2014 - College

 6 months. 

I've been studying foundation in arts in sunway college for almost half a year (:

I've been learning a lot these 6 months; people say foundation is considered one of the easiest pre-u courses and I guess that's true in a way as fia is not as academic based compared to a-levels or other courses.

But people tend to overlook the assignments part where it is difficult to score. Yes, it is easy to pass foundation but to score, no, its not easy. Especially as assignments tend to include group projects, presentations, and these things involve other people.

When everything is academic based, if you just do your part well you don't really have to worry about your results as you reap what you sow. But assignments for some subjects are not graded on the same basis. It might be according to your teacher's opinion, the marking scheme might be very broad, it's just not something you can study for days and get good results as long as you've studied.

Especially assignments that involve working with other people. It is no longer whether you've done your part but you have to consider your group members as well. With people comes different personalities. And when some don't contribute as much as others, others suffer as they have to carry other members' weight. Is it fair? No, but if you want to do well, you have to put the final result as the priority even though you may have to contribute more than your fair share.

And working with people is one of life's hardest lessons. Sometimes I get so frustrated when some just don't do their work or don't even bother to try. And since I'm kind of a perfectionist, this really sucks sometimes. But I've learn to be more patient, to relax more and not get so stressed up. This situation reminds me of when we're bound to come out to work in the future, where working with people is the most complicated, just without the political issues.

..................

But I have learned so much these past few months. 

1. I've learned to persevere, to not let emotions get to me so easily. I mean, will you even remember these difficult times few years later? Probably not, so why not focus more on learning from the experience? (:

2. Manage my time better, in fact, I totally got rid of my habit doing things last minute due to college assignments and datelines ._.

3. Manage distractions better. I used to get distracted by many things such as internet and tv but now when I have work to do, work comes first.

3. Hone various skills such as public speaking skills. Having debated in front of hundreds of students and a few lawyers, public speaking is no longer an issue anymore, it just needs more practice to perfect it :)

4. Picked up additional skills such as prezi and video editing. I can now create more interesting and creative presentations using visuals that attract people's attention, and prezi is definitely much more preferable to powerpoint -.- I've also learnt how to edit videos in a mere few days, and even a 3 minutes video might require hours to edit.

5. I've learned to read people's personality more, especially through group work where you can see people's true personality and the way they work. I know who I can depend on, and who will be there for me when I need it. I've also learned more about myself and the way I work.

6. I've learned how to filter and present information.

7. I've learned to be more independent I guess. Staying at the hostel definitely makes me miss my home so much, where you don't have to worry about food and homesickness. You have more responsibility, and you have to learn how to take care of yourself.

And pre-u is definitely the best time to pick up these skills. 

We may not have the opportunity to do so in secondary school but these skills will come in handy during your degree years and when you come out to work. Different courses will always have different types of challenges, but the most important thing is to rise above it and not lose yourself along the way.

Having said that, being a scholar may be a burden to some but it will always be a privilege to me. 

I definitely have no regrets in making my decision and I will always be grateful for the opportunity Maybank has given me to learn so much (: