Shake well before use!
so sayeth the great instruction on my deodorant.
a few things are on my mind today...nothing of great importance, but its just been bugging me.
BUT I TRIED SO HARD! (sad face)
if you know me, and you know how i feel about my studies, you'll know that most times i just half-ass things. like assignments. essays. exams. and i do well! the thing is i always know i could have put more effort into it, but i do well when i half-ass things, and when i DO bother to put in effort and really feel passionate (well, as much as i can) about what i'm studying and i enjoy it, i dont do well!
for example:
- recently in my educ 113 course i've been just turning up for tutorial tests with very litle knowledge, and i'm doin well. scoring 7/10, 8/10 and even 9/10 once! bloody hell..
- eng 111 - i like what i'm reading, and i tried very hard with the essay, and i got a B-...wtf?!
- AS first time round...i tried very hard for sociology and lit, couldnt care much about maths (well..i never liked it anyways, and i'm so glad i dont do anything mathematical anymore..besides counting money and interest rates and taxes) and i was terrible!
- second time round with AS and eventually A2 - i hated what i studied to a certain extent, and i did the best out of my batch.
i'm not trying to brag here, because i know there are people out there who put in way more effort than i do in their studies and dont do as well..what i'm trying to say is that if i have good results in my studies, i want to be able to say that i put a lot of effort into it. rather than going "oh yea...i kinda just half assed it"..
maybe its cause i'm so accustomed to thinking and writing for education papers and so on that its like second nature to me. if you need tips for doing well in an a-level sociology paper i can tell you how :P
- you MUST know your important names very well, and inside out. in the exam they dont seem to be bothered by dates of research, but you must remember WHO did WHAT and WHY This is important, and you MUST EVALUATE IT. plus, you MUST be able to retrieve this information quickly in your head, cause you dont have much time to plan in an exam.
- you must know how to manipulate one theory/research to answer different types of questions. how are you going to use it? is it as a supporting point? if it is you need to be able to show a very strong link to your point and show the connection to the question (choose your words very carefully). if it is as a contrast (eg: this is not like A because this is C and is like this therefore A is....) then be very very concise.
- PRACTICE. do lots of past year papers (overprescribed advice but it works). another way of practice, and this is particularly useful for the 3 hour A2 paper. time practice. get an A2 paper and within 5 mins, plan out an essay for a question. this will be particularly useful for time management too. you need to pressure yourself to do well.
- STRATEGY. spend more time and effort into the questions with heavier weightage, because obviously, these have more points.
dont dilly-dally on questions that are worth 9 marks, when you could be spending more time and effort for a question worth 16 marks. its so simple and straightforward, but its so easy get carried away and forget the time. EYES ON THE CLOCK! - DONT STOP WRITING. if you get stuck on one question, or are not sure how to continue elaborating, finish your last sentence, or word if you cant finish your sentence. leave a few pages and move on to the next question you know how to tackle. the exam booklet is huge, so dont worry if you take up so many pages. if examples or points come up to you and can support your argument, WRITE IT DOWN! its no loss if you do. BUT show a very coherent and clear link. thats the most important thing
- GOOD HANDWRITING. i know its hard when you have to write so much and your shoulder feels like its getting so stiff it hurts and your fingers feel numb. TOUGHEN UP if you want an A so bad.
- also, if you do well in your AS, (eg, all A's in your papers) you're pretty much ok for A2.
if you're going to do your a-levels and have read all your material and know it inside out, and know how to answer questions, you'll be fine.
why the hell am i writing about that?? geez...well, i hope it'll help people out there. also, teachers and their commitment to your success have to be commended.
i wanted to write about something else too but i forgot what now.
oh yes, tertiary education
Tertiary Education
now that i look at tertiary education in malaysia i feel really lucky that im here in auckland. even though its not a course i would have ever chosen to do, top uni in nz or otherwise, the teaching staff here is very committed, resources aplenty etc etc. of course i know that as an international student, i'm worth a LOT of money here, scholarship some more.
its just sad how some people back home who have tremendous potential enroll in local uni's, private or public, and may not get the quality education they invested in.
it doesnt help that there's that quota system in public uni's in msia.
i dont know how valid the argument is regarding the poor quality of spoken english among uni students at home.
i dont know how marketable they are on graduation. i remember seeing an employment fair for graduates in seremban once. and there were so many..*ahem* people there. many of whom seem to be wearing tudungs. hell, its seremban ok? i dont know if that was reflective of the situation in the entire nation.
the name university of auckland kinda sells itself. degree in? education (roll eyes) still...auckland uni.
i really hope rachel gets to go to scotland to study. i know she really wants to and i know she has the potential to do well there.
its a pity malaysia doesnt have space or resources to develop some of these really capable individuals. i mean its great that people want a tertiary education, if only to get a job. but at the same time, we're devaluing education by churning out graduates like this.
also education in malaysia is very political. knowledge is extremely political. who are we keeping out and letting in? etc etc...
damn all this ranting. maybe i should stop adding cinnamon in my coffee...