I am one of the SPM 2020 candidates. After the end of the last day of SPM, there wasn't much that I did. Because of this pandemic COVID-19 thingy, a lot of things can't be done. Because of the MCO, I haven't even had time to take a driving class. Thus, I just enjoy myself, do some crocheting, and watch a lot of K-dramas. For as long as I can remember, I've finished around 17 k-dramas during my 5-month "unemployment" period.
Now, back to the topic.
To be honest, I never did proper research about the scholarships before the SPM results came out. (I guess I enjoy myself too much). So, as soon as the SPM results come out, it's kind of hard to get the momentum to do the research. To put it, before the result came out, my momentum was in gear 1, but once the result was out, I had to push myself straight into gear 5. Hence, my advice is to start looking for information about the scholarships earlier rather than after your SPM result is out. It's fine even if you still don't get the hang of it at that time. Just get to know what scholarships are available, which scholarships we can apply for, and which ones are in line with the course we are taking, especially for those interested in studying medicine, dentistry, or pharmacy. It is very difficult to find a company that sponsors these courses.
So, here are some lists of scholarships available.
Petronas
Yayasan Peneraju
Yayasan Telekom Malaysia (YTM)
Yayasan Tenaga Nasional (YTN)
Young Talent Programme MARA (YTP MARA)
Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM)
Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara (SPAN)
Yayasan Khazanah
Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD)
Yayasan UEM
Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB)
JPA
JPA-MARA
JPA-JKPJ
JPA-LSPM
JPA-PPN
Basically, these scholarships are all the scholarships that I applied for. There are still a lot of scholarships out there. Because of the limited time that I have, I found only these. If you have a lot of time, try to find another scholarship available.
But, today I’m going to tell you guys about my experience in applying for PNB’s scholarship, or its formal name, Anugerah Biasiswa Luar Negara PNB.
All right. So, for those who don't know what PNB is, PNB is an acronym for Permodalan Nasional Berhad. PNB is actually an investment company and the largest fund management company in Malaysia. You guys must have been familiar with some of the PNB projects, such as ASNB or Merdeka 118. At the very least, you must have heard of them when learning about history in school. If this still doesn't ring a bell, I can guarantee that you must have been asleep during the history class.
Now that we already know what PNB is, let's get to know about their scholarship. Anugerah Biasiswa Luar Negara PNB is entitled to all SPM candidates in that year who achieve at least 8A for SPM and 2A for English 1119 (GCE-O). Then there are other standard requirements just like the other scholarships, such as being active in co-curricular activities and having excellent communication skills. However, what distinguishes the PNB scholarship is that it allows you to pursue your studies in almost any field you desire, with the exception of medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy, as well as any unrelated course to PNB. And there's really a high chance for you to get your desired field. All PNB Scholars (usually around 25) will study A-level at Kolej Yayasan UEM before continuing their studies at a top 20 university in the UK or the US. The tuition fee is fully covered by PNB and we even get a monthly allowance. How amazing is that, right?
Other than that, once you finish your studies, you will have a bond with PNB. One year of sponsorship in Malaysia is equivalent to one year of bond, while one year in the UK or US is equivalent to two years of bond. People's opinions may differ, but personally, I think this is a win-win situation; your job is guaranteed once you finish your studies.
If you want to know the experience of past scholars that are currently working under PNB, do check out this PNB official website.
https://www.pnb.com.my/05_5Scholarship_EN.php
Now that we have done the introduction part, let's continue to the application step.
Step 1: The Application Procedure
To apply for this scholarship, as usual, we need to visit the website. There, you will find a Microsoft Excel attachment. If you have already applied to other scholarships, you must realize that other scholarships usually have their own application websites. But, no worries. Filling up the Excel was quite simple. Read the instructions carefully (you are required to fill in the form using all uppercase) and prepare all the required documents. Once the form is complete, send an email to them within the application deadline. As long as I can recall, the application period is usually around 1 month or so. Also, please!!! Don't just send the application form without any introduction. Type two or three sentences about who you are, what document you are sending, why you are sending it, and so on. Oh, another interesting thing about the PNB scholarship is that there is no essay. So, if you are eligible to apply, I really encourage you to do so.
Once your email has been sent, it's now time to wait for their response. Usually, if you succeed in proceeding to the next stage, you will receive an email within one month.
Step 2: Critical Reasoning Test Battery Assessment
Around 2 weeks after submitting my application, I received an email stating that I was eligible for the next stage. Alhamdulillah.
Before I forgot to mention, PNB always requires you to reply to their email for confirmation (even accepting the scholarship is done by replying to the email).
As stated above, the next stage is the assessment part. This assessment comprises three types of tests: verbal reasoning test, numerical reasoning, and inductive reasoning. Don't be intimidated by the name; it's only an MCQ question about English, Maths, and IQ-related questions (pattern, puzzle, etc). PNB also provides an online website for us to prepare for the assessment, so let your worries subside. Because of the pandemic, we were only doing the assessment online. We were given 3 days to complete the assessment. Each assessment took around 30 minutes. My advice: before you start the test, make sure you are in a comfortable place with enough stationaries (calculator, pen, paper, mouse) and a stable internet connection. You surely don't want your test to be disturbed by the crying of your neighbour's baby or a non-stop loading page.
Step 3: Group Interview
Around 3 weeks later, I received an email stating that I had managed to advance to the next level. By the time I received the invitation for the interview, it was only 4 days away from the interview day. So, starting the next day, I started to do some research to prepare myself for the interview.
Because this interview was not the first interview that I have been to, I'm not as terrified and freaked out as I was at the very first interview that I attended during this scholarship hunt. Some of the information that I need to find has already been acquired by me due to the fact that I have attended other interviews before and I just researched a little bit more about PNB. Let me give you some tips on what information you should find.
Obviously, look for information about your career. Why do you want to pursue that career? What's that career all about? How can this career benefit the company and the country? Is there a shortage of graduates in this field in Malaysia, or is there a surplus? Where do you want to study for this course? Why do you want to study this course at that place? Look for some predicted questions about your career choice. For instance,
Accountant
Will this accountant be exchanged for AI one day?
Why is an accountant important in a company? (For this, I will give you the answer. An accountant is very important in a company, even if the company is bankrupt, because the accountant can help the company get back on track by determining what expenses should be reduced and vice versa.)
Chemical engineer
What's the difference between chemists and chemical engineers?
Chemical engineering is regarded as one of the most challenging engineering courses compared to other engineering courses. Why do you still want to be a chemical engineer instead of a chemist?
Next, look up some information about the company. In this case, find information about PNB. There is no need for you to know too many details. Just make sure that you are familiar with PNB. Knowing the full name of PNB, the role of PNB, and what PNB has done is sufficient. (Perhaps)... Anyway, don't be too stressed about this part.
This last part is very important. "Tell me about yourself." Believe me, almost every interview I go to will start with this question. How to answer this question? Just like what the question wants, tell them about yourself. You can follow my way of introducing myself if you want.
Start by stating your name and where you studied. And then straight to your achievements in every aspect. Academics, leadership, clubs, and sports. Usually, the companies looking for scholars prefer an all-rounded student. So, you have to prove that you are all-rounded. Believe me. Touch every aspect. And tell them what you learned from that. Don't just share facts. They want to know what you learned from all the activities you were involved in. Such as,
Hi and Assalamualaikum. I am (full name), a graduate of (school name). I am a (your stream, e.g., Pure Science Stream) student. I've accomplished a lot during my secondary school years. One of them was that I was entitled to be a Tokoh Akademik because of my outstanding results every semester. In fact, I've received the Dean's List Award every semester and graduated as a first-class graduate. Furthermore, I also hold quite a few leadership positions, such as class treasurer. (Tell details about what you did as a class treasurer or an unforgettable memory while being a class treasurer.) From this, I learned that (lesson learned)
Keep going using the same flow. Don't worry if you think your position is cikai2 jer. Just like I've mentioned before, they value the lesson that you learned more than the prestige of your activities. But, of course, if you hold a big position or represent your school up to the national level, it will be an added value for you.
Also, don't forget to prepare other self-related questions such as weaknesses and strengths, hobbies, activities after completing studies, where do you see yourself in 5 years, and so on.
Make sure to be aware of current issues too (you don't necessarily need to remember every date of the important events etc., just ensure that you realise what's going on around the world at that time).
Last but not least, prepare to ask questions of the interviewer. Usually, after the interview, the panel will ask if there are any questions. You HAVE to ask a question because this shows that you are really interested in that scholarship. Among the questions that can be asked:
What are the qualities that you look for in the scholarship recipients?
What can I contribute to your company later on?
When can I know the result?
DON'T ever ask this question: "Let's say I succeed in obtaining this scholarship. Can I reject this scholarship offer? " This question shows that you are not serious about the scholarship and you will most likely reject the offer. So, why should they waste their time on you if you eventually reject the offer?
So, that's the information I prepared for this interview. BTW, don't worry if our English isn't too good. Just be confident. If you suddenly forget the word in English, use BM. Finally, the long-awaited day has arrived. With all this pandemic thingy, this interview will only be held online. In fact, EVERY interview for this scholarship hunt was conducted online. This interview used the Microsoft Teams platform as the medium.
My advice, if you are unfamiliar with Microsoft Teams, godek2 (I hope you understand what godek2 means because I can't find another word) the Microsoft Teams so that you are familiar with its interface. Before the interview starts, test the camera and mic to see if they are functioning well or not. Try to Google meet or video call with other people to make sure the internet line, camera, and mic are all OK. We don't want to give a bad first impression, right?
Anyway, my interview started at 10.30 a.m. and lasted for an hour. My group consists of five people, and I'm the only girl in the group. We were asked a couple of questions, and everyone needed to respond. Because my interview time was during the Olympics, we got one or two questions regarding that topic too. And if you're nervous, there's no need to be. As the interview goes on, the tension diminishes, and in the end, it just feels like you're having a good conversation. After all, the interviewer didn’t eat people.
Step 4: The Final Interview
After 10 days of waiting, I finally received the invitation for the final stage of the interview. All the finalists were required to answer occupational personality questions 3 days after receiving the email. Again, it's an MCQ question with a 25-minute duration. PNB also provides an online website for us to prepare for the assessment, but really there's nothing much to prepare for. This questionnaire was just to assess your behavioural preferences, such as how you approach problems and deal with feelings. My tip is that for this questionnaire, be true to yourself.
Moving on to the final interview, which was conducted six days after receiving the email, it was a group presentation session. The session started at 8.30 a.m. with a briefing on how the group presentation would be conducted. Again, we were divided into groups of 4 or 5, and I met one of the applicants who were in the same group as me during the previous group interview. Anyway, after the briefing, we received a prompt and were given 1 hour and 30 minutes to prepare for the presentation. Naturally, we created a Whatsapp group and had a complete discussion through Google Meets-from planning the points, creating a PowerPoint slide, to practising for the presentation. The prompt that we received actually seems more like a debate style, where we need to discuss two opposing topics. From my research, the past applicants would usually divide themselves into three parties; two who support the topic, two who oppose it, and the one left would be the moderator. But, my group took a different approach where we discussed the benefits of both sides and what solution could be done to satisfy both sides (more like a middle ground that can be taken). No spoilers about what our topic is, but I think we've got a pretty easy topic. It's very close to our hearts, and we actually experienced that ourselves.
Finally, at 11.00 am, it's our time to present. We were given around 30 to 45 minutes (if I'm not mistaken) to present, but we finished a little bit earlier than that. After that, some of the panels asked us a few questions regarding our presentation, our personal stand on the prompt, and so on. And as soon as the clock ticks to 12, our interview session is over.
I'm actually really grateful that my group was the earliest group to present because I was really nervous and I can't imagine the unbearable wait of those in the latter group. Seriously, waiting is torture.
(Me waiting nervously for our turn of presentation)
Final remark
Finally, after 6 days, which seemed like forever, I finally received the scholarship offer. Alhamdulillah. There's no word to express my gratitude for securing this scholarship. I not only manage to study the course of my choice, but I also get to study at the best private A-level education in Malaysia, meet wonderful fellow PNB scholars and other friends in KYUEM, be given an opportunity to study at top universities in the UK or US (which I would not dare to imagine if I did not receive any scholarship) and receive support for university applications from both PNB and KYUEM.
Not to forget, this process of scholarship hunting really taught me a lot of things; from the value of patience (the scholarship process roughly took about 3 months), improving my communication skills, being aware of current issues, and most importantly, reflecting back on myself and what I have and can contribute to society. I am happy to say that this scholarship hunting journey has made me a more mature person.
So, for those who are applying for Anugerah Biasiswa Luar Negara PNB or are in the process of doing so, I wish you all the best! Bittaufik wan najah
Comments