afford, don't waste money on pre-U. IF, however, you managed to get a scholarship (75% waiver or full tuition fees) it's worth considering. Remember of course, that you WILL have to do well (as you have to even in JIT SIN) to continue your scholarship to degree. Especially if you get a place like INTI-UC or Taylor's. TARC's infamous free for all Jitsin students A-level courses are an alternative, although TARC's facilities aren't good, a confident student can get good results and enjoy life there, though i wouldn't recommend it as much as the others. Another option i suggest is the AUP course in which i'm enrolled now. Students can enroll STRAIGHT FROM SPM, it's a program that let you get credits here to transfer to the US, Canada, or New Zealand even. It's slightly faster then a pre-u> degree or a foundation > degree route, and it's pretty much the only surefire way to go the the US to study. If you can maintain JIT SIN standard grades, scholarships all the way to US aren't rare. If any students have questions they can contact me. :)

Peace out.

eowhuan said...

Hi Mr. Lo, nice points there.
But i would like to clarified some of them.



1. MANY private college local students are NOT rich. That is one thing. They're often "lured" to take up the Pre U scholarships like those from UTAR, instead of enrolling in Pre U program after being well informed. They follow friends most of the times.

2. Cost of living in KL is significantly higher, and no matter how you try to save, you'll still have to pay for it. One thing if you enrol in government's institution you dont have to pay for school fees. I've been informed by my friends studying in UCSI that their rental for in-campus hostel is 500 ringgit per month. That is half a thousand already. Besides that, dont forget to add in miscellaneous fees, internet, foods. Yes you do need entertainment, and again it is not cheap in KL.


3. My target readers are basically SPM graduates. Yes, they will have to go out from home to the society one day, but the timing DOES affect the way how they deal with problems when living out alone. Maturity and self control are things that SPM leavers usually LACK of. I dont say all of them , but MOST.


4. I totally agree with you that those who are not rich shouldnt enrol in private pre U programs in the first place. For me, even for those who are RICh enough might want to think properly before they do that.


5. Well, if you're comparing highschool with college, yea, highschool facilities are alot lousier than some private colleges, but not all.

Jit sin, although is half government sponsored, has its own "internet cafe" MC Square, basketball fields, tennis courts, Out door theatre, indoor music room, gym, lecture theatres that can accomodate about 200++ people each, aircondition LABS( they installed that after we left highschool). And it is just a highschool. You pay 30 ringgit EACH year for all the facilities.


Imagine Matrikulasi campuses in malaysia? Technique schools, government polytechniques? they are a few times bigger than Jit Sin. Jitsin students do not knwo about simply because they think these institutions are lousy because they're operated by government.


Besides, Singapore's polytechniques also ALMOST guarantee 100% of tuition fees waiver for diploma, and 100% chance of getting tuition grants upon enrolling in singapore public universitiies for degrees. You wouldnt believe how big and beautiful Ngee Ann polytechnic is with top class facilities, and the best of all, MANY(MOST) of the malaysian studdents get scholarships PLUS pocket money for their studies there, as long as you hand in the application.

The successful rate of getting tuition grants from singapore government is almost 100% for those who apply for it, unlike the 'scholarships' our local private college offers for degree course, they never say how MANY people are actually getting it each year.



I want to let spm graduates know that, private colleges are NOT as "holy" as they thought, and the urge to seek for "freedom" breaking out from home can lead them to no where in the end.


6. I know that US's universities accept credit transfer from private colleges, and some getting scholarships, but that is not common. It is just not convincing enough because the intake of students into good universities like the ivy leagues has only a handful of malaysian students. US has thousands of universities by the way. It is a VERY MISLEADING belief in our society that other countries do not accept diplomas or stpm certs from malaysia government institutions.



7. Taylors, Monash etc are very reputable private colleges because they're the BRANCHES of overseas colleges. They are funded not by Taukeh Taukeh but its by an organisation. But still, MONEY.
They charged enormous amount of tuition fees, miscellaneous fees. It's not for the kids of Average malaysian family because MOST of them cannot afford to pay for an overseas degree.


8. The quality of PRE U lecturers are indeed very questionable.

First thing, Many of them DID not receive proper teaching education like lecturers or even teachers hired by government's institution.

From what you said, colleges like taylors or inti have the quality as the claimed. But does that means by teaching in Taylors or INTI makes you a good lecturer?

Most of them DO NOT have proper background in education training.





I still have alot to say, but lets just stop here. Going for my mark down foods now:P



Thanks Lo!

eowhuan said...

eh by the way, where are u studying now?

didnt see u for quite some time already..hehe... contact u later in msn!:P

JerK said...

some of my thoughts on STPM at http://cheehou-er.blogspot.com/2009/04/pre-u-stpm.html

Anonymous said...

hey there guys. just thought i'd say something here.

hmm.. this goes out only to those who intend to study in SINGAPORE. i will only comment specifically on A LEVELS, and not on any other preU programme.

i must say, it's definitely easier to get into singaporean unis if you take A levels. BUT ONLY IF you take 4 subjects. those with 3 subjects are usually (always I should say) rejected. I certainly understand where you're coming from, but if you really wanna secure a place in a singaporean uni, i'd advise u to take A levels and make sure u get those 4 As. It's a whole lot easier compared to STPM.

Challenge is one thing, but getting a place in a good uni in singapore is another. but of course if you're a really good student then getting 4.0 in stpm shouldn't be a major problem. in that case stpm would stand u in better stead. but unis like NUS and NTU tend to not give stpmers without a 4.0 cgpa their first choice. call it the 'easy way out' but what matters most is being admitted into a good uni, and that's the advantage of taking a levels.

but if u're not planning to study in singapore then i guess stpm is the way to go. stpm does open many doors but to get into unis like NUS and NTU that have insane admission requirements, a levels is the safest bet. singaporeans themselves take a levels after all.

but remember this - take FOUR subjects. NOT three. as for college life, well.. it depends on the individual. there are certainly many things you can get involved in if u take the initiative. the facilities and opportunities ARE there. and if u do well in spm, u'll be able to obtain either a partial or a full scholarship. which means u'll only have to worry about living expenses. as far as i know, living in KL (I took my A levels in HELP) will not cost a bomb if u know how to spend ur money wisely.

i'm just saying this because i've seen many stpmers fail to get the courses they want because they couldn't manage to get a 4.0 cgpa, whereas we A level-ers are treated like royalty (once again, only if u have 4 subjects). u may think A levels is for people who aren't willing to slog, but the reality is that singaporean unis are more accepting of A level-ers than they are of stpmers.

p/s: Do ur A levels in HELP! Cos it's offered by Edexcel and it's MUCH easier than the Cambridge one. (Nah I'm just being biased :P)

So...
1. if u're thinking of studying locally, take stpm or matrikulasi
2. if u're thinking of studying in australia (which means u're loaded), take stpm (since u can practically buy ur way into any aussie uni anyway. might as well save on ur pre-U)
3. if u're thinking of studying in Singapore, think no further, A LEVELS! (but if u're a genius or the top student in your school or u find that getting 4.0 is a piece of cake, then stpm's the way to go).

well that was a whole lot of NOTHING, but i hope this will be of SOME help to those of u thinking of studying in singapore

pps: just expressing my opinion. no offence to the stpmers here. i personally admire u guys. i've never had and never will have that kind of resilience :)

David Joshua Lee Chun Keat said...

I would like to clarify one thing which is said by Ruzhe, where he stated that u cant get first choice if u din not get a CGPA of 4.0 in ur stpm and had applied for NUS.
I could render this false, totally not true.
I was in NUS and I see many ppl changing their major immediately after they started the semester. Some even changed their major after one or 2 semesters. Its quite ez if u have already been accepted and u want to change major even if u had already been allocated ur major.
This is NUS, policy. as long as u r smart and decided halfway or even at the start of the semester to change ur major, just refer ur case to the office and next u knw you are already ion a different major. :)