As a degree student in this University, the only regret that I have is causing my parents to fork out more than RM20,000 to fund my foundation studies. I was once wide-eyed and having just completed my Form 5, the wonderful world of colleges appealed to me. I didn’t understand much about financial situations when I was 16 years old. I went wherever the wind took me, and sailed on it I did.
Anything else than the college all my friends were applying to was unthinkable, abhorred. It was only five minutes away from my home which further added to the rationality of pursuing my foundation studies there. Though it might be a famous college which has been around for decades, the purpose of my desire to study at that college was because all my friends from high school were there.
The pre-university course I took is no doubt the gate way to many a prestigious university in lands far and wide. Did I really consider if my parents would be bogged down by the enormous tuition fees and cost of living in foreign countries? No, though I was slightly sensible whenever I saw the fees escalate past the RM1 million mark. All I knew was that this was the door for me to many possibilities and it is a chance that I must not waste. Obviously, if I did very well for my pre-university exams, scholarships would come flooding in. But how many brilliant students are there in this world? Sadly, I’m not one of them.
Luck must have been on my side when I learned that a university in Kedah called AIMST University was starting its Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree in September 2005. I remember telling my mother in 2004 during a visit to an education fair that it would be a wonderful miracle if Malaysian private universities offered dentistry course.
Upon commencement of my course, I learned that my course mates comprised of a bevy of students from various foundation programs. Even students who did foundation courses far shorter and cheaper than mine were in the same course with me. At that point, I realized that research in education pathways is extremely important when you plan your future.
Though it is not a crime, do not be fuzzy headed like me! Do not happily go along with wherever your peers decide to go. Think for yourself as it is your own future. Be sure and be firm about what career you want. Find out all the possible routes before being sure that this is the path that will guarantee that you graduate with the degree you want. I guess maturity set in a little too late for me!
~ Jolene lai Pei Shan, BDS Batch One ~
Source: http://www.aimst.edu.my/student_affairs/articles.html