Read a bit into the sticky thread while searching for some advice for my couz sis who's getting her stpm results this tuesday. Though it is kinda old and may no one will read this again, but here's my two cents on this matter.

There's a lot of people saying that STPM is a waste of time, etc. But i don't think so. I did my STPM and now i am in my second year Bachelor of Financial Engineering in MMU, and i would like to state that STPM is a life-changer of sorts.

You get to meet people that you wouldn't have, and it would also bring out the responsible side of you, seeing that you're the ones that the young'ins would be looking up to in school. It's a good preparation, and of course it is "the cheapest" foundation course available to all.

Yes, it is extremely hard, but for goodness sakes, you think your uni/college life is all play and no work? Honestly, if i hadn't taken form 6 earlier, i wouldn't have lasted in this course of mine. (sorry if i sound like i am bragging )

Anyways, to those who have a good math skills, and don't intend to go the way engineering, there are a lot of options available to you guys. Try business, but don't opt for the generic mass produced ones like "management", "marketing", "finance" - i'm not saying that they aren't good, there's just so much competition.

If you're worried that your course would be obsolete by the time you graduate, get something extra, like a certificate in IT to give you that extra edge over the competitors. For those doing finance/economics, there's always the CFA (chartered financial analyst) program that you can do to boost your CV.

And last but not least, don't be a shadow in your uni/coll. Be interactive because if you think that getting a 4.0 is enough, it isn't. Organize events like career fairs/etc to get to know your future employers (many of my seniors have already secured their jobs even before graduating). Always have a good relationship with your advisers/lecturers because you can turn to them to write you a good recommendation letter.

pm me if you have any objections/questions/opinions:)

Cheers!