Hi, I’m 18 years old and I just got my SPM results (4A+ and 6As). I’m mixed Malaysian (non-bumi) and is in a M40 household. I’m planning to pursue either Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary.
Yesterday, I received an offer for Matrikulasi and a FULL ride scholarship to study A-Levels. I’m very conflicted right now as there are both pros and cons in both.
Let’s start with Matrikulasi,
Pros:
- VERY public university friendly (higher chance compared to STPM)
- VERY cheap (RM499 in total)
- Near home (I got the Matriks of my state)
- Short programme (10 months)
Cons:
- Unfamiliar environment (boarding school)
- Hard to apply for scholarships (Private universities prefer STPM or A-Levels students)
The only reason why Matrikulasi is an option is because of the possibility of me entering UM/UKM/UPM/USM Medicine at a subsidised fee (<RM80k)
However, as I’ve mentioned above I am a non-bumiputera who happens to be middle classed. My SPM grades weren’t the most excellent either. Apparently, when UM admission officers pick students, they look at factors like your PSPM results, MUET band, Extracurricular activities, Social class and at last ur SPM results. So, i’m kinda screwed on that as I know there are gonna be students with 10/11A+ fighting for this opportunity with me. I’d probably not be the priority in their list of candidates. Conclusion is my chance of getting into public university is probably low. If i don’t get into public universities, I won’t even get the chance to apply for scholarships for Medicine as it’s just not as recognised as other pre-universities.
Now let’s talk about A-Levels,
Pros:
- 100% tuition fees
- Very versatile (Can go overseas and private universities and direct intake to public universities)
- Generous scholarships (only if u get good results la)
- Near home (No need to worry about rent, food and transport)
- Quite a prestigious school (Sends students to Ivy League)
Cons:
- Long programme (24 months)
- Cannot apply to Public universities through UPU
- Harder to get a good grade compared to Matriks
- Still have to pay for Non-miscellaneous fees (around RM600/month)
I’m actually not planning to go to study medicine overseas as I’m a M40. Unless I’m under a scholarship, I don’t think going overseas is in my list of options. My biggest concern about this is the length of the programme. As we all know Medicine is a degree that takes FOREVER to complete. If i go straight to Matriks, I can go to Med school at 19. However, If i go to A-Levels, I’ll be 20 when i start Med school. I’m not fond of the idea of being older than everyone in my class lol. Also, I’ve always been in a small private school, and I really wanna have a taste of public school life. If i go to A-Levels, I don’t think i have a chance to experience that. And I want to step out of my comfort zone to try boarding school life. If I go to A-Levels, the school is 10 minutes away from home. I will still feel like a middle school kid. Plus, it’s very hard to get full scholarships for Medicine. If I don’t manage to get any scholarships, I feel like I had wasted 1 more year just to be at the same level as Matrikulasi students.
And if you’re wondering, why not STPM?
Cus it gives you the best of both worlds right?
My answer is I don’t know. I haven’t heard good things about STPM yet, so that’s why i’m making this post so that people can advice me on this.