Ex-SMSA students (2010/2011) who are interested in applying to Warwick University are invited to attend a talk by the university's representatives. Details are as follows:
Monday, 20th February 2012
Time: 3.00 - 4.30 pm
Venue: Staff Lounge
The talk is also open to current SMSA upper 6 students however, I am also allowing ex-students the opportunity to meet the representatives and ask them questions if you have any. Please email me your details including full names, contact number and the course (s) you're applying for in Warwick.
P/S: If you do wish to attend, please wear smart attire because you will be visiting SMSA for a school event.
I am proud to present to you the first inspirational article in 2012. Nurliza is an ex-SMSAnaian who did not give up and a successor in the UniBridge programme. I hope you all will read and learn her journey as an undergraduate.
Foreword: All the best for your ‘A’ level results! And, if you are disappointed with your results, I hope my article will inspire you to not give up yet. Indeed, disappointing results are hard to handle and my article is focusing on that issue and beyond.
The transition of a pre-university student to a university student: How did it happen?
I have never felt a greater shock, than I did upon receiving my GCE ‘A’ Levels. With the set of results I got, I knew my direct degree entrance to (no misspellings here) Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) would be rejected due to the lack of points, let alone wanting to apply for an overseas scholarship from the Ministry of Education (MOE) or from other private institutions.Back then, I really thought there were only two choices left for me. It was either to repeat the ‘A’ levels, which was already a hellish nightmare that I refused to go through again, or to find work and stop studying for the rest of my life. Indeed, the results had a great impact on my well-being and my consciousness of studying.
During the depressing times, I stumbled upon UBD’s University Bridging (UniBridge) programme on their official website, which gives people who are not entitled for direct degree entry to UBD a second chance for education. In order to fully understand how UniBridge works, I attended UBD’s Open Day in 2011 for more information about this programme. The people who were in charge of the UniBridge booth were very informative and I was very glad to know that I may have a chance to study again.
I worked part time for a month and a half and realized, being employed at a meager wage is not something that I desire, especially in this country, and I needed to do something to escape. I refused to give up the opportunity to study and tried my luck at applying for UniBridge.
UniBridge was not cheap at first glance, even for local students like me where I had to pay $2000 for this programme. It is a one semester (5 month) full-time programme in which we had to study 4 modules. Being raised by a single mother with 4 other younger siblings, $2000 is not easy money and it is not something to simply waste. $2000 is not just $2000. Imagine that amount which could be used to sustain our needs. I wouldn’t have had to pay any fees if I was offered a direct degree entrance.
After a month or two of waiting, I was finally accepted to UniBridge, and I regarded this as a milestone in my life. Then onwards, I considered myself as a university student, despite not fully a ‘university’ student (no puns intended!). We were briefed by the programme leader about UniBridge and its mechanisms on the orientation day. After the briefing, I knew, by hook or by crook, I had to pass the examinations in order for an unconditional offer to study Bachelor of Arts, a type of degree offered at UBD. I couldn’t risk the $2000 that my mum had stored for emergency purposes and to pay even more if I fail the examinations. It was a ‘do-or-die’ situation for me.
I was conscious of the duration of UniBridge and the amount of work that I had to handle. It was definitely not a walk in a park. From ‘adding’ modules for examinations purposes to completing university level assignments, everything must be done individually. We are responsible for what we do in the programme and have to be aware of changes or announcements. These tasks in some ways have helped me to be a more responsible university student. I don’t expect my lecturers to spoon-feed us as I believe they treat us like any other university students and most of them did no spoon-feeding.
'Adding' modules for examination purposes
In the beginning, I was surprised about lectures and how they were conducted. In previous educational institutions that I have had experience studying in, I was used to a class of 20 to 40 people. Our UniBridge class was very large, about 180 students, so for some lectures, they were conducted at a large lecture hall. Imagine having a lecturer speaking to 180 students, amidst a few chatterboxes at the back. For most of the time, the lecturer just continued teaching and ignored those who refused to pay attention. Attending lectures is really the students’ responsibility and it is entirely up to you if you want to listen or not. Well, it may sound cool to just enter a lecture hall and do nothing (‘Like a Boss’) but the consequences are horrendous. And I knew that I wanted to pay attention so that I would not miss out anything important. But of course, there were also classes with a smaller number of students.
There were times when I wanted to drill my brain with a chainsaw (literally!) because of the complicated assignments, but my lecturers were willing to help me since I asked for their advice. From this experience, I realized that university lecturers would not help you if you did not seek help from them in the first place, as lecturers themselves have research and other priorities. Some of the lecturers may look scary on the surface, but their intention is pure hearted. I would usually email them to set up an appointment before knocking on their office doors as to respect their time.
Along the way I did make new friends. Initially I was paranoid about this because most of the people I met are not from the same school. However, that was not a difficult obstacle to overcome. Since I live quite far from UBD, it was wise for me to stay at hostel instead of commuting back and forth every day for school. Staying at a hostel taught me to be independent as well.
Now that I am a university student at UBD, I have reminisced my times at UniBridge and wondered, “Where would I be now if it was not for that programme?” I might have given up hope on education, which I think is the most important aspect in our lives. I was grateful that I was given a second chance to study and made full use of it. I do see some of my friends who did not go through UniBridge and are one semester ahead of me. Personally, I feel that there’s nothing wrong with being the ‘later’ students to enter UBD, although we graduated together from 6th form college. It is the matter of determination to do well.
I know the adventure of my university life has just begun. I shall end with a quote from my lecturer: “You give yourself the grades.”
-Nurliza binti Abd. Zabar of SMSA intake 2009.
(Currently majoring in Professional Communications and Media, Minor in Japanese)
Successfully passed BLNG Pre-Assessment Test and Interview
Applicants should submit: via registration online at www.bsp.com.bn/main/jobs/jobs.asp
Closing date: 18th February 2012
**Actual advert is extracted from Borneo Bulletin & is available at the Careers dept for reference
2. CADET PILOT TRAINING SCHEME
Royal Brunei Airlines with the support of MOE is inviting interested applicants for the above-mentioned scheme. Successful applicants will be employed as commercial airline pilots by RBA.
Minimum requirements:
Between 18 - 26 years of age
Qualifications:
a) 6 O level credits in Malay, English, Mathematics, Physics & science related subjects
b) A level passes in Science and Mathematics
For more information: www.bruneiair.com
Closing date: 27th February 2012
**Actual advert is extracted from Borneo Bulletin & is available at the Careers dept for reference
Good afternoon all..
Here is the list of educational events/fairs for next week 13/2/2012 - 19/2/2012:
1. UBD Open Day
16th February 2012 - 18th February 2012
The Chancellor Hall , UBD
** This is your opportunity to check out the courses available in UBD and whether they appeal to you. It is also fundamental for those of you who are not clear about what to do in the future as it depends on your grades as well for e.g UniBridge programme, Health Sciences, Arts or even the Nursing College. Don't miss out the chance to meet the representatives for each course so you will be more clear when the time comes for you to decide on applying for a course.
For more information: www.ubd.edu.bn / facebook: UBD BuZz
2. Open Day organised by the Scholarship Section, MOE
This is the event you've all been waiting for: it is a highly regarded event as it features most of the ministries and representatives will also be there to answer your questions if you have any regarding the scholarships on offer from the government. It is also a rare opportunity for those of you who are uncertain to which scholarships to apply to and the courses that are offered. Representatives from MoE and some higher institutions including private institutions will be present to explain the various procedures and advantages of their respective institutions to students. You MUST attend this event:
18th February - 19th February
International Conference Centre (ICC), BSB
I will post more information on this should I receive any updates.
I've had an interesting day today: mostly seeing ex-SMSA students who are looking for answers on what to do next...here are some guidelines:
1. If you are qualified for scholarships (260 points above) then please email me (if you can't see me personally) your details as mentioned in the previous post. Scholarship details are also posted recently so you have an idea of what to apply. Moreover, most of you are nonchalantly waiting for I-don't-know what or who to tell you what to do. Scholarships will not be awarded to you straightaway..there are procedures to follow. For example, if you are thinking of applying to the UK then YES, it is COMPULSORY to apply to UCAS (details have been posted). Before that, you must also fill in the SMSA reference form (get it from us) so that your tutors can recommend you for the scholarships.
Please do not wait until the very last minute to do these things because I will be posting the deadline for UCAS very soon. Speaking of which, most of you have also NOT done your personal statements. Again, details on how to write PS were posted and you know who to ask for to proofread your PS.
I've only received emails from 10 students who are qualified to apply for scholarships but there should be more than 30 of you who have achieved excellent grades. Please pass this information to your friends as well just in case they have no idea about what is going on. I'll be monitoring UCAS very closely so make sure you are updating your application.
2. A lot of students are also asking for the HECAS application from us. It is an ONLINE application and has not opened for registration. Please wait for the official announcement most probably next week. I will also post it here should I hear about it.
3. Also, more students are asking about HND scholarships: the minimum requirement is 160 point however these are only meant for selected courses.
"Think before you act, make the wise decision because it is your future"
The storm has passed and now it's time to pick yourselves up by moving forward. Bruneian students who achieved 260 points above should email me your contact details as follows:
Full name
A level results + GP grade
IC number/ colour
Scholarships and courses you wish to apply for
Please email me as soon as possible (deadline: 1 week) as I am in the process of selecting qualified students for the scholarships such as Yayasan Sultan's Scholar, Brunel Shell Petroleum (BSP), Brunei Administrative Service (BAS), DANA and MOE including scholarships to Germany. Below is a summary of the tariff points for both A and As level grades should you are uncertain of your points:
A level Grades
Grades
Points
A*
140
A
120
B
100
C
80
D
60
E
40
As level Grades
Grades
Points
a
60
b
50
c
40
d
30
e
20
Remember don't wait to be called and offered scholarships, you need to fight to get a chance with other students who are qualified for the scholarships too. I will post more information on each scholarship here as soon as I get the latest requirements from each scholarship. In the meantime, if you're unsure of which scholarship to apply to then you can visit the Careers office as we display the information as well. Here is a summary of the scholarships being offered in Brunei:
Yayasan Sultan Hj Hassanal Bolkiah (Skim Sultan's Scholar) - Brunei Citizen
- Grade A in Bahasa Melayu ‘O’ Level
- ‘O’ Level English Language
- AAA in ‘A’ Levels
Ministry of Education (MOE) - Degree - Brunei Citizen
- 5 ‘O’ Levels including Bahasa Melayu
- ‘O’ Level English Language or IELTS 6.0
- 260 to 300 UCAS tariff points in 3 ‘A’ Levels
- Top 50 UK universities - 4 and 5 star rated Australian universities
Human Resources (DANA) - Brunei Citizen
- 6 ‘O’ Levels incl. Bahasa Melayu, Maths, 2 Sciences
- ‘O’ Level English Language or IELTS 6.0
- 340 (AAB) - 360 (AAA) UCAS tariff points in 3 ‘A’ Levels
- Top 20 UK universities or
- Top 10 Australian universities Brunei Administrative Service (BAS) - Brunei Citizen
- Credit in Bahasa Melayu ‘O’ Level
- Grade A in English Language ‘O’ Level
- Minimum AAB+a or AAA+b in ‘A’ Levels
