A Scroll of Degree: Everybody's Determination

In the main hall of the Cultural Activity Centre, UIAM Gombak Campus, Kuala Lumpur

Who on earth doesn’t dream of procuring a scroll of degree? Tell me. Pretty convinced that everybody does if they’ve truly got an opportunity. Even school children have dreamt of holding a scroll of degree ever since their first day entering a school, have they not? 

 

Alhamdulillah… alhamdulillah. Too incredible to believe that I’m now one of them whose dream has come true. Back in the 90’s, I wasn’t even amongst top-notch pupils and was only a so-so pupil with poor academic achievement. 

10/10/11 was such beautiful numbers! Not only that, it will ever be a very historical, momentous date in my life. What made it special for me? It’s the day when my dream to hold a scroll of degree was a daydream no more, Convocation Day. 

Besides calling it my Big Day, it’s also a day of recognition for an ex-undergraduate student like me after 4 years burning the midnight oil at Uni. It’s the day when I was so looked up to by the ceremony and was to walk elegantly on the red carpet, just like a walking popular celebrity attending Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian. Ha! Ha! I know the ‘award of the year’ is the most genuine and priceless present for my caring, beloved parents, teachers, siblings, etc. Thanks a lot for all the support.

To be frank, my academic performance in the preceding course, BEN (Foundation of English Language) was terribly poor. No A’s except Arabic. My final CGPA at the Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS), IIUM was lower than 3.0. Despite the lower CGPA, I should still be proud of myself for being among the earliest 6 BEN graduates of the centre whose matric no began with 061xxx. Subsequently, we’re offered by the Uni to further studies in bachelor’s degree and the course was BHSc (English Language and Literature) with honours at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa, Gombak Campus. 

Did I do well with the same course?

Things changed after I was accepted by the Institute of Education of IIUM to be one of the Bachelor of Education TESL students. In fact, I used to apply TESL at Maktab Perguruan but my application was rejected. I believe that every cloud has a silver lining. It was as if a dream that I got TESL back. 

Experience in TESL? Being a TESL undergraduate student was completely awesome. Plus my academic performance was way better. I maintained 3.2 onwards every semester and was once on the Dean's List. After 4 years, I was eventually rewarded Second Class Upper.

Holding the current status as a varsity graduate, I easily got jobs, seriously. Having English proficiency is an extra bonus for me. I agree with Usop Wilcha about the significance of English education.

Studying at university from My Perspective

Studying at Uni is indescribably enjoyable. I recommend that you be one of us if you haven’t. Today, there’re lots of chances out there offering diplomas or even degrees. Why not start with a diploma at a college? And later, who knows you will get admission at IPTA too. In order to succeed, difficulty or ease isn’t the question because ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way!’

PS: My determination is to pursue my Master’s Degree someday. Ameen.