Factum Per Litteras

I am now a free woman!! Woohooo!!! =D


This marks the end of my Foundation program in Swinburne.


Just now was the most terrifying subject in my whole entire life! Cos the first test which is the Mid-Semester test was so hard, I failed. 10 more marks and I could've passed. I have never been this afraid to fail. Even though last time Add Maths was hard to me, I didn't care cos I attend government school. It didn't matter if I fail cos I don't pay much for school fees. But for Engineering Physics, it's a whole different story. It hard. And worse still, I'm in a private university which means I pay a lot for it. Though my parents aren't paying for it, I still have to maintain my grades in order for Yayasan Sarawak to continue funding me.


Moreover, if I fail the subject, to resit it alone already costs RM300. And if I do fail again for the resit, I have to repeat the subject alone for another semester. Which also means, I have to pay RM1000++ just for that. Meaning to say, I literally CAN'T AFFORD TO FAIL.


And this is actually a good thing. Ever since studying in a private university, I try not to take things for granted. Because if I start doing so, I might have to pay a high price for it. So I can say that studying in a private university is much better than studying in a government one. Cos money is a very strong drive. And it can drive you to do better.


I hear some of my brother's friends saying that studying in a private university (aka Swinburne) only encourages you to play. I beg to differ. It's not true! You pay a lot so you CANNOT afford to fail! This statement is coming from Bumis alright. And I know some Bumis think that they are only confined to government university only because most of us come from middle class families who have moderate incomes so they want to make use of their Bumi status to get into government unis. So they tend to think that they can't get the best and can't afford and hence, there's no hope for entering private uni. It's entirely not true for Swinburne. There is hope for Bumiputeras. In fact, they make Bumis first priority for Yayasan Sarawak loans. You practically don't pay back until you graduate and have a job. But grades have to be maintained in order for them to continue funding you. In a way, Taib's paying for you through Yayasan Sarawak cos the money comes from Sarawak's timber.


So to commemorate my time here in Swinburne, I shall tell you my story of how I got into Swinburne...



Actually I had an offer to go for KML (Kolej Matrikulasi Labuan) but I didn't want it. At the time, I wasn't really ready to leave Kuching and I want to go for private university. But my results wasn't good to get a scholarship to enter a good private uni. So decided to settle for Form 6. I tried to get in to Form 6 but the school authorities just didn't want to encourage me to do so, saying that I have better opportunities to go for local unis if I go for KML. I still didn't want to.


Go home kinda bummed. I had a dilemma. Then the though of Swinburne came to mind. My best friends know that I mati-mati don't want to ever go Swinburne. But at the time, I guess I was desperate. I didn't even know if I could even pay for it. So I just told my parents "Hey, why don't we just take a look? I mean, we don't have to commit to it right? We just eksen2 go just to inquire about the courses available. Who knows? I might have a chance." I just wanted to try push my luck. You never know when you can have a chance.


So after inquiring and showing my results, Azreen (the girl who attended to us) got excited after seeing my results. She said that I am entitled for Yayasan Sarawak's scholarship loan which means that after I graduate, I pay half the total of my loan. Of course, my dad, mom and I were thrilled because I have the opportunity to study in a private uni. Immediately, I signed-up for Swinburne without hesitating cos this is a golden opportunity.


Truly, I do believe that it was divine intervention. I mean, I could've dwelled in the thinking that I have no hope in going for a private university but I obeyed the prompting that God placed in my heart to just go to Swinburne. It takes obedience. When it is God's will, He will make a way for you. In my case, He made a way for me. My parents aren't forking out the money for my course fee. They only paid for the entrance fee which is under RM200. And the rest, was God's providence in the form of Yayasan Sarawak Scholarship Loan.


This is my story. To all Bumis out there, especially Bidayuhs and Ibans, don't give up hope. If you can have the best, go get it. You have Bumiputera status. Make full use of it to get the best. I don't want to settle for places like KML or UiTM. They have lectures in a hall crammed with many students with one lecture and sometimes, a busted air cond. I don't call that a conducive learning environment. At Swinburne, everything is in good condition. You don't have that many people in one class. I've got good lecturers too. Everything there just very canggih....and I am happy that I can be a part of it. And I thank God for the opportunity to be able to study in a good university like Swinburne.


By the way, did you know that our crest has a Swine aka a PIG in it?