Pages

Monday, 20 February 2012

Article: CANADIAN EDUCATION FAIR

This post is long overdue and I apologise...I organised a trip to attend the Canadian Education Fair 2 weeks ago and a big thanks goes out to Ms. Erna and Mr. Matt who were willing to go and supervise the students under very short notice. The report of the trip is as follows:

'On the 7th February 2012, about forty students accompanied by two teachers, Ms Erna Hj Sumardi and Mr Matthew Johnson went to the VIP Hall, Rizqun Hotel for the Canadian Educational Fair. The group embarked from Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Ali at about half past twelve and arrived at its destination at around 2pm. A number of universities, polytechnics and colleges were on display which included Laurentian University, Carleton University, Alberta University, Sait Polyyechnic, Alexander College and The Great Lakes College of Toronto. Upon arriving, students were greeted amicably and were given brochures, to answer questions they might have in mind.  Students then went to the booths allocated and began enquiring about the courses they were interested in and especially the requirements needed for admission.

There was also a briefing by one of the Canadian representative, explaining to students the general life in Canada and what studying in Canada could offer to the students. There were also quizzes whereby students could win exciting prizes, souvenirs in fact, that would remind them of Canada. After an hour of browsing through the displays and inquiring, students, after munching on the cuisines the Mall has to offer, then gathered at the lobby of the Rizqun hotel for the final ride home. We also had a moment of panic, with Mr Matthew Johnson counting the number of students again and again, when we lost one of the students, who finally came forward, and informed us that his father was, in fact, picking him up at the hotel. After the excitement had gone down, we then began our journey home.' 

Enjoy the pictures of the event: 


Once again, a heartful thanks goes to both Ms. Erna and Mr. Matt for accompanying the students to the fair.

EVENTS - WEEK 3 FEB 2012

Hello everyone,
Here is a list of events that may be useful for you if you wish to attend:

1. Warwick University Talk
Monday, 20th February 2012
Time: 2.30 pm - 4.30 pm
Venue: Staff Lounge, SMSA

2. British Council UK Education Fair (A MUST!)
Tuesday, 21st February 2012
Time: 1pm - 7pm
Venue: Sutra Hall, Rizqun Hotel

3. UK Education Fair (Same as above)
Wednesday, 22nd February 2012
Time: 10am - 2pm
Venue: Multipurpose Hall, Pusat Tingkatan Enam Katok

4. King's College London Talk
Thursday, 23rd February 2012
Time 3.00pm - 5.00pm
Venue: Rizqun Hotel

Unfortunately, buses are not available due to the National Day rehearsals thus, students may go to each event via own transport.

Flyers and more information are available at the Careers department..
*Have a great week ahead!

HECAS IS OFFICIALLY OPEN!

Good morning people, 
HECAS is now open for applications. For those of you who have no clue about what hecas is then let me enlighten you. 


In the past, applications to local Higher Education Institutions or Scholarship Section were processed manually. The Ministry of Education reached a Private-Public-Partnership agreement with DST in December 2008 to collaboratively develop and implement an electronic system to process application for undergraduate programmes at Higher Education Institutions in Brunei Darussalam as well as for government scholarships to study abroad. In view of the changing Higher Education landscape in Brunei Darussalam with the increase in number of universities and student population, the implementation of the on-line application procedure (HECAS) is appropriate and timely.

HECAS alllows students to apply on-line to the local higher education institutions or the Scholarship Section through any computers with internet access.

In short, YOU MUST APPLY TO HECAS IF YOU WISH TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE FOLLOWING:
1. Scholarship
2. UBD
3. ITB
4. UNISSA
5. Brunei Polytechnic


 For further information, please go to www.hecas.edu.bn. Make sure you read all the terms and conditions before applying as well as the entry requirements for each institution. It won't make sense if you wish to apply for a scholarship and only have 200 points because hecas is computerized and you will be rejected. Make the wise decisions in selecting courses because you will be the one studying for the next 3-4 years.

Also, if you wish to apply to hecas but find it difficult to do so e.g no internet access at home then you may set up an appointment with me and I will allow you to do so at the Careers office.If you can't figure out how to enter your details onto hecas, a sample of the application is available at the office too.Please register with dst first before applying for hecas in SMSA.

Please bear in mind:

Commence Date: 20 FEBRUARY 2012 after 7:45 a.m.
Close Date: 15 March 2012 after 4:30 p.m.

Don't forget to prepare your relevant documents (follow each institution's required set) and to fill in borang B (follow each institution's requirements) :


I. Scholarship Section Checklist

Scholarship Section, Ministry of Education, requires only ONE SET of relevant documents and FOUR copies of Borang B even if applicants apply to 2 programmes. Each set consists of a single copy for each completed HECAS application forms, certificates and relevant supporting documents.
If you are applying for a scholarship especially to the UK, then please complete your UCAS applications as I'm just waiting to process them. Don't forget the deadline for SMSA UCAS applications: 15th March 2012 at 5pm

II. Universiti Brunei Darussalam Checklist

UBD requires THREE SETS of relevant documents and FOUR copies of Borang B. Each set consists of a single copy for each completed HECAS application forms, certificates and relevant supporting documents.

III. Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali Checklist

UNISSA requires THREE SETS of relevant documents and FOUR copies of Borang B. Each set consists of a single copy for each completed HECAS application forms, certificates and relevant supporting documents.

IV. Institut Teknologi Brunei Checklist

ITB requires THREE SETS of relevent documents and FOUR copies of Borang B.Each set consists of a single copy of each completed HECAS application form, certified academic achievements and relevent suppporting documents.

V. Brunei Polytechnic Checklist

BP requires THREE SETS of relevant documents and FOUR copies of Borang B. Each set consists of a single copy of each completed HECAS application form, certified academic achievements and relevant supporting documents.

**I would recommend for each student to make a  checklist of your own so you won't miss any relevant documents and deadlines.

I shall be updating all the HECAS information at the Careers office so you can take a look as well.  

**To ALL SMSA students who are applying for hecas, can you also please submit a COPY of your submitted hecas application to the Careers office for recordkeeping.

Saturday, 18 February 2012

SNEAK PEEK- SCHOLARSHIP OPEN DAY

People,
Don't forget to go to the scholarship opend day today and tomorrow. Here are some pictures to tempt you all to attend because I don't want any of you to miss out:





See you all there!

Friday, 17 February 2012

MOE SCHOLARSHIP OPEN DAY 2012

Good morning all,

This is to remind ALL students that there will be an MOE SCHOLARSHIP OPEN DAY 2012. Below are further details about the event:

Venue: International Conference Center (ICC)
Dates: Saturday - Sunday (18th - 19th Feb 2012)
Times: 8.30 am - 4.30 pm

It is recommended that you bring your qualifications e.g copies of your O and A level results as well as offers from universities (if you have any). This is your opportunity to meet representatives from the scholarship and ASK QUESTIONS that you are dying to ask e.g procedures of the scholarship, their benefits, long term careers, etc.

You should also visit the MOE Scholarship section ask about their preferences such as university ranking and courses offered. Don't forget to visit the Accreditation Council to confirm whether the universities you're applying for are accredited by the government.

This will be the scholarships' first impressions of you so make it count. Be presentable and professional.

See you there!

P/s: this made my day and it's only 10.00am - "Thank you miss ummi you rock xD"

Have a great weekend people!

Brunei Shell Petroleum Scholarship Scheme 2012

The BSP Scholarship Scheme is a special scheme awarded to eligible post A level school leavers wishing to pursue their studies overseas.

Shell Scholars 2009

Minimum requirements: taken from an email between me and BSP representataive -
"the students need to be a citizen of His Majesty’s (Yellow IC) with grades BBB or above in Maths, Physics and other subjects (preferably Sciences). You may include those who have obtained a grade C for their third subject, but must have minimum grade B for Maths and Physics"

Interested applicants can visit BSP's e-recruitment website : 

www.bsp.com.bn/main/jobs/jobs.asp

To apply, follow these steps (taken from Borneo Bulletin advert)

1. Register to save your personal details and scan your examination certs as well as IC
2. Log in to access your account with your username and password
3. Job search and click on BSP/E/21/2012 - 2012 BSP Scholarship scheme to view requirements
4. Apply to BSP/E/21/2012 - 2012 BSP Scholarship Scheme to submit your application and receive email notification upon successful submission.

Courses offered:
Mechanical (most popular!), Systems & Control, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics, Physics, Geology and Geophysics. Petroleum & Chemical Engineering (if interested in these two, you must apply to ITB via Hecas too)

BSP may consider subjects like Maths, Finance or Economics.

CLOSING DATE: 29TH FEBRUARY 2012

***NOTE: I've spoken to most of you who are interested in the scholarship that I've also shortlisted your names to BSP but you still need to apply online to be eligible. Also, I've mentioned that there will be a BSP Scholarship Talk on Wednesday, 22nd February from 8.30am - 4.00pm. I will email those on the list separately to confirm the venue (most probably in bandar) so please make sure you are FREE that day. 

Any questions can be directed to my email: smsacareers@hotmail.com or you can visit the Careers dept personally from 8.30 am - 2.00 pm

Tuesday, 14 February 2012

UCAS APPLICATION 2ND ROUND DEADLINE

Hello everyone,
This post goes out to ALL students who plan to continue their studies in the United Kingdom starting September 2012. As most of you are aware, you MUST apply to UCAS in order to secure a place in a UK university. Regardless whether or not you are applying for a scholarship, if you meet the requirements to be eligible then you must ensure a place in university. Scholarships will be awarded to students who have places in a prestigious university so please make sure your grades meet the minimum requirements. Don't just 'try' to apply to a university then complain when you are rejected.

I'm surprised that most of you who are qualified for scholarships have not even registered on UCAS. If you haven't, please do so immediately. Don't wait until there is an email from us asking you to start your UCAS application, do it NOW! Also, detailed procedures on how to register and apply to UCAS has been posted in this blog, search for it yourselves. Another important issue is that some of you have registered to UCAS but have not filled in the SMSA reference form. This form is essential for us to write you the reference that will be sent to the universities. Again, please make sure that your reference form is complete including your relevant documents otherwise we will not start your reference. 

Lastly, you should be writing drafts of your personal statements and kindly ask your GP tutors to proofread for you. Once this is done, you can email me your PS and I will give the final approval. GP tutors are given the rights to comment freely on your work and please respect their feedback to you. 


If you are in a dilemma in choosing the right degree course in university, don't hesitate to contact us. If you also have trouble in finding a suitable university to accommodate your needs, then please ask us for advice. 


Therefore, the deadline for the 2nd round of UCAS applications is:

Thursday, 15th March 2012
Final application will be submitted at: 5.00 pm (Brunei time), 9.00am (UK time)

Failure to submit your UCAS application on time will result in carrying forward your application in June instead.

Thank you for your cooperation.