Hi! My name is Izham Razak. I am a JPA scholar and currently studying at INTEC Education College in the American Degree Transfer Program. I am committed to University of Texas at Austin majoring in Economics in the College of Liberal Arts for my undergraduate studies. Insyallah, I will fly abroad in August 2022 so wish me all well Huhu. I know that it is truly excruciating for SPM leavers right now to determine your tertiary studies path. When I think about education, I just strived to excel in my studies just for the sake of my parents, my teachers and my friends who are hoping for the best. After all, I realise how education itself prepares you with knowledge and skills that you will use for the future. I believe that choosing a JPA scholarship and applying to US colleges can truly influence the idea and they are the best decisions I have made. Jump in on my blog and let's get started!
Why Economics?
Why did I choose Economics as my undergraduate major? Believe me or not when I was in high school, I NEVER knew anything at all about Economics and what it revolves on. I took pure science subjects back then and I realise I’m not so intrigued in learning it. So, I decided to change my path to Economics as I thought it involves more maths but it's actually not so much LOL. Most of my friends are also changing their education path too from pure science to economics/finances and it is completely safe for you to do it, just believe in yourself. I just go with the flow and I'm really captivated with theoretical and analytical explanations I learned in Introduction to Microeconomics class. I realised that I really love to know how the market revolves through changes and how supply and demand relationships can be really complex yet coherent. I don't know much about Macroeconomics topics as I will learn it during my degree.
Why JPA?
Getting a JPA scholarship is not my first thought. Alhamdulliah, I got straight A’s in my SPM allowing me to apply to almost every scholarship yet because I got 2B for my GCE-O English Paper, I couldn't apply for YTN and PNB (The academic requirement for each sponsorship agency may change every year so you guys have to be particular about this matter). I got shortlisted for a certain scholarship yet I didn't get the offer but I’m really grateful for getting an offer from JPA, going to the US and MARA, going to the UK. So, in the end I chose the JPA scholarship as I realised that I really wanted to study in the US (Wait for the last part for me to explain the process!) I just want to say that to SPM leavers, you guys have to take as many opportunities as you can get, applying to all scholarships but you must know that it will be really a highly competitive selection process involving the best students across the country. Just face the music and know that not all high achieving scholarships are the best for you. You must know that certain scholarships require you to have a working bond with the agency and these agencies will find the best candidates to work with them. I repeat, with the basis of working with them. Unlike JPA, the main focus is finding students who can become the nation's assets by contributing back to the country and not focusing on finding candidates that can fit in in a particular agency.
Some people say that when you get the JPA scholarship, you are forced to work with the government only LOL. It’s wrong because there are several options you can take like working for the GLCs, private companies in local or overseas. I plan to work in Unit Perancangan Ekonomi under the Jabatan Perdana Menteri one day, Insyallah. I realised that getting a JPA scholarship is really beneficial as firstly, you can have access to apply to
hundreds of universities for your undergraduate studies, unlike certain scholarships that you can only apply to a certain list of universities. Getting to universities especially in the US can be quite hard as you will compete with thousands of students from around the globe to get admitted. Next, JPA and MARA also put more lenient academic requirements for the pre-university year compared to certain scholarships that are more strict. You must know that even though you have got a scholarship, you still have to maintain your academic requirement as required in your scholarship agreement. Lastly, isn't it great to get the title of ‘Malaysian Government Sponsored Student'? I feel really proud to represent our country as a golongan belia who will study in the US and contribute back to Malaysia.
JPA interview tips
The JPA interview that I attended before was more lenient as it was during the Covid phase and the interview was conducted online. I'm not sure whether the interview will be conducted the same or physical yet I will just give general tips on how to do the interviews that I believe are beneficial. Firstly, FOLLOW the order. The interview process may be different from year to year but during my time I am required to do a video presentation, virtual interview and aptitude online test. You must follow every detail of the instructions and even the simple ones as for instance, in the interview, you may be asked to answer a question in English and the other question in Bahasa Melayu and you must follow it coherently, not talking in Manglish or whatsoever. These simple matters may cause indifference in your personal analysis.
Secondly, in whatever happens tetiba dunia tunggang terbalik ke BE CONFIDENT. Imagine that the interviewers don't know you at all and you have to make sure that they believe you as a good, charismatic student. First impressions really really play an important role. ALways put on a smile! Lastly, give mature ideas on questions given. Sometimes, the question is really simple and you could have a tendency to give immature ideas, putting yourself at risk. Stimulate the question in a short period of time and choose the best, relevant answers to combat the questions. I really think that the JPA interview is more open to any students as they dont require you to fill in what co curricular activities or achievements you have got at all compared to other scholarship agencies that may require. Yet, the application process is really really strict as there are thousands of students applying for the limited scholarship so you have to be really really peculiar during the process.
Why the U.S.?
Why study in the US? US colleges are dominating the university rankings as you can see in the THE rankings and QS rankings which proves that they can provide a higher quality of education. These universities often receive a large amount of endowments allowing many researches to be done and, yeah, instilling students to a higher learning. Besides, based on the American education style itself, you focus more on assignments and exams compared to like in the UK, the emphasis is mostly on exams. These assignments may include quizzes, research papers, tests, and etc. I think this education system is really good for me as I don't have to put much emphasis on exams, allowing for more flexible learning.
Steps applying to US colleges!
There are several US colleges that are elite, selective schools such as Harvard, Yale and University of California universities. These colleges commonly require IB or A Level as academic credit to getting enrolled. On the other hand, there are schools that can opt for easier academic requirements like you can just enrol in a foundation year (or what is called in Malaysia, American Degree Transfer Program (ADTP)) like Pennsylvania State University, University of Wisconsin Madison, and University of Michigan Ann Arbour. This comes to the choice of yourself in choosing which preparatory programs to enrol in and how your education pathway will be like. Either getting into elite colleges or lower requirement colleges, these colleges can provide a quality education for your undergraduate studies. If you choose A Level or IB, these programs mostly emphasise on exams compared to ADTP, this program follows the common American education system that emphasises on assignments and exams. Please note that there are certain sponsorship agencies who offer A Level or IB programs that are only for the UK education route only.
In either way, whether taking A Level/IB/ADTP, you must take SAT and TOEFL exams. Due to Covid, there is an exemption of taking the SAT for certain colleges for Fall 22/23 admissions yet most sponsorship agents will require you to take the SAT. SAT stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test which mainly emphasises on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (high level college articles with twisting comprehension questions and grammar questions) and the other one is Math (sort of similar to Modern Mathematics SPM but in KBAT way for certain questions). SAT score shows how prepared you are as a college student and thus, achieving good marks in this exam is quite important. I wish I knew earlier about this exam, Huhu, so that I can prepare a lot better. PRACTISE EARLIER. I urge SPM leavers to try to do the SAT exam practice on Khan academy websites if you really plan to go studying in the US. It is all about practice and adapting to tackling the question with strategies. I prefer to use only Khan Academy as it is an official website from the College Board, the SAT board and it is totally free while the other resources may be different from the SAT standard questions. Besides the SAT, you have to take the TOEFL exam, an English ability test that is mainly used for applying to American colleges. It includes Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. Similarly, it's all about practice and familiarising yourself with techniques on how to score. You can refer to the official TOEFL website for exercise and tips.
Besides, when you apply for college, similar to other countries’ college applications, you have to send your end of the year transcript of Form 3, Form 4, Form 5 and SPM. If you take ADTP, you may not have to send any transcript for the foundation year as you are not receiving the final transcript yet. As for my case, I sent my exam results without SAT scores and gladly I got an offer letter! Isn't it great applying to the US just with your SPM and high school results? It is totally okay if certain grades are not good as the GPA of the exam results is not the only indicator of getting admitted to college.
I really hope from what I share on the JPA scholarship and applying to US colleges can be beneficial for all. Hoping the best for you guys to succeed in your tertiary studies. Remember, whatever decision you receive, it is best planned by God. Until then, goodbye!
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