“Exploring the Impact of SPM on Further Education: 6 Student Stories” examines how students navigate post-SPM paths, from university and vocational training to entrepreneurship, highlighting strategies and outcomes.
Table of Contents
Student 1: The High Achiever
As to high achievers, like Ali, they are sure to be able to leverage their SPM results in such a way that they can find that doors fling wide open for scholarships and top-tier university admission. Ali got his straight A’s in all the subjects, and reaching out for this opportunity, he applied for a wide range of local and international scholarships. As his particular interest was about engineering, he landed a major scholarship that fully covers his tuition fees and monthly stipends. Moreover, this firm scholar also covers Ali’s accommodation at the prestigious university in Singapore. However, applying for this scholarship required Ali to prepare very carefully. He contacted the previous scholars to find out what the scholarship board looks for in their successful applicants.
Ali also attended the ‘Meet The Scholar’s Workshop’ which served to ensure he was well-spoken and charismatic during the interviews, as well as, make sure he was aware of what to expect in terms of assessment tests and interviews. As a result, Ali found himself with more scholarship offers than he can handle and accepted the one which is known to provide the biggest alumni network and career guidance once Ali graduates.
High achievers also realize that it is just the beginning because their SPM success can also help them with early professional development. The process of getting career planning and mentorship offers the chance to apply for the exclusive internships, which are usually out of reach to the applicants with a less high SPM score. Thus, in his first year of pre-university, Ali wen
Apart from pursuing his academic education and career interests, Ali also had to get involved in some leaders of community service to strengthen his application for an internship and scholarship. Thus, he led a community cleanup, which provided with the perfect chances not only to make a difference and give back to the community but also to impress his universities and scholarship panels with his leadership skills.
Student 2: The Mid-Range Performer
Alternative I – Local Universities and Colleges
Lina had a reasonable mix of SPM grades – some A’s, but several B’s and even a couple of C’s. Knowing she did not have enough points for the most competitive medicine or dentistry courses, she found out that her grades will be enough for a variety of other fields in Malaysia. As Lina was eager to start building her academic career in mass communication, she was looking for local universities whose entry requirements correspond with her SPM results. To increase her chances of enrollment, she was also participating in several extracurricular activities. Lina was a member of her school’s debate team and journalism club, which allowed her to improve her skills and gain experience. As a result of this well-considered plan, Lina was accepted to a public university with an average of RM 4,500 annual tuition fees. Lina’s extracurricular record also helped her to win a partial scholarship to cover some of her expenses in the course of study.
Alternative II – Diploma Programs
Although Lina realized that her SPM points do not give her multiple options to enroll in a top university, she discovered she had an alternative. Lina found out that she can enroll in a diploma program as an alternative option to a BA program, and later on, her diploma can be transferred for course credits to top university courses as recognition for her two-years of full-time study. This alternative not only provided Lina with a solid and timely skillset but also made her higher education significantly cheaper. First and foremost, diploma programs last only two years and their costs do not exceed RM 12,000 in total while she is not covering all four years of costly studies. Lina was also applying for various scholarships and bursaries that could support her financially. As a result, she was eligible for a bursary that covers 50% of her tuition fees for the diploma program.
Student 3: The Struggler
Identifying Alternative Educational Pathways
My results for the SPM were out, a big load of D and C. This made me feel bad since I was now left with no room of proceeding with my education. Instead of seeing this as a dead end, I made up my mind to take it as a blessing in disguise. As a result, I resolved to find other alternative ways of advancing my education that could still make me a successful person. In the process of researching that, I discovered that any vocational work is marketable since it involves practical work that can easily guarantee me employment opportunities. I developed an interest for Electrical installation because it is a demanding technical job that needs a lot of hands-on work as described by Slimane and Reddig . This realisation made me conclude that 12 months is just enough for me to be certified in a vocational training school and later on secure an employment across Malaysia and the world at large.
Revising for SPM Resits
For students who feel that there is a need of improving their educational results, there is usually room for resitting the exam. The main reason for resitting these exams was not that I had scored enough marks to go for my degree studies. No way. Had I decided to do so, my degree will have taken me 4 years with fee exceeding RM 40,000 but the vocational training course amounting to RM 6,089 would have benefited me. I took extra lessons from my teachers to help me in revising the subjects which was causing me sit for the resit: mathematics and science. The RM 100 I was spending every month for the extra tuition was statistical. As I attended my vocational training classes, I used to study every evening to ensure that I added value to my results. The revised results helps me secure an advanced diploma in different technologically fields, meaning I am now in a better place in terms of my career advancement. To add to that, during my study period, I also had a part time job of Electrical house wiring in my town and the pay was just enough factor to give me a new life differing from the walking difficult I experienced before. I really acknowledge that most of the times the paper qualifications obtained may be extremely useless compared to another practical experience. I found that practical work was more beneficial since jobs are more interested in finding how you do your work and having your grades is just a secondary thing that is meant to improve your resume.
Student 4: The Overseas Aspirant
University Application Strategy Abroad
Sofia’s dream of studying abroad was inspired by her solid results in SPM. As the demand for international students is high, she knew that her application will only be successful with solid portfolio. For this reason, while studying in Form 5, Sofia has joined the debate team and the science club. Throughout the year, her commitment and leadership skills were showcased well as together with the team, she formulated, expand, and build on arguments while contributing new ideas during the meetings. In her free time, she has also volunteered for a local community center, demonstrating that she is responsible toward the social environment.
In line with her application destination, Sofia has also taken International English Language Testing System or IELTS. Sofia has managed to achieve an exceptional 8.0 score in the language tests; an exceptional result given that the average entry score is 6.5 for most of the United Kingdom universities or college. This has served as the greatest potency for becoming an accepted student.
Costing
Realizing that studying abroad can be expensive, Sofia and her family have started saving with shorts before she even finishes the SPM exams. Her family put together RM 1,000 every month when she was fifteen years old as it was important for Sofia to contribute to the fund as well. Thus, by the time she finished Form 5, she has reached RM 40,000 in savings for her overseas studies. At the same time, she equipped herself with various grants for overseas students originating from Malaysia. They usually cover 30% to 50% of the for Malaysian students.
Visa and Travel Arrangements
Finally, student visa is a challenging application that must be successful. Taking no risks, Sofia has worked on preparing and applying for it well in advance with the collected documentation. To save on travel, she has arranged a flight with international students’ friendly airline that cut the cost of the travel by 30% compare to the other air carriers.
Student 5: The Career-Focused Individual
Haziq decided as early as possible that he wanted to have a career in IT, a field where technical savvy often outweighs traditional academic qualifications. After obtaining the SPM, he decided to leave for a 6 month course in network security. Hours of scouring the internet and heavy reading of statistical reviews allowed him to learn that the segment of network security would be most demanded in the future. The course cost him RM 3500, while the average tuition fee for a computer science program is about RM 15000 per year per local university. To increase job demand, he decided to pass a number of certification exams online. Standard certification exams such as Cisco Certified Network Associate, Certified Information Systems Security Professional Forum were worth about RM 2000 each. Any HR employee in the IT industry is well aware of what these exams are and the difficulty of preparation, which gave the young specialist a clear advantage if an obligation to obtain such certificates has not been spelled out in the vacancy notice.
Work Experience
Despite the maximum possible load during the study, Haziq found a number of other internships and part-time jobs. The degree of trust from the employer allowed him to switch the equipment in the server room, install necessary software, and solve urgent problems of users. The company’s profile is the provision of a full cycle of development and technical support of software, as well as consulting. The opening of valuable professional contacts is always important, but at his age, it is especially valuable and allows counting on finding a job faster than competitors who have not undergone internships. The amount of payment was so secondary during all this time that it already became possible, to naively praise the bourgeois left or to join the ranks of Reptilians with each other, causing acquisition to the general idea. However, there were private and purely formal internships in its list, from which the experience and responsibilities were more compared to the suggestions of full-time work.
Student 6: The Alternative Path Seeker
Embracing Entrepreneurship
After receiving his SPM results, an optimal mix of B’s and C’s, Amir decided to follow his passion for entrepreneurship rather than enrol to a college. He started his own online retail business, which retails eco-friendly products as the demand for these products and services have been supported by the curiosity among the public, in order. Amir’s business, which needed RM 5,000 to get started, involves purchasing inventory to stock it in the shelf and setting up an online platform. This is an amazingly low investment, taking into account that Amir would pay RM 30,000 and be expected to study for at least one year to obtain a similar experience. However, rather than marketing models or company strategy formulation, Amir decided to use social media as his main marketing channel and to this day utilizes Instagram and Facebook in order to reach his target audience. Even though his monthly advertising expenses amount to RM 500, being optimally under SME’s average monthly advertising expenditure of RM 2,000, Amir appears to generate an impressive return on investment.
Learning online
In order to make up for a lack of formal training in business, Amir undertook a number of online courses in business management, digital marketing and sustainable practices. While each course costs around RM 300, these courses have provided him with sufficient education in the critical field of business in order to manage his business efficiently. In addition, he attended several entrepreneurship workshops in Malaysia, which also helped him meet other businessmen in the SME sector and leverage their experience.
Amir’s balance
The decision to start a business right after high school presented a number of challenges, among which are balancing finances and managing customers. While he had to experiment and gain experience in these fields, Amir attempted to allocate a specific portion of his week to studying and learning.