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 Is STPM for me?, Choosing Pre-U courses

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FlexArianaSwift
post Apr 5 2016, 11:41 PM

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QUOTE(yellowpika @ Apr 5 2016, 10:13 PM)
I have written an article about the pros and cons of Form 6 in my facebook before, so I shall copy and paste it here(and let you decide whether Form 6 is for you).

Hi everyone! With the abundant of choices of pre-u programmes that you can choose from, Form 6 is one of the great options out there.
I would like to share my experiences about Form 6/STPM.

Hmm.. where should I start?

Pros:
1) Well accepted in most countries. I've heard that Singaporean unis favour STPM more than A levels, but I dunno whether is this still the case for now.

2) One of the most affordable and high quality pre-u you get to study in M'sia. A normal pre-u like A levels would cost you around RM30k. That's almost the tuition fees for 1 semester worth of Pharmacy course in a local private university!
(Even if you do go for tuitions, it would still be cheaper than attending A levels if I'm not mistaken.)

3) Trains you at time management, especially with the introduction of the new Modular/Semester based system. There would be tons of coursework/assignments for you to complete.

4) Gives you a pretty good foundation especially for those critical courses.
In STPM Chemistry, you learn about Equilibria in the first semester, whereas Equilibria isn't included in A levels Chemistry syllabus.
(In fact, I have even read from somewhere that Equilibria is taught in the first year of Pharmacy course)

5) If you do well in it, you would surely feel a sense of achievement, hehe. (Since most people that I know around me say that STPM is tough)

Cons:
1) You need to be academically above average to "survive" in STPM(which means getting at least 4Bs/CGPA 3.00 and above, not just merely passing or scraping through).

2) Teachers most likely would not have time to finish the syllabus. Even if they do, it would be in a haste. You might not even understand what are your teachers teaching at all when they teach too fast. Well, that was the case for me.

3) Coursework is seriously a waste of time when there are a lot of ridiculous rules for you to follow when doing them.

4) Everyone says that Form 6 is harder than A levels. I guess it's true since everyone else says so..?

5) You might not be able to get the course you want if you're aiming for government uni especially for those "hot" courses, since majority of the seats in those courses are given to Matriculation/Asasi(public uni's foundation course) students.

6) Wearing school uniform may not be for everyone.

7) Know your own capabilities before choosing to study Form 6/STPM.

To be honest, Form 6 was my first choice ever since I was in Form 4 after doing some research on the net, despite the sudden change in system(from terminal to modular/semester system)

I'm pretty sure most people here would have heard of others saying that "Form 6 is a waste of time".
My opinion is, those people don't even know anything about Form 6. So how can they make such a sneering remark without even experiencing it beforehand(like me)?

If you are in the same situation as me, just ignore those naysayers.

Afterall, graduating later isn't a bad thing at all to me, since it's not like you'll get a better salary if you graduate earlier anyway(that's what my dad told me and I agree with him biggrin.gif).
*
Yes, graduate earlier won't give you a higher starting salary but you get promoted after some time. In the end graduates early still earns higher salary than the peers of same age.
rainmankl
post Apr 6 2016, 02:33 PM

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Yellowpita had wrote many good points.I would like to add.

I strongly adviced that you go for form 6.

Matriculation\Pre-U\foundation courses will "locked" you into that univ and 95%
of private univ and 100% public univ do not recognised\accept that result.
That is why you see a lot of private univ offering full\half\etc scholarship for foundation course even with only 5 As in SPM.


From 6 is the cheapest way ,but prepare for lazy\hopeless form 6 teachers unless you are in a very famous school.
Prepare for your own tuition.I talk from experience.
2 kids with 10As and 1 with 6As in SPM.All went thru STPM and only one know what he wants to study in univ after STPM.

Form 6 let you have more time to think at the end of 2 years what you want to study and its result are accepted worldwide.

Lastly get the best result you can with STPM AND forget about getting into
public univ for the course you like.Then you won't feel disappointed.
After all public univ is based NOT on merits


Alvin L
post Apr 6 2016, 03:57 PM

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QUOTE(rainmankl @ Apr 6 2016, 02:33 PM)
Yellowpita had wrote many good points.I would like to add.

I strongly adviced that you go for form 6.

Matriculation\Pre-U\foundation courses will "locked" you into that univ and 95%
of private univ and 100% public univ do not recognised\accept that result.

*
How will matriculation 'lock' someone into a particular university when it is recognised by all IPTA n IPTS ? Also, FYI, Form 6 is actually a Pre-U.

This post has been edited by Alvin L: Apr 6 2016, 10:01 PM
maxringo
post Apr 6 2016, 08:33 PM

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QUOTE(rainmankl @ Apr 6 2016, 02:33 PM)
Yellowpita had wrote many good points.I would like to add.

I strongly adviced that you go for form 6.

Matriculation\Pre-U\foundation courses will "locked" you into that univ and 95%
of private univ and 100% public univ do not recognised\accept that result.
That is why you see a lot of private univ offering full\half\etc scholarship for foundation course even with only 5 As in SPM.
From 6 is the cheapest way ,but prepare for lazy\hopeless form 6 teachers unless you are in a very famous school.
Prepare for your own tuition.I talk from experience.
2 kids with 10As and 1 with 6As in SPM.All went thru STPM and only one know what he wants to study in univ after STPM.

Form 6 let you have more time to think at the end of 2 years what you want to study and its result are accepted worldwide.

Lastly get the best result you can with STPM AND forget about getting into
public univ for the course you like.Then you won't feel disappointed.
After all public univ is based NOT on merits
*
A-level is also a Pre-U which won't lock you in any universities. 15 months, 18 months, 24 months, you choose.
Back to the main topic. The last paragraph has pessimism all over it. Not all courses are super competitive, and if your results are good, why not aim for ones that you like? Prepare a contingency plan instead of just shoving your dreams aside.
yellowpika
post Apr 6 2016, 11:26 PM

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QUOTE(maxringo @ Apr 5 2016, 11:36 PM)
30k for A-levels is slightly above average. You can find colleges which charge lower tuition fees and offer waivers based on your SPM results.
Equilibria is actually in AS-level Chemistry.
To TS, consider all possible options and do thorough research for jumping into anything. Anyone can give advice but the choice is still up to you.
*
Hmm, aside from TARC, I don't know of any private colleges that charges <RM20k for A-levels.. maybe MCKL? hmm.gif

Didn't know that Equilibria is in A-levels Chemistry(I just quoted that statement from one of the regular forummers here innocent.gif ).

QUOTE(rainmankl @ Apr 6 2016, 02:33 PM)
From 6 is the cheapest way ,but prepare for lazy\hopeless form 6 teachers unless you are in a very famous school.
Prepare for your own tuition.I talk from experience.


Lastly get the best result you can with STPM AND forget about getting into
public univ for the course you like.Then you won't feel disappointed.
After all public univ is based NOT on merits
*
I agree with you as I experienced that during my Form 6, because my Form 6 school was only an average one..
So I ended up going for Chemistry and Maths tuition, and managed to score 3.34 in STPM..

And yeah, try not to expect that you would get the course you want in government universities, unless the course that you are aiming for isn't that popular(it's very easy to get into Pure Physics, Materials Science, Environmental Engineering in my university).

QUOTE(maxringo @ Apr 6 2016, 08:33 PM)
A-level is also a Pre-U which won't lock you in any universities. 15 months, 18 months, 24 months, you choose.
Back to the main topic. The last paragraph has pessimism all over it. Not all courses are super competitive, and if your results are good, why not aim for ones that you like? Prepare a contingency plan instead of just shoving your dreams aside.
*
Yup, there's always private universities to fall back to if you do not like the course you get in government universities.. icon_idea.gif
digitalz
post Apr 7 2016, 12:27 AM

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STPM pros and cons.

Ranging from cheaper fees, you can choose and slowly decide on what to do next if you are in science stream, and the last 1 1/2 year of experience in STPM (last part of studying in school). Also, its quite recognised locally and overseas (public or private universities).

Cons? Like what others said, your school will be the problem. The teachers available etc will be the issue.

Still, don't jump into anything just yet. Since you are not close to knowing what you wanna do next, like what I told others, try STPM and get the grades in STPM then decide later. If you already have a clear plan, then you could just opt for A-levels/Foundation etc instead (only if you have the $$$ to do so).
alvin11
post Apr 14 2016, 04:01 PM

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Form 6 isnt a bad idea anyway. It is hard but just try ur best, going for tuition is recommended, as all my frens do that
rainmankl
post Apr 18 2016, 09:05 AM

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QUOTE(Alvin L @ Apr 6 2016, 03:57 PM)
How will matriculation 'lock' someone into a particular university when it is recognised by all IPTA n IPTS ? Also, FYI, Form 6 is actually a Pre-U.
*
Matri was created out of discrimination needs.I am not going into that.

Is matri recognized by our closest neighbor country. Anyway not going into that again.
You make your own choice.Stop
rainmankl
post Apr 18 2016, 09:09 AM

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QUOTE(maxringo @ Apr 6 2016, 08:33 PM)
A-level is also a Pre-U which won't lock you in any universities. 15 months, 18 months, 24 months, you choose.
Back to the main topic. The last paragraph has pessimism all over it. Not all courses are super competitive, and if your results are good, why not aim for ones that you like? Prepare a contingency plan instead of just shoving your dreams aside.
*
Are you sure LOCAL univ accept A level ?
Maybe I had lost touch.
Alvin L
post Apr 18 2016, 01:10 PM

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QUOTE(rainmankl @ Apr 18 2016, 09:09 AM)
Are you sure LOCAL univ accept A level ?
Maybe I had lost touch.
*
UM n USM do recognise A levels.
Cookiies
post Apr 18 2016, 02:10 PM

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I took STPM years ago before the semester system where it was more rigid, and frankly I have no regrets. Saved money, and I enrolled in IPTA with scholarship; save more money. (I'm non bumi)

Honestly nothing is impossible, I have a friend who did badly for her SPM, she thrived for her STPM and managed to score well, went to IPTA as well. She worked really hard knowing that she had to redeem herself for her SPM results.

Overall all depends on you, can you work hard? and what kind of directions are you going after STPM.

This post has been edited by Cookiies: Apr 18 2016, 02:12 PM
katijah
post Apr 18 2016, 03:55 PM

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After reading all you said, I believed A levels is the better choice for the long run.


The options are more greater than stpm.


Remember what you plan now may not be what you want to do when the time comes.


A level is readily recognized overseas.






maxringo
post Apr 19 2016, 01:31 AM

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QUOTE(rainmankl @ Apr 18 2016, 09:09 AM)
Are you sure LOCAL univ accept A level ?
Maybe I had lost touch.
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I merely mentioned that it won't tie you to any university. Regardless, someone has answered your question. In fact, the KPM Bursary 2015 students who are currently under A-level will be looking into local universities.
rainmankl
post Apr 23 2016, 10:21 AM

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QUOTE(Alvin L @ Apr 18 2016, 01:10 PM)
UM n USM do recognise A levels.
*
Okay.They took that 2 univ out of the system a few years ago so that they can raise the so call standard which had been dropping like nobody's business.


 

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