The Visit

We went to JPA this morning to make inquiry. It's true, she will be sent to AIMST. I asked the officer in-charged if the keputusan is "muktamad" and she answered me with a firm "Yes".

So, no chance to appeal to go overseas. She said even if we got it, it'll be Russia or Indonesia. I think, in that case, better study here.

From what I gathered, my daughter didn't get the overseas scholarship because of our income bracket. According to them, students are assessed based on 4 criterias: 1) exam results, 2) co-curicular activities, 3) interview session, and 4) family background.

The first 2,000 students who met the criteria would be sent overseas whereas the next 2,000 would be sent to study at a local private institution. For Nadira, I think she scored highly for the first 3 but the fourth one pulled down her overall rating. Hence, she's given a place to study locally.

Besides AIMST, there are 3 other places where JPA send their students locally: Sunway College (Monash Univ), Sedaya College (in Subang) and Cyberjaya. We're going to appeal for Sunway/Monash. At least it's closer to home. But the officer said chances are slim coz a lot of people are appealing. We'll give it a try anyway. Kalau ada rezeki, dapat. If not, my daughter is quite resigned to the fact that she has to do her Medical degree in Kedah.

Although we are not delighted, we looked at it positively:

1) At least she got the scholarship. Out of 100,000 applicants, only 4,000 were given scholarships. We should be grateful for that. Nak finance sendiri, tak mampu. And she doesn't want to do any other courses.

2) Upon many inquiries (sampai peninglah malam tadi), my daughter said AIMST is not that bad. The lecturers are mostly from India and the level of teaching is quite good. I guess, this is just like studying Medicine in India, only done here in Kedah.

3) Her objective is to complete her Medical degree as soon as possible. After that, she plans to specialize and for this, she could go overseas. Masih ada peluang ke luar negara.

My husband and I are quite relieved that she is quite firm in her decision. And she wants to give is a try. Kalau dia yang jenis mati2 nak pegi overseas jugak, susahlah we all.

When she asked me just now, "Are you ok with me studying locally?" It just broke my heart. I wish we could send her to the UK to give her a chance to experience life in a foreign country but our hands are tight.

We have to admit that times are hard and it's very competitive for students to do Medic in good countries like UK or Ireland. Those who got the overseas scholarships must be well-deserving and we are not challenging JPA's decision.

Perhaps, like what some of you said, there's a blessing in disguise. Perhaps there's a silver lining somewhere... I don't know.

But I know for a fact that wherever she goes, she will do well. I only hope she'll be happy with the new living environment and she won't be too depressed to study.

So, what we're going to do now is appeal for Sunway/Monash. And this weekend, we are going to Kedah to check out AIMST!

Alright!

(subject to my husband's willingness to drive up North at the end of school holiday)

Comments

Anonymous said…
Mrs N,

I am glad that you all have accepted that. To me, getting a place to do medicine is already excellent. To do it overseas is just a bonus.

I have many friends and a few relatives who are brilliant doctors (specialists) and they are the product of local Universities. Nadira can always specialise and sub specialise overseas later. And we have brilliant lecturers such as Superwoman's hubby :)

I have 1 nephew and 1 niece who are doing medicine in India and Indonesia. They are always here during semester break coz living there it's not that good. At least Nadira only need to hop on a bus/plane to come home.

I don't know if JPA also has the gender quota. A few years ago, a niece couldn't get a place despite getting 3.9 for her matric, and now another nephew is so lucky to get into USM with 3.89.

All the best for your appeal. Congratulations for securing a scholarship!

Busybody
zaitgha said…
Mrs N,

Been reading you posting silently since your zoo trip....and now abt ur daughter predicament...i have to agree with BB there, i have a few doctor friends doing well though they graduated locally....

Go check out the place and all the best to Nadira....
busymum100 said…
MrsN,

Nadira is right when she said AIMST is not that bad, after all. She said the campus is much bigger than PMC (Penang Medical College). The only plus point of PMC is because students get to go to Dublin half of the course duration.

The only irony is, if she's doing it locally, she might as well do it at IPTA which obviously have better facilities (with government's continuous fundings & many specialists/professors/etc. But then, for that Nadira will have to take up matric and ensure that she get's 4 flat (itu pun tak gerenti a place). And when she's in matric, she still has the choice to opt for other courses if she wants (which is not the case here, because she is sure of her ambition).

Other students are willing to pay to study at AIMST because their results may not be good, and they want to get a place to take up medic.

Whatever your family decides, I wish Nadira all the best. I know she'll excel in any place she goes.

Oh, Intan must be proud of her!!
busymum100 said…
My "she" in the first line refers to Nuni, and not Nadira! Nuni's the one who said AIMST is not that bad.
JALAN REBUNG said…
salam Mrs N,

AIMST is located in Bedong about 10km from Sungai Petani. It happens to be my "kampung" which means at least 2 times every year I'll pass by AIMST.

Few positive things about AIMST :

1) Location is really suitable to study which is quite far from the nearest happening town that is Sungai Petani

2) Living expenses will be very low and at the end of the semster your daughter should have lots of extra money to be spent

3) One more thing ...everytime you visit your daughter , do not forget to go to a small fisherman village called Tanjung Dawai...they have one of the best and cheapest makan place for IKAN BAKAR ...

anyway ..congrats again

RIZAL
Kak Teh said…
My niece was offered India and while others wanted Ireland and the UK, she is so happy there - people are friendly and lots to learn. Admittedly, they sleep on hard beds and the rooms leave a lot to be desired, but she has learnt a lot out of this experience in India. And then again, you come back and appreciate what you have back home. I am sure you will excell in whatever situation. Take it as a challenge.
Anonymous said…
Dear MrsNordin

you might want to visit www.msu.edu.my. I offers Foundation of Medical Studies (FMS) after which the students have options to go to India (Bangalore), Indonesia, Ukraine or continue at the same U.

Thank you
UrbAnWiTch said…
i wanted to comment in your earlier post semalam, but terlena..cepatnya ada another new entry.

All i want to say is that i believe local unis such as USM/UM/UKM has good medical faculties and facilities, compared to their private counterparts, especially the new ones.

but Nadira will shine wherever she goes because of her right attitude..

yes, go check out the place.
good luck Nadira!
good Luck Mom and Dad too..
Anonymous said…
Hi kak Bj,

It's been a long time not reading your posts as i was busy with my clinical postings.Thank god I managed to pass my 2nd year and now officially a 3rd year med student.I am a MARA scholar currently doing MBBS in Bangalore [under MSU].Life is hard here but not for us.With sufficient scholarship [even excess], we lead a comfortable life. India offers first hand experiences with patients starting from 2nd year [which means years of direct practice even before u get your degree].JPA do send their scholars here. You can email me anytime at shaineali@gmail.com. I plan to finish my undergraduate here [which offers extensive clinical skills] and continue my post-graduation in UK [to learn their technology in pediatric surgery]. Hopefully, I can come back home with skills from both world.

I wish Nadira all the best!
Anonymous said…
Mrs N,
Alhamdulillah...

AMIST isnt a bad place after all... i know someone, who's in her final year in AMIST. she likes the place after all...

You may wanna check out ths blog, a medic student studies in Surabaya - hansongal.blogspot.com
Anonymous said…
Congratulations to Nadhira.

I know/heard some of the best doctors/medical faculties here in the US came from India. I heard India has some of the best higher education systems in the world (mostly medicine, sciences and info tech) - so having faculties mostly from india is NOT a bad thing.

Goodluck to Nadhira - kita pun tumpang proud.

Farizahb

ps. Checkout some of US major Unis and you'll see many professors are from India and was educated in India.
Anonymous said…
Mrs N,

My neighbour's son graduated in medicine from Cambridge. The first thing he did after graduating was to open a computer shop. He could't have been any happier running the store.

Tonto
AuntieYan said…
Salam Mrs. N,

Congretulation to Nadira and to you too!

Tumpang gumbira!
the principal said…
I believe if you have strong will, passion, determination...letaklah kat ceruk dunia mana pun, you'll succeed. If these qualities not in you, ltklah kat universiti yg paling best pun, it wont be of much help.

Give Nadira a chance to prove that even in tough situations, she can succeed. There will be many hurdles, challenges, inconveniences along the way & if she can overcome these hurdles, I'm sure she will become a better person; intellectually, emotionally, spiritually.... Have faith in her.

Just remember Allah is fair, dia tidak menjadikan sesuatu dgn sia2. Mesti ada rahmat di sebalik setiap kejadian...
Desert Rose said…
Mrs N,

Yess d dusun is still intact. and U r most welcome to visit. Just give My cousin Lyana a tinkle, so she'll arrange wth my dad he he.

Ya, i think its good to b positive, like i said before of course la Sammy will ensure his baby produce d creme de la creme, mana mau kakah.. So Nadira will benefit from it all la kan. Afterall, study kat situ tak byk gangguan and distraction, peaceful.

Talk about distant, eleh I balik SP all d time thru n fro, mcm kl-shah alam je....bila dah biasa tak terasa.Penat drive, ambik flight. But its closer to Penang than Alor Setar airport.

And gud luck with the appeal.Afterall she can do her post grad overseas, fat chance, fat scholar. Muda2 pergi pun risau, dah matured sket ok. And I have 3 friends in sp who are medical doctors and now pursuing their masters in various field, if Nadira mg confirm pergi Kedah, n she need any help regarding study, just tell me ok. Maybe text book ke or nak tanya ape2 k....Insyallah, usaha dan tawakkal. U dah doakan yg terbaik untk dia, n this is what she gets, so mungkin inilah yg terbaik. Mana tau kalau dia dpt pergi mana2 ada problem lain pulak lateron. Hikmah tu kita akan nampak bila sampai masanya.
MrsNordin said…
Hi Busybody,

Thanks for your kind comment. You are right, getting a place to do Medicine is already excellent. We should be thankful.

I don't know if JPA practiced gender quota. There must be something wrong with your niece's application, otherwise she shouldn't have any problem with getting a place at univ with her 3.9 point average. Where is she now, btw?
MrsNordin said…
Zaithga,

Hi! Sorry I haven't been visiting your blog lately. Yours not the only one..

Thanks for your kind comment. I believe, wherever you are, if you had the right attitude to excel, you'll do well be it locally or abroad. I'm sure there are some fine doctors from local univs as well, just like your friends.

Cheers!
Nadira Nordin said…
Thank you everybody for your advice and support! I'm quite sad that I'll missing a chance to study abroad right now, but like Desert Rose said, I could try and go when I'll be doing my masters/specialisation later. So for now, it looks very much like I'll be doing my degree here. But that's ok. Quality of education in M'sia is not bad too, kn? :)
MrsNordin said…
Hi Busymum,

Thanks for the info. That's very helpful.

I'm not sure if the local IPTA had better facilities. I think we'll just take it one step at a time. We don't want to miss any opportunities loss along the way.

Wherever it is, we'll know very soon. Thanks for your kind support. Yes, I'm sure her mum must be very proud of her.
MrsNordin said…
Hi Rizal,

Hmmm... Tanjung Dawai... that sounds interesting. The last time I was in Kedah was in 1989, that's a good 20 years ago. My husband is worse, he has never been there! So this would be a good opportunity to scout around.

Nampaknya, ramai orang Kedah kat sini, no... buleh buat sedagha! Hee.. hee... Thanks for your kind input and have a nice day!
MrsNordin said…
Hi Kak Teh,

I always believe, wherever you are, you must make the most of what you have to gain the best experience from it.

Be it India, Indonesia, UK, Kedah or Australia, one must learn to accept the new living environment and make the best of it. I hope my daughter would do the same.

Thanks for your kind advise and enjoy the sun!
MrsNordin said…
Hi Anon,

Thanks. We shall check it out.


Urbanwitch,

Hi again. I think, we'll take this one step at a time. Tak nak nanti, yang ini terlepas, yang itu pun tak dapat. Lagi susah.

Actually, she got an offer from UM earlier, but she turned it down becoz she was waiting for the JPA offer.
ummisara said…
Mrs.N,

betoi kata Desert Rose tuh...tak derlah jauh pun AIMST tuh. Nadira will get her chance later on to study abroad for her specialization kan...gud luck to Nadira...

and i believe she'll excell.


Nadira,

i salute ur spirit. Go girl...
MrsNordin said…
Hi Shaine,

Congratulations for passing your 2nd year in Medic school! Well done!

I had almost forgotten about you becoz it has been a long time since I saw your name here.

I'm sure Bangalore is a good place to study. Many of the lecturers at AIMST come from there.

I hope you'll do well in Medic school and come out as a good Pediatrician. There are not many Malay pediatrians that I know of, so you make sure you become one.

Take care and all the best!
MrsNordin said…
Hi Anon,

Yes, I've heard of that as well. I'm sure there are some good points about that place too. We'll keep our fingers crossed.
MrsNordin said…
Hi Tonto,

Your neighbour's son graduated in Medic from Cambridge but opened a Computer shop? Sigh... he shouldn't have done Medic in the first place because it's so obvious he's not interested in that profession.

The scholarship should have been given to a more deserving candidate, don't you think?
MrsNordin said…
Hi Farizah,

Thanks. I heard that too about India. A doctor friend went there for a clinical visit and he said, India has the best facilities to study Medicine.

Btw, how's the new Mummy doing? And how's the baby? I haven't been checking my FB so I don't know any updates from you. Hope everything is swell.
MrsNordin said…
Hi Auntie Yan,

Thanks! Kita sama2 tumpang gumbira!
MrsNordin said…
Hi Principal,

I agree 100% with you. If you don't have the right attitude, taruk kat Oxford sekali pun, tak gerenti boleh excel.

I just hope the living environment in that place is not too boring. Kalau dapat kat you, boleh panjat pagar agaknya! Hee... hee...
MrsNordin said…
Desert Rose,

I believe so that place would be a good place to study. Far away from the madding crowd.

But if the student tu jenis yang asyik nak keluar je, I don't think he/she would like this place.

Oh, and thanks for the offer about contacting your doctor friends in SP. Will definitely let you know if we need any help.

And on your dad's dusun durian, tunggu you balik kampung lah. Baru best!! Hee... hee..!

Thanks again!
MrsNordin said…
Edelweiss,

Thanks!
busymum100 said…
Busybody, MrsN and others,

Yes, somehow there is this "quota" among genders. JPA needs to balance the distribution. Even as it is now, only 1/3 or less are boys.

Nk masuk sekolah asrama pun, boys stand better chance - ni i dengar sendiri from my alma-mater's pengetua. Bukan apa, just because girls perfom better!

Sama macam cikgu-cikgi, kalau kat klang valley ni, mostly ladies. kalau male teacher minta transfer to klang valley senang je dpt, but ladies, susah. Kalau dpt pun sb "mengikut suami", tu pun kekadang kena tunggu queue!

yeah, i am still online, but going back to KB soonm, adios!
Mama Huptihup said…
MrsN,

orang cerdik ni, hantar lah belajar kat mana pun, mesti akan success :D, so i am sure Nadira will do fine...

if u are in SP buzz me k..my phone is 016-4247503 :D
min said…
Mrs N
NOOOOOOOOOO.... pls dont travel on the north-south highway over the weekend, esp ths coming weekend.. trust me, i know. i was caught in jam last weekend, pg to kl... it was so bad.. travel during weekdays if u can..
oh ya, nadira... congrats.. ur parents must be proud of u.
MrsN... there is a silver lining out there..
take care
MrsNordin said…
Busymum,

Really? They do have gender preference? It's so unfair.

Have a good time in KB. Enjoy the drive.... :)
MrsNordin said…
Hi Lyana,

Thanks for your number. If we ever go, I'll definitely give you a call.

Cheers!

p/s we were talking about you over lunch, me & your kak yani. and we bought shoes. hee... hee....
MrsNordin said…
Min,

Oh, thanks for the reminder. In that case, we'll postpone going there to another day. This weekend seems pretty bad. Even in KL, the jam is rather horrendous today!

Take care!
ms hart said…
MrsN, congratulations to Nadira..so sweet part dia tanya whether you are ok about her studying locally. But to me she's very matured about the whole thing. InsyaAllah, like the rest said, kalau dah terang hati tu, kat cerok mana pun, she'll do very well. Amin. Tell her, aunties semua nih doakan dia. For sure there's rahmat behind all these, kan?

p/s I ketinggalan keretapi. Baru tanya kak Ezza, mango juice yang sedap tu kat Bilal ke kat Insaf? Now that I dah 'buat revision' your past entries, baru tahu jawapan...ya, it's at Insaf!! Huuiiii...terkenang-kenang nih!!
Anonymous said…
Hi woman, long time no see & talk.

Kalau nadira accepted the asasi sains hayat UM offer tu dulu, well, guess facilities tua je la kot. Good thing, dekat. MBBS UM pun common.

So betul la tu blessing in disguise.

Perhaps someone is right about samy pun sure takmo kalah. Cumanya jenuh bau rempah kari la kot. hihi.

Trip jauh la sikit. But remember how Syani dragged us for that 1 day trip kl-penang-kl-penang-kl?

Shes doing alright kat kolej tetengah bendang nun. Focus, takde distractions.
Nearest pekan pun seberang jaya and sungai petani.
Now dah pandai. Naik bas KMPP balik kl cuti semester nanti.

Nadira surely boleh too.

All the best to you, girl.

~gf @ office~
MrsNordin said…
Hi Ms Hart,

Long time no see you here. After that "incident" hari tu, you pun dah jarang2 update your blog ya? Tak apa lah... it'll come back.

Thanks for your well wishes. Will keep you updated.

You pun selalu pegi Insaf dulu, ya? Hee.. hee... tempat kan jatuh lagi dikenang, ya...?
MrsNordin said…
Hi girlfriend!!

I'm glad to hear Syani is doing well in college. Iya.. aku ingat cerita engkau tu. Cerita kat Nordin, dia geleng kepala and said, "That would really test one's patience..."

Aku cakap kat Nadira, kalau dia gi situ, sure dia dapat Indian boyfriend. Hee.. hee... she likes Indian food, so it should be ok!
tireless mom said…
Hi BJ

Congrats to Nadira for getting a place in AIMST. All have been said, I am sure she will excel wherever she studies. My brother, doctor product UKM and he has excelled in his univ as well as career. Janji they have the will.

SP is not that bad lah. Nice place to stay and peaceful. Lyana ada kat situ sure boleh menyinggah cos lalu betul depan rumah dia.
Hi MrsN,

Congrats to Nadira. I believe doing medicine locally is equally good..:). Tak pe, nanti bila nak specialise in something can do it abroad..good luck Nadira!
Kmar said…
BJ,

I never heard AIMST before. Masa zaman kita tak banyak private high institutions.

I am very happy for Nadira that she is being SPONSORED to study medicine. Tak kira la local or overseas. Bukannya senang to come out with such big amount of money. Competition is tough.

Now, she just need to proof herself that in future (insyallah) she deserves to further study overseas.

Btw,goodluck with the appeal!!
BJ congratulations!!! Wahhhh!! its not easy to get a scholarship and we look forward to DOCTOR NADIRAH in a few years time!!

Who cares where you go when you get to call yourself DOCTOR mannnnnnn- lainler LOYAR>..tu kena university KAUKAU sebab so competitve! hahaha

Cheerup!

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