I'm fine with those MPU programme as I'm kinda an outgoing person. I'm just concern about the lecturers' quality. All of them are really that bad? like not even a single one is professional?

Is it possible to survive in A level by our own? Cause I feel like many STPM teachers are terrible too and it might be worse since we are not paying them. Is there any free tutorial video for A level online? I depend on these videos a lot in order to survive in SPM

Dear TS, there are tons of students who had a great time at MCKL, and who are now doing quite well at university. There are also tons of students who did not feel that they belonged. It's hard to tell whether you'll thrive or not. Only time will tell. But you can always choose to make the best out of your experience if you try.

Since you are quite sure that STPM is not your cup of tea, and you'll be sponsored, I don't see why MCKL isn't a good option.

Regarding your concerns about resources to help you with A-Levels, please bear in mind that there are loads of study guides, textbooks, video tutorials, past year papers, examiner reports, syllabus, mark schemes, grade thresholds, and more to help you with your studies. Resources should be the last thing you need to worry about. The same cannot be said for STPM.

Note also that if you're willing to work on your own, lecturers don't play too much of a role. It's exactly like SPM; you'll be learning how the exam system works, and in the end you'll be tested on your exam taking skills. There's no magic involved, so don't worry.

This post has been edited by maximR: Mar 30 2017, 07:25 PM

Is pretty much "Luck oriented".
You can tutuk however you like about your lecturer in their lecturer evaluation form in the end of Semester 1 and 2.
And hope there is a change of lecturer in the next Semester 2 and 3.

Upper Staff members and your lecturer will read through all of them.
But if the Department is lack of lecturers. Then I wish you luck, they normally won't switch lecturers.
You can complain head of A-Levels also can, but useless like most of us tried.
I was consider lucky to stuck with a lecturer for only a semester, that can't teach for Chemistry and swapped with a better one.

Also please do not consider MCKL as a "non-profit organisation", everything here requires you to pay.
And also please get the concept of your mind, and think that if they have the word "Methodist" it is a great school, a holy school of smart nerdy students.

I rather you spent less in TARC College with a lower expectation than MCKL. Because quality of life here for students are indeed very bad.
-------------------

My entire course costs me RM 31,511.80, this doesn't include my cost of living of transport fees and food, "sourcing for external resources for photocopied books". Which can already be roughly 1K for photocopy goods, and RM 3k for transport, and another RM 4k for food here in KL for the 18 months here.

Because in the end you might need to pay roughly about RM 8k extra for External Examination fees, "Academic Resource Fee", "Student Activities Fee" and even "Development Fee" that you don't technically get out of much with your money worth.

CONTENT	RM
SEMESTER 1	8,900.00
SEMESTER 2	7,602.50
SEMESTER 3	8,609.30
AS EXAM	3,050.00
A2 EXAM	2,750.00
AS EXAM (RETAKE)	600.00
TOTAL	31,511.80

MCKL Breakdown Fee form


This post has been edited by iSean: Mar 30 2017, 09:16 PM

They are, but it is most likely "proper" UK Boards like EdExcel, AQA, and OCR.
Where you will be very exhausted from finding these materials.
You won't normally find Cambridge content.

Singapore A-Level lectures are recorded and put online, but it is also quite luck dependent if you can find them.
It is literally a needle in the haystack of youtube videos.

If you are good enough for MCKL's A-Level 100% Scholarship, why not try TARC college instead?
They do offer Merit Scholarships.
It is indeed cheaper and you do not need to risk of losing it all when you accidentally "dropped" the 100% scholarship.

This post has been edited by iSean: Mar 30 2017, 09:27 PM

You may not believe , he didn't study much . All last minute thingy .

A few years back ....

I think you worried too much . On average , everyone get some "A" , based on their track record.

Just chill, you'll be fine . You won't go wrong with A level .


P/s . I have meet some of MCKL's lecturers during my elder's son time. What I can observe is that they are new , lack of experience no doubt BUT they are dedicated !!!!

This post has been edited by tpleong: Mar 30 2017, 09:26 PM

I rather get a proper firm foundation in my A-Levels from spoonfeeding, and move onto university life instead to start suffer less.
Rather than suffer in A-Levels with a weak foundation, and continue suffering in University instead.

Spoonfeeding is still very common in Singapore A-Levels. Everything is printed out nicely for them to read and do.
Even "extra study materials" are inside the chapter notes with links to more extra reading.
Some more tutorials lessons are given there.

When was your first son, studied again? Because the glory days of MCKL was their EdExcel A-Level days.
Which the final exams ended in Jan 2013, and they moved back to Cambridge Syllabus.

Because EdExcel A-Level was consider the easier board compared to Cambridge to a lot of teachers perspectives.

This post has been edited by iSean: Mar 30 2017, 09:36 PM

Sorry maximR not every student here have capability to be non-lecturer dependent, like you and have the time for 2 years of A-levels.
Most of these colleges just offer a short 18 month program.

If the student are truly non-lecturer dependent, what for they even take A-Level in this first place and why not just suffer like those STPM students?
Do be minded, if the students knows how to find their study materials, and doesn't really need lecturer guidance, even going TARC as a cheaper option is better.
Might as well save a few bucks in RM ks?

Surely you haven't step into my footsteps on "limited time", and encounter financial crisis.
You will see my frustrations within MCKL, along with my coursemates who took the same subject as me.

Even if your lecturer is "dedicated" in helping students, but yet they can't pull out content to let students understand and learn. It's hopeless, when the student can't get up to pace.
It is really tough for the student itself, not every student doing A-Levels in a 18 month program, are willing to extend 6 months to self study for A2.
Especially going through the troubles for an A2 refund, and drag to the next year to be registered again.

This post has been edited by iSean: Mar 30 2017, 10:05 PM

I did the 18 month program. How did you arrive at the conclusion that I took the 2-year version?



TS is eligible for a full-tuition waiver. I'm quite confident that with enough work, she's able to maintain the scholarship. Also, she prefers the environment at MCKL over TARUC.



I did AS & A2 Math in my first year. I didn't start preparing until January, and the AS & A2 exams were in May. So your point about "limited time" is moot. Also, I took the papers as a private candidate; I didn't attend classes. What I'm trying to say here is there is no magic involved in preparing for A-Levels. Anybody can do well in the exam given enough effort. AS Math is mostly SPM Additional Math / Math. The novelty here is A2 Math, which, again, isn't rocket science. I'm countering your tendency towards making the process sound unimaginably difficult, when in reality, a reasonable amount of work will do the trick.

Also, I want to repeat that experiences differ according to the individual. You claim that you had a tough time there, but I have friends who thoroughly enjoyed their studies at MCKL, and are now doing very well. Of course, they were the independent type, and were capable of taking things in their own hands when they realised that their lecturers weren't up to par.

In fact, if one doesn't expect to be spoonfed, then there shouldn't be a problem at all if the lecturers suck. My Economics teacher would print out slides for us to read, and did not know how to engage the students. Nobody was interested, and we would skip classes every now and then. All of us pulled through with decent grades in the end. How did we do it? By looking at enough past years until we got the drift. The same applies to every subject in A Levels.

Merely having studied at MCKL does not give you the final say; just because you had a difficult time, doesn't mean others should.

This post has been edited by maximR: Mar 30 2017, 10:25 PM

Did you attend college in MCKL? And why didn't you take Math classes? Just curious

He did Cambridge ....

Sorry, I thought you self studied your way through as a private candidate, where I guessed you extended your A2 to the next exam session.
Yes, TS is eligible for the 100% tuition waiver, but don't mean she could really maintained it through two semesters, if TS have a rough start in college her 100% will be instant *poof*, bye bye no more, where she have to pay.

If her foundation isn't strong in a subject, it will lead to a down fall for her other subjects.
She later will only get "decent" strings of Bs and Cs. Not A*s and As.
And also most students who are on 100% scholarship really need to fight it off in the end of Semester Exams.

MCKL Semester Exams are not easy, literally, where the college, pick questions from Cambridge-Singapore A-Level's H2, A-Level Singapore Prelims Trials papers, OCR, AQA boards, with luck only some Cambridge Questions came out. Some of them which requires more intense thinking, time for dissection of questions and answering them.

The only headache moment is that you see lecturers here came out with their own question, where the questions set are wrong, giving students misleading information to answer them.
This bad quality questions does affect the student's results and ultimately their CGPA.
It did happened for Trials for me.

Yes I do agree with you, my recent bad experience, doesn't translate to current and future students of MCKL.
In short, MCKL could be a great place for some, and a nightmare for others.
It is based on students expectations and their way of handling the issue.
But for my experience here, it is not worth the price I pay for, based on my own opinion.

Hence, I wish TS could consider properly in picking a college and try to listen out other students reviews in regards on any college.
Please seek help on the confession pages for A-Level Colleges.

And do factor in "Quality of Life" and "Cost of Living" in your studies. If your study life is "really dry" all study and no play.
You will end of totally miserable and find yourself in a deep corner of depression and frustration in A-levels.

Because it is not fun waking up 5AM in the morning ending up in a cramp train as a public transport, and reaching home after college at 6 PM.
Where you are fatigue and tired, and don't seek any motivation to move on.
Do try proper friends in college as well, that does "healthy activities" because I was kind of a lone ranger.
Because my classmates was mostly girls, I don't have common topics with girls besides studies. And the guys coursemates here are limited, and they in my class are most likely hopeless party alcoholic goers who living the honeymoon life, and eventually screwed up their A-Levels badly.


This post has been edited by iSean: Mar 30 2017, 11:19 PM

Hi, I completed my A level last year November in MCKL. I enrolled MCKL with 100% tuition fee waiver and took the same subjects as you also. On that time I decided to study there because with my SPM result only MCKL and sunway jb provide 100% tuition fee waiver to me.

In my opinion, although their facilities are not as good as sunway taylor, MCKL still provide a good environment to study because I make some friends who not only can study together but also have fun with them. And luckily, my lecturers also quite good but still have someone do not attention in class. Indeed, there are some lecturers not good in teaching but it does not affect much if you study by yrself.

All the thing you have to do to get A* is just complete all past years and learn all the thing inside.(I think it is easy a lot comparing to get 4.0 in STPM la haha.)So, firstly you have to find friends who can study and discuss question with you and I think it is easy to find this kind of pp in further maths class.(bcos all the pp who take fm are kisiao haha). For the notes,actually I study taylor physics notes haha.But for other subjects I just study the notes given by lecturers. Btw, I dont think it is necessary to go for tuition in A level as only one of my friends goes for chemistry tuition. (maybe I dont hv lots of friends la)

MCKL provides a english speaking environment, but some students can speak mandarin also( but their english better la),so my english didnt improve bcos i keep speaking mandarin with them Btw I don think TARC provides 100% tuition wavier although their fees are cheaper.

And for the MPU thing ,I quite enjoyed it la, and nobody can study all the time also.

May I know will you stay in accommodation? Because the accommodation fees are quite expensive lah. The cheapest room is RM500 per month. And I spend abt RM600-700 a month there.

ps :I advice you to think twice to take further maths bcos it is very hard to catch up if you dont understand at the beginning (cannot study last minutes) and seriously very hard to get A* for it .(For my batch, we need to get 192/200 to get A*, and only 3 students out of 50 something get it.)I think it is very kesian lah for some good students who didnt get full A* bcos of further maths.

So, I think it is ok for you to study in MCKL if you want to save money as you can get 100% tuition fee waiver means your foundation quite strong and quite easy to catch up. Feel free to ask me if you have any problem

This post has been edited by Green stage: Mar 30 2017, 11:30 PM

Who's MPU Class you were even in for Character Formation?
I know Mr Yoshua's class was very fun. Compared to Mr Michael's

This post has been edited by iSean: Mar 30 2017, 11:43 PM

MCKL's scholarship only covers Tuition Fees. Other fees are not covered. Please refer to my previous "spoiler" for breakdown of other compulsory fees.

This post has been edited by iSean: Mar 30 2017, 11:39 PM

For MCKL needs 9A+/A (including 5A+)
For sunway jb they gave full tuition waiver to 9A/A+ for my batch, but they changed the condition to 9A+ this year
so no need to be straight As as long as you fulfill the conditions
Btw I got all As in SPM

This post has been edited by Green stage: Mar 31 2017, 12:02 AM

Mr Yoshua haha
So you guys didnt do the things something like out of yr comfort zone ?

Mr.Michael left MCKL recently

Mr Troy, head of econs also left.

Nope, not at all, that's why I felt miserable in MCKL.
That's why my quality of life in MCKL for me was horrible.

Mr Michael's class, we need to do a boring presentation on MCKL 12 core values found in your student handbook, also when your project mates failed to do presentation and disband the group.
Then the charity fund, where we need to skip classes to do earn funds to build a stupid Christmas tree then the charity program for those Myanmar children.
I see all are unnecessary work labour, because I was struggling with all my subjects, I have no time to deal with these "labour" stuff even with Semester 1.

If it was Mr Yoshua, I might consider to put my heart through in his programs.

I'm consider very "happy" I got a pass for Character Formation, with all those mishaps happened to my presentation.

For the 12 hour Service Learning, I didn't really bothered, and failed it because my friends and I came up with a wrong project of service learning...

This post has been edited by iSean: Mar 31 2017, 12:21 AM