Rejection and failure were not necessarily foreign to me. However, it hurt a bit more knowing my future practically depended on all these scholarship applications and I was losing grasp of nearly half of these opportunities. Therefore, receiving an email from Bank Negara Malaysia at the crack of dawn confirming I am one of their scholars, was emotionally stirring, to say the very least. A mix of pure ecstasy and just questioning reality. I still remember waking up all hazy, reaching for my phone, jolted straight up as I saw a notification indicating I received an email, reading this and its content,
running to my mom and dad, telling them and simply processing everything. After going through strenuous and stressful weeks of essays, interviews, assessments, video production and everything in between, to be able to breathe a sigh of relief after gaining a spot as a BNM scholar was very rewarding. Hence, I think I became more inclined to choose them as they had a soft spot in my heart for ending my days of pressure and expectations. I can say that the decision to stick with BNM’s offer despite receiving other offers probably had to do with them offering it first.
Having said that, it was not the deciding factor. I reached out to seniors whom I knew received these scholarships (do not worry if you do not know any seniors from school because it was the same case for me as well back then, just reach out. Trust me when I say that so many people, albeit strangers are willing to help) asked about their experiences so far, weighed the pros and cons of receiving this scholarship over the others (ehem, the amount of money I can obtain) jokes aside, matters such as which universities will they allow me to go to, the requirements in order to maintain this scholarship and many more. Look ahead, very very far is what I can tell you. Visualize all the potential scenarios. Bear in mind that I (and you, the one reading in the future) was/is basically going to give away years of life to commit to an institution so it was a huge decision to make in terms of which institution I should opt for. Thus, having adults assist me in this decision-making process was crucial. I am privileged enough to have parents who were there for me offering advice and insights but if you do not, find teachers or any adults in your life to garner thoughts from different perspectives. Reading blogs also helped.
Apart from that, there was also these lingering questions of what would I want to dedicate my whole life to? What subject matter am I particularly interested in exploring? Would my offered degree course fulfill this? Scrutinizing and agonizing over every single detail. I know, I know, these might all sound daunting, at least to me it was, expecting an 18-year-old to make a sound and right choice, one that would potentially change her whole journey in life? Scary. Fret not, since in the end, who knows what the right choice was, for all we know, life presents us with many options, there is always something for everyone, go ahead and embrace your choice. Own up to your carefully curated conclusion, that is a step closer to becoming a better you. In the end, I chose to (hopefully) pursue Economics in the United Kingdom under Bank Negara Malaysia. Let me tell you how much I contemplated. I did not even know the existence of this field of study. My knowledge surrounding it was very limited. So, here’s a reminder that it is okay to not make a steadfast decision as soon as possible. Take your time and consider all the possible outcomes. I was very invested in the idea of pursuing Psychology from such a young age and was very delighted to have the chance to apply for it under a few scholarship bodies, but you see life brings you to places you would never have thought you will discover. However, that is a story for another day.
Before I further go off on a tangent, a piece of advice I want to randomly slip in is to go and apply for everything you are eligible for. There is nothing to lose and no heavy consequences will follow, asides from the occasional heartbreaks and emotional damage. Believe me that the experiences you will gain in the process far trumps the pain (but do care for yourself as well ayy, remember your concerns and worries are valid and it is always okay to take a step back or stop if it becomes too burdensome) Sacrificing yourself is a no no but if you can handle it, these scars will teach you so many things and prepare you for the world ahead. I think that wraps up my thought process around choosing the right scholarship for me. Have confidence and trust in yourself. Congratulations in advance if you get selected and always remind yourself that this/these scholarship bodies chose you for a reason, they saw something in you that clicks and makes you fit in the company. On that account, maybe no decision is a wrong decision you know. Have faith and trust that things will always fall in place just like a jigsaw puzzle.
Moving on, to briefly bring you guys on my rollercoaster ride of applying to Bank Negara Malaysia, here is a rundown of how things went
Application Stage & Essay Submission
Submission of Necessary Documents
Kijang Academy
Pre-Assessments (Video Submission and Psychometric Assessment)
Assessment Day (Group Assessment and Individual Interview)
To further elaborate on all these, the start of this thrilling and rocky endeavor is filling up a form about yourself, your family and your achievements both academic and cocurricular. The whole process was relatively simple, and the instructions were understandable. A key thing here is to look out for the important dates and do not stall. Always complete your application before it comes dwindling down to the very last second as that will only cause mayhem and chaos (aha an experienced procrastinator here). The most vital action at this primary stage is writing your essay. Authentic and truly you sum up what the whole essay should revolve around in my personal opinion. Some people may beg to differ, but I truly think that if you stay true to your essence and yourself, nothing will go wrong. The grounds they requested us to cover were along the lines of what makes you a worthy recipient and your future career plan including your resolutions for the nation and the bank itself. If you are reading this before the official scholarship application season begins, good for you. Even so, if you are a bit late to this train, trust me you still have time. I know I have been asking you guys to trust me a lot but just trust me hehe. Why do I say this? Take this opportunity to reflect on every hurdle and moments of your life (both the significant ones and the not-so) Recollect everything you have gone through and establish yourself as an individual. Who are you actually? The majority of us struggle with self-identification and realizing our self-worth but dig down deeper into every crevice of that magnificent brain and you will surely figure out yourself slowly. Every experience is priceless and do not let your insecurities eat you up and convince you otherwise. To be frank, I grappled with this issue, but I realized that I have my strengths and you will soon come upon yours too. The notes app in my phone was a handy companion around this period. I found myself jotting down everything that comes to my head even the smallest of things. It is less about the heights you achieved and more around the lessons you got along the way. I truly think that if you can present yourself as someone who always has room for growth and improvement through your every action and reflection, then that is a huge plus point. It does not necessarily have to be school activities, if you took care of your brothers while studying online and you find an eloquent way to elaborate more on that, you are spot on. Do look out for webinars and Youtube videos that offer tips and tricks. Those came in handy back in my days since I had no one to refer to. I digested a lot and by that, I mean a lot of blogs illustrating their experience so that is a good starting point as well. Matter of fact if you are here reading this very piece of writing, then you are on the right track. Bank Negara Malaysia only required an essay about 500 words so do not worry. Believe in yourself and let your hands (and brain juice) work out magic. Oh, regarding the future plan part, do enough research, remember this is not absolute, rather it is just a way to assess that you have a goal and would not go astray when given the opportunity. Bouncing back from what I said, write about plans that you truly care about, not just a façade. They will question you further on the things you write in your essay so if you just spew bull on your essay, you will find yourself struggling during interview day and we want to prevent that.
Next, they will email you and request for submission of required documents so prepare everything way before application even opens. You will thank me for this one. Go through all the hassle of document prep and settle it quick. Your passport photo and everything related with your parents’ finances and income besides the mandatory birth certificate, identification card, certificates of your achievements and a lot of other things. Make sure everything is in the right format okay. Proceeding with Kijang Academy, the fun part. The psychometric assessment was nothing out of the ordinary, just do not lie about yourself unless you are very sure it would not come biting back at you. The system is configurated in a way that they can catch your white lie, so you see, no point in answering things that are just not you. How do they do this? Repeating questions, paraphrasing them, wording it as if it is something totally different but it is the same essentially. The video submission part was fun, but we were on a time crunch. As I was juggling many other scholarship stages, it was pivotal that I knew which to prioritize and to complete first. Three topics were given. Do not, I repeat do not fall victim to the peer pressure of choosing a said prompt just because you view it as the hardest one or easiest to impress the adjudicators with. Choose the one you have most confidence in. You have full creative freedom on how to produce these videos and in what manner so go all out with it. Some took a goofy approach, a professional one, a laidback vlog-like video and some even sang, me for instance. You can whip out the musical instruments you play or just story tell. I even included quotes from a k-drama I watched and a clip of a k-band artist I stan. Accordingly, just do what you are good at and what you deem as showcasing your truest raw-est self.
Nearing the end already, please stay with me. The esteemed Kijang Academy, a whole day of utilizing your brainpower to the maximum. We started with a group session. Divided into 12-13 people per group (if I recall correctly) our first activity was to choose a background for your video in the call and I chose a hilarious chemistry pun. There was a variety of backgrounds ranging from personal pictures, hobbies and random ones. This is the time where you can see the individuality that every applicant possesses. Loosen up, get to know each other, be amiable and just someone pleasant to have. If you are a bit shy and introverted, no worries take this ice breaking session to ease yourself. This is important since you will be working with a few of them in a much smaller group later. It is totally up to you to determine what route you want to take. A meaningful story is a nice one. To this day, I still remember a fellow applicant’s tale behind her chosen picture, and it made such a huge impact. Now, although we are not under the same scholarship, we reunited in college, so it is fun to see your comrades achieve success as well. There were other exchanges that happened as well, we had to choose the picture we liked the most and explain why. Be genuine. The second session came, and I was with two other people. I do not plan on elaborating much about this part, but my advice is to play to your strengths. I was vocal about my thoughts and objections, but I only interjected at times. The other two were dominant in the discussion but it is okay to not be as present. I would advise against hoarding all ideas, collaborate with your teammates, bounce off each other’s opinion, come to a consensus together and display general great teamwork. Shoutout to my teammates who were intellectually terrific. Do not be afraid to fight for what you believe is right. Be firm with your opinion, reason with and convince your other teammates on why from your perspective, your idea should be accepted. Engage in the discussion and include other people. If you notice a team member going unnoticed or ignored, initiate and prompt him/her to talk. Do not be afraid of other people outshining you, I firmly believe Bank Negara Malaysia does not seek for standouts, instead people who can work well with other individuals are certainly favorable. They will give you an initial outline of what you are expected to present about. It might seem tough, but you can power through this with the help of other people on your team. Play a role, not necessarily the leader per say you can oversee the calculation parts or be the note-taker or the moderator, it’s up to you to decide.
Lastly, your very last resort of convincing Bank Negara Malaysia that you are a promising candidate. The individual interviews. This type of interviews is always nerve-wracking at first yet as you go through more and more, you will surely be more adjusted to it. I would not blatantly lie and say they will not hammer you on certain things, but they are a very nice and encouraging panel. It is crucial that you have enough knowledge on the basis of the central bank, what they do and their purpose? One thing I did was look through all the corporate social responsibilities that these institutions uphold and try to relate to it wherever it fits. Be ready and prepared for both personal questions and the more career-revolved ones. I recall being asked what can data science do for bank negara? I also remember being questioned about something I wrote in my essay. Basically, they had asked me to elaborate more on the inclusive e-payment system for the disabled that I wrote about. Thankfully, I managed to tell them that I was inspired by watching social experiments on YouTube and the example of McDonalds e-payment system so yeah if you know your stuffs then you have nothing to worry about. Pro tip: Bank looks for people who have a cause/causes to fight for, who could not care less about money and who is passionate in helping people and deriving change. I think that is the end of me trying to form coherent sentences at midnight so toodles yall. Have fun, enjoy the process and absorb as much as you can. Remember to always give back to the society. Goodluck in your future endeavors.
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