A Step Forward...

InsyaAllah, this coming September, I’ll become a second year student in University of Malaya (UM). A senior. A medical student.

A step forward towards career. Towards adulthood. Towards maturity. Towards… the end of the journey.

And here I am now, reminiscing myself over a year ago. Where did I stand, what did I do, how did I get here. Oh, so many memories. And now, looking back to that time, I am really grateful over what had happened to me.

Alhamdulillah.

Seriously, I can’t believe that time flies very fast. And now, there’s another batch of people that’ll enrol the universities and other institutions. I’m pretty sure they’re very excited, enthusiastic and there are even some of them feeling anxious.

Of course, being in a new environment makes us anxious. We need to adapt. We need to prepare. We need to….. give ourselves a chance to become better. A better person. A better student. A better Muslim (or whatever your religions are.)

The first step?

Ok, the first thing you need to do is straighten up your niat (intentions). Why do you want take up this course? What would I want to achieve as I graduated? What kind of contributions that I can give to the community?

Bear this in mind. The grades and CGPA are only numbers. The important things are your ACHIEVEMENT, SKILLS, CHARACTER and ATTITUDE. So, don’t be too proud of your high pointer if your attitude is not that great. What’ll become of you? I’d say just like the sand. It will be blew by the wind and GONE.

Bye bye!

This is of the utmost importance. Take care of yourselves. Yes, there’s no one to control us anymore. We are free now. Not bound to so many rules as in the school ground, the matriculation or even our own home. All in all, the decision is yours. To be a pearl or to be the sand. Choose. Whatever your decisions today makes you tomorrow.

Do’s and don’ts

Actually, before enrolling into UM, I joined a Facebook group which is created especially for medical-student-to-be which will enrol on 4th September 2011. There’s this one particular long ADVICE from our senior. And this is it :

Assalamualaikum!

The other seniors have told you a lot, and this is from me. Read with an open heart ♥

1. Dont ever brag about your 4flat results, because all of us are. And 4flat doesnt guarantee you to score an A.

2. Dont ever brag about your background. From SBP, MRSM or other known schools, because it also doesnt guarantee you to get an A.

3. Dont waste your time, believe me, u will regret at the end.

4. Never aim for PASS only, but aim for an A. dont feel proud of getting pass, only proud when u get an A.

5. Expect the worse, dont be too confident. Its not easy to pass, but its not difficult to fail.

6. Mix around, because when u'll be a doctor, u eventually will meet people. Soft skills are also important eventho it wasnt taught in class. Get to know your batchmates and seniors.

7. Do all your practicals and tutorials by urself, ask others if only u already tried & cant find the answers. U'll learn more by doing it.

8. Ask questions if u dont understand. Dont feel embarassed or shy or feels like u r the only one who doesnt know it. Just ASK! Dont be a passive student in class. And prepare before class. Read your notes!

9. Dont skip class. When you already missed one class, u tend to skip other classes also. Lectures are IMPORTANT. SO IMPORTANT.

10. Be consistent in ur study. Dont study last minute, it wont work.

11. Be positive and have faith in yourself. Everyone can do it, why cant u?

Apa2 pun, prove to us, that you are a better than us! 

Follow our good steps, and make our mistake as ur guideline. 

Dont ever2 hanyut dengan temptations dekat sini.

Balance your study with other things too.

Indeed, a very good one. Strike!!!

Thanks a lot to the seniors, I’ve gotten a bit of overview of what my life would be if I were to be a medical student. And what would become of me if I were to not prepare myself properly.

Err.. it’s a bit scary though. Hehe.

Well, just leave it at that. Now, for those who’re in the verge of entering a new world as I would say, you’d better be prepared. You’re about to go into a war, into a battle (a bit exaggerated there I suppose).

I know that many of us came from different backgrounds, different cultures, different lifestyle and different grades. But, bear in mind, once you step into the university grounds, we are all the same.

We’ve gotten the same chance and opportunity. So, don’t ever you look yourselves down. Definitely don’t think too highly of yourselves.

First thing first as Stephen R. Covey stated in his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Prioritise. Studies, student activities, college activities, etc. I’m not going to advise you to shut yourselves from people and just study. That’s a BIG NO.

Indulge yourselves in activities. This is the time for you to gain new experience. Make yourselves useful. Give and contribute something to the community. Believe me, I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy it. So, give it a try.

And especially for medical students, you should know that you should pick up the habits of READING and UNDERSTANDING. Well, that’s because there’s no such thing as spoon-feeding here. Don’t just count on the lecture notes because it is not enough. (I’m not sure about other courses though, sorry.)

READ, READ and READ more. Prepare yourselves before entering any tutorials or whatever classes. Because this will help you to understand better. And believe me, you’re going to be questioned by the lecturers. Or you’ll maybe be asked to explain to the class about certain concepts. Err….

Don’t be shy to ask any questions. There’s no such thing as SILLY QUESTION. Well, because actually, there’s someone who wants to ask the same question but just too embarrassed to ask. Maybe he/she doesn’t want to look dumb, I suppose. Hmm..

We are bound to make mistakes. And… we learn from that. Haven’t you heard about this saying, experience is the best teacher?

Well, that’s pretty much what had happened to me.

Exciting experience

You know, you can get many new experiences. And.. you may get a whole new view about life. Why’s that? Well, maybe you’ll get to befriend a foreigner? Or maybe you’ll get to learn about new cultures? Or maybe you’ll get yourselves in awkward situations? Maybe you’ll encounter many problems and learn how to handle it? Who knows?

If you join college projects or other student activities, that’s a lot more exciting. You may get to become a facilitator in a camp, or you may get to see famous people all around Malaysia! There’s also a chance for you to go to other countries! Fuiyyo!

Oh, and this one is interesting. My first experience of seeing the cadavers. You know what? I lost my appetite for the whole week. Whole week! But then again, I’ve gotten used to it after a few times. And I even got a chance to dissect a cadaver. Wow! A big applause for me! That’s why we should respect them for we can study anatomy using their dead bodies.

What I like the most is I can enjoy variety of food. Ahha! Located in the centre of KL, UM is a very strategic place. Just imagine, Mid Valley is just a stone throw away and there’s pasar malam every Monday and Friday near the LRT station. Plus, Petaling Jaya got many interesting and unique restaurants. Yay! (That made my younger brother envious of me. Hehe.)

Nyum! Nyum!

Okayyyy. Now I think I’m a bit off the topic. Sorry about that. But all in all, that’s pretty much what I can write about life in the campus. For those who’ll be a part of UM, I welcome you all.

That’s all for now. I’ve got to go now. It’s already dzuhur time. Ok, see you next time.

 p/s : entri kali dalam bi sebab terpengaruh dengan oh! my english. hehe.