Essay - Matriculation Programme And Its Challenges

Matriculation Programme And Its Challenges

Studying in matriculation programme is not as easy as I thought. Long before I entered Kedah Matriculation College, I had always heard from my friends and seniors that studying in Form 6 or A-level is far more Herculean than studying matriculation. However, my assumptions were proven erroneous at the very first moment when I stepped into this college. I have encountered umpteen of challenges in my daily life.

Not to say that I am being pompous or vainglorious, I admit that I was once a high-flyer in my secondary school. I scored flying colours in most of my school examinations and even reaped a roaring success when I achieved 11As in the formidable SPM examination. Due to my past success, I reckoned that there would be definitely no hindrance in my matriculation study. I had always taken matriculation for granted, thinking that it would be as easy as pie or plain-sailing for me. But, I have started to change my prejudiced attitudes towards matriculation when I tripped over stumbling stones.

What the erudite principal has always said is so true: "You must put your past success or failure outside the gate of this college. Everyone in here starts with zero. It is your ceaseless effort and persistence that will determine your triumph." Every student has the potential to become the most brilliant one or vice versa. Initially, I felt so much stress when most of my friends at this college were doing far better than me. On the contrary, I  always loused up my quizzes, scored low marks in test and even couldn't answer my lecturers' questions in class. I started to have the negative thinking of giving up. When I voiced out my predicament to my mum to seek for her consolation, much to my surprise, she condemned me for being lackadaisical in my study. She told me that everyone has their onus to commit, and it is my responsibilities to study sedulously and do well in matriculation. I saw tears starting to brim in her lambent eyes after our terse conversation. I felt remorse with my past actions; and fortunately, my mum's advice has not fallen into deaf ears. I have started to turn over a new leaf—I study painstakingly so that I can achieve good result in my study and not to let my mum down again.

Besides that, coming to Kedah Matriculation college has taught me to be independent. Previously, I was so accustomed to my mum's overprotective characters, especially during my secondary school. Every morning, she would wake up early to cook breakfast for me. I was so pampered that she even ironed my school uniform and woke me up every day. Due to her bountiful care, it has become a challenge for me to adapt to this new college environment and lead an independent life. Now, I have to do what my mum had previously done for me in these couple of years. I learn to wash my clothes with my own hands, wake up without anyone's help and try to prepare meals once in a while when I don't want to eat at cafeteria. As I do not have my family to rely on studying here, it is impetus for me to carry out my daily routine all by myself.

Apart from that, I have to adapt with the new teaching methods and environment in this college too. There is a prominent difference between the way of teaching of lecturers at this college and teachers at secondary school. School teachers would explain to their students patiently, until every Tom, Dick and Harry in the class understood them. However, the lecturers at college do not put as much attention to their students. This is due to the fact that there are at least 150 students in each lecture, and it is quite impossible for a lecturer to handle this enormous number of student at a time. Sometimes when I have doubts for a particular topic, I may not have the opportunity to ask the lecturer immediately. As such, it may tarnish my interest to pay full attention in class. Despite that it is vital for me to always be proactive in seeking lecturers' help in order to solve the problems that I encounter during lecture.

Last but not least, I have also learned to accommodate the hostel life at this college. As a Chinese, we are placed in a dormitory room and to share the room with another three Malay roomates. Initially, I was quite intrigued with my roomates’ lifestyle because I did not have any experience living with Malays. The Malays are required to pray for at least five times per day. At first when I just moved in, I was quite flabbergasted to see them perform some actions that I had never encountered before. However, after being explained of what they were doing, I realized that they were actually praying to their God. After the incident, it behooves me to understand their lifestyle and culture more so that we will always stay in harmony.

Studying in Kedah Matriculation College is one of the exquisite experiences that I have in life. Though, I may encounter innumerable challenges throughout this programme, matriculation is the stepping stone to study at local universities. Therefore, I should appreciate the chance that I have and try to perform my best in this programme.

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