Steps To Master A Difficult Subject

This is something that I've come up with from personal experience. So, I can say that these steps are proven to be successful. Here's where we can start..

1. Realize that we find the subject quite hard.

This is actually a step that has been done by most of us..but some of us do it too much that we feel very difficult to master the subject at all, or in other words, give up. It is just important to realize that the we are having some difficulty in a subject. Then, we move on.

2. Ask for help!

This one is not really supposed to be number 2, but because it helps quite a lot..so I think we should pay attention here first. I actually had problems with my Additional Mathematics. Why? That should be discussed in another topic.haha. The first thing I did was to ask for help as this is actually the easiest step. I asked someone better at this to help teach me and it worked. In fact, we can ask for help from teachers too. They are the experts. So, why waste time not asking? It's their job anyway. To teach! There are though some things we must keep in mind when asking for help..
i. Don't think that by letting someone teach us, we'll go from E to A just like that.
ii. Ask help from a number of friends (if possible)
iii. Try and make it a win-win situation, e.g. "you teach me Math & I'll teach you Biology"
iv. When asking help from friends, don't blame them if they're unable to teach..they're students too.
v. Tell the person your specific problem..don't just go and say "please teach me everything!"

Overall, this step reaaally helps. But, it won't work by itself. There are still more.

3. Focus more in class.

I know this sounds very cliche..but it really works. Anyway, one of the reasons we start to have difficulty in a subject is not focusing in class..isn't it? Therefore, this is the source of the problem and we must take action! There are numerous ways to stay 'alive' in class, like asking or answering questions or chewing candy (only if the teacher's ok with that). The point is, focus more in class and maintain it.

4. Read more.

Haha..another cliche step you say? Again, this reaally works! Ok, let's make this simple. When the exam is around the corner, what do we do? We open our books and read them! But, why doesn't it work fully then? because..we always do it in the very last minute. And our focus also usually is not very good at that time with the number of books to read and the worry that we have. So, we have to start reading more on that weak subject even though the exams are still far away. When we read, we understand. Then we can put the understanding to practice. BUT..this may not work fantastically with every subject..take maths for example. It's more to calculating, so, more on exercises!

5. Do more exercises.

Hmm..I bet we all know this already.. But we keep throwing this aside. So, I'm telling ya. This is full proof! The more exercises we do, the better we get. That's how our brain works. When we get used to stuff, things get easier. The only thing is, we have to make sure we're practicing right. Proper practice prevents poor performance. You might want to read that line again. A good way to practice is to start from the basics and move on as we get better. Then we'll master everything.

6. Keep calm and don't worry. 

Worry makes no money. I like that sentence. :D  Worrying brings nothing but a bad mood and restlessness. So let's just keep calm and do our best. Good luck in mastering that tough subject!

*If there's anything you would like me to add, do tell. Thanks!

SW-SW-SW-SW

Hmm..I bet you're wondering what the title here means.. Well, it's a very simple but powerful concept that can be used in most of the things in life (but not necessarily everything..).

Some people nowadays find it hard to ask for something, to give a presentation, to attend tryouts, to take tests, to propose an idea, to...the list goes on! Mostly because these people are afraid of the critics, rejection, embarassment, etc. But, by doing this, they lose the opportunity to express themselves, to go to a higher level and achieve more! Just because they have the need to please everybody, they stop dead on their tracks.
So, here's the concept we need to remember to avoid the 'satisfying everyone' road.

"Some Will - Some Won't - So What?! - Someone's Waiting!"

In every opportunity, even though there will be some people critcising and disliking, there are people out there waiting for you to show yourself and appreciate your work. Face it, it's quite impossible to please everybody. Some will like you, some won't, so what?..someone's waiting for you! Good luck & do your best!

inspired by "Success Principles for Teenagers"

Scholarship ?

Anyone trying to find a long list of scholarships? Here's one..

http://www.studymalaysia.com/student/scholarship.php

And also..for jpa and mara..try this one..

http://esilav2.jpa.gov.my/

Good luck!

Foundation (asasi), Matriculation or Diploma?

Many thanks to tupitupi.wordpress.com

Some of my friends and juniors asked me this question: Should I take the Foundation, Matriculation or Diploma after SPM? I've made some research myself. So here's what I got.

Foundation or "asasi" is what I prefer. Why? It's more focused towards the field we wish to take. For example, if we want to take Information Technology, we should apply for a Foundation in IT. Whereas in matrics, we take a science course and end up studying a lot of stuff not very much connected to what we want (unless we actually don't know what we want). Diploma on the other hand is much different. It's mostly for students with ordinary results (that's what most say). It takes up to 3 years and is very suitable for those who wish to study for a while and move on to the working world. Here's what a man (nafizz) in a forum has to say:

"You cannot compare matrics/asasi with diploma cos these 2 are in a different league altogether.. If you take diploma you have to study for 3 years and then apply for degree to further your education ( have to do well in your diploma courses) Whereas matrics /asasi is more like a foundation course where you are required to study for 1-2 years and after that you apply for a degree course in your choice of field. For matric, there is a one year and 2 year course ( one-year course for students with good results whereas 2-year course is for those with ordinary results but then this is not always the case. ). For asasi, there is a 2 semester course for asasi undang-undang KPM and 3 semester course asasi undang-undang UiTM ( Shah Alam Campus ) Both the UiTM and KPM courses are given pocket money of about RM 1250-RM1500 per semester. As for other asasi, it;s either one or 2 years course before applying for a degree.. ( correct me if I'm wrong )

So, if you got an offer for a diploma and matric/asasi , better reject the diploma and accept the matric or asasi. And if you get the asasi and matric, better take asasi if you are offered your choice of field, say pharmacy/medic because in a way you are already majoring in what you want to do. In matric, you are studying many subjects and if you get good results, say cgpa 4.00 then only you are offered medic, pharmacy etc. If you get ordinary results in matric, you might be offered teaching in UPSI etc.. Oh, one more thing, you are given allowance of about RM1250 per semester.

These are just my opinions..

Anyway, here are some info of my daughter's friends and also my students.
1. my daughter got an offer for a one-year course in Perlis ( Place is of no relevence. any matric ok) and also asasi law KPM ( Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia) She like arts subjects instead of science so she might read law.. she is still deciding, tho.. lol ). then she got an interview for TESL twinning programme to go overseas under KPM)but she didn't want to become a teacher.. LOL..So pening!!!
2. her friend got matric and medic in UIA so, he is going for asasi medic UIA
3. Another friend got matric and pharmacy UIA and she is going for asasi pharmacy.
4. one got diploma statistik and matric.. she is going to matric..
5. many got diploma courses but my advice to them is to go to either asasi/matric..

So basically if you get your choice of course in asasi, go for asasi... if not, then opt for matric because if you do well, you can still take up medicine/pharmacy/engineering. Also I don't think it's that difficult to get at least cgpa 3.5 and above if you really study hard. If you can score at least 5 As in SPM. I'm sure all of you can do well in your matric... don't bother so much about race, whether there are lots of malays in this college and that college... cos all this has not reference to what you want to become and achieve in future... Go with an open mind and heart and I'm sure you will achieve what you want in the end."

That's the end of his enlightenment. One more thing I'd like to add about Diploma. Do you know that if you score very well in a 3-year Diploma, you'll get a very high chance of just taking a 2-year course to get a degree (of the same field I believe). If you're not so keen on conitnuing your studies, you can just work after finishing diploma (take note that creativity, enthusiasm and talent really helps a lot if you really do want to work fast).

In a nutshell, I'd suggest this. If you have very good grades, take Foundation. If you don't, you can either go to Foundation (if offered) or Matrics (and you can also choose this if you're still not so sure about what you want to be). Worried about scholarships? Just go ahead to foundation or matrics and do your best there. You can still get one for your degree. Make sure you focus. And besides that, you still get allowance during Foundation (must be a public university) and Matrics.

Wish you luck!  =D

Facon Education Fair 2010

28th International Exhibition on Further Education, Training & Language Learning Opportunities

With a superb track record since its inception in 1990, Facon Education Fair is now recognized by the education industry as one of the most effective platform to promote and disseminate information on courses offered by renowned institutions of higher learning.

In previous years, the Fair has attracted more than 400 participating and represented institutions from Malaysia and overseas. It has also attracted international groups of institutions from China, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore and USA, underlining the recognition of the event. That's not all, 60,000 high quality visitors throng the events proving that Facon Education Fair is the most effective promotional and recruitment platform for institutions of higher learning.

Admission to the fair is free.

Peninsula Malaysia

• 13 - 14 March: Kuala Lumpur
• 16 March: Alor Setar
• 17 March: Penang
• 18 March: Ipoh
• 19 March: Malacca
• 20 - 21 March: Johor Bahru

For mor information, log on to http://www.faconex.com/facon_mac10_intro.asp

Failure & Success

Thomas Edison failed about 1000 times just to create a light bulb, which has caused a revolution to how we spend our nights. He failed in order to achieve success. So how is that any different with any other things?

          We feel sad if we fail. That's natural. But should that be a reason for us to cry every night and feel downhearted? or should it be a lesson learnt and a starting point to success.

          Take failure as a ball. The harder it falls, the higher it jumps. If we falled badly, then we shuold be able to stand back up and jump higher.

          Life is also always spinning. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we fail. Nothing abnormal with that. So, buck up and get on moving if failure knocks at the door. Say hi and invite success over. And if success is achieved, don't overexcited and do our best to achieve more and help others. Good luck!

inspired by "Success Principles for Teenagers"

"I'm scared of failure..."

Deep down inside us, all of us have the fear of failure. It's natural. Who likes failing? BUT, it doesn't mean it's something we should run away from.

          In every challenge, in every test, there's always a risk of failing. So, imagine if we keep running away from every opportunity just because we're afraid we can't make it, or we can't succeed in it, how are we going to succeed in the first place?

Here's the point,

IF WE RISK NOTHING, WE RISK GETTING NOTHING!

So, remeber, don't be afraid of failure. But treat it like a ball. The harder it falls, the higher it jumps. Good luck~

inspired by "Success Principles for Teenagers"