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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