Help: Need advice: Failing bnm

[MsLee]

I am currently under the BNM scholarship. I have been having trouble coping with uni lately and find myself already failing some subjects and might have to extend another semester. I am not sure how the Bank's going to react to this news and what to expect (not 100% true). This is very embarrassing so please be kind with the replies.

[SapphireDragon]

Firstly, u gotta analyse the reasons why you failed in certain subjects because it is quite unusual for a BNM scholar (who is expected to be academically good to receive the scholarship in the 1st place) to be in this kinda situation. Has your university confirned that you have to repeat the next sem? If not, strive, work hard and prove your worthiness to the organization that gave u this opportunity. If you have to repeat, then I advise you to meet BNM representative and explain your situation. There's no use thinking of the worse and instead you lose your focus on studying. I applied but failed to get the BNM scholarship so as a message to you: (please cherish what you have because millions out there do not have the golden chance like you) and naturally, I'm a bit upset listening to this. I'm not being mean but please, you have to work hard to live up to not only your parents, your friends, and your expectations but also our expectations of a BNM scholar. Sorry if I'm being too harsh.

[Glassylicious]

All right, I better get a post in while it's still early and there hasn't been a dozen users making posts about expectations on scholars.

My core advice basically echoes SapphireDragon's: Analyze the problems. You haven't provided us with a lot of information as to why you haven't been doing so well lately, so the main problem could be anyone's guess. Is it due to your lack of focus? Or are you just not understanding your lessons/tutorials? Bad time management? We can't provide specific advice until we know what the problem is. =)

If it has been confirmed that you'll need to resit a semester, then you'd better contact BNM as soon as possible instead of delaying it. If you've been pretty good before this [maybe back in pre-university], explain your situation and ask them to give you another chance. More often than not they're not THAT strict and won't do anything drastic like revoke your scholarship just because you failed an exam for the first time. Just appeal if they start being iffy about it. And most importantly, figure out the source of your problems and try to solve them. We're here to help if you need help with that.

Don't give up. Keep trying your best, because you probably have it in you somewhere.

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Lastly, this goes out to all the users reading this: Cut the scholars some slack. University life IS deep water compared to the shallow children's pond we were used to playing in, back when we were doing our pre-uni course or even in SPM. This is especially so when you're so used to being the biggest fish around, then you get into a competitive university and suddenly you're the smallest fry at the bottom of the food chain in your course.

It takes time to adjust to the different system in university, and I know I needed at least one term to get my gear into full swing because of the sudden changes both in terms of workload and the actual work I had to do. I was a science stream student all my life, even up till my A levels, and I was making this big transition into Law and all the essays and written work that would follow. I was expected to read a dozen cases and write a 2000-word essay within several days, and I had never done anything on that scale in my entire life. I was a slow reader, and I absorbed ideas and concepts slower than my coursemates. Everything was just so different and fast-paced, and it was so easy to just feel like you're slipping in your grades, especially if your first essay did not get encouraging marks and everyone else in your course appears to be complete geniuses. But it is also exactly at this point when you should NOT give up! You may be down, but you are NOT out. Pull yourself together, try to get to the bottom of the mess and tackle the problem at the roots.

Sorry if I am being harsh, but it's a bit annoying how people always make sweeping statements implying that scholars who don't do well in their studies are those who don't appreciate the funding they received. This just isn't true and does very little in reflecting actual reality.

[SapphireDragon]

To MsLee, yes, it would be better if you are specific in the problems you are facing. Besides, it would be great too if you mention what course you are taking and which uni u are in so that our helpful seniors here in Recom can lend u a helping hand.

To glassylicious's "bombardment" towards me, I would like to say that I'm sorry if I was being insensitive and naive here. She's right, I haven't been to university and I am in no position to judge the hardships faced during undergraduate studies. I don't have a clue on the difficulty faced especially when you're at the "bottom of the food chain". I am sorry of I behaved like a loose cannon.

However, in my defence, I feel that there is a certain degree of responsibility a scholar should uphold towards the organization sponsoring her. It may not be that "big" an obligation when it comes to BNM, Shell and certain wealthy private companies but what about JPA scholars? Don't they have to achieve a certain academic benchmark as the money used sponsoring them are taxpayers money? How would you feel if the government spends RM 1 million on a medical student but she fails her final exams? Where is the justification for the money spent on her? Our money? Will she or he be transfered to another university? Its the same concept like a scholar having an obligation to serve the bond required by him or her. No matter what, there is a certain responsibility.....

My apoligies to glassylicious, MsLee, and even youngyew. I hope u all understand.

[Glassylicious]

Originally Posted by SapphireDragon

To glassylicious's "bombardment" towards me, I would like to say that I'm sorry if I was being insensitive and naive here. She's right, I haven't been to university and I am in no position to judge the hardships faced during undergraduate studies. I don't have a clue on the difficulty faced especially when you're at the "bottom of the food chain". I am sorry of I behaved like a loose cannon.

However, in my defence, I feel that there is a certain degree of responsibility a scholar should uphold towards the organization sponsoring her. It may not be that "big" an obligation when it comes to BNM, Shell and certain wealthy private companies but what about JPA scholars? Don't they have to achieve a certain academic benchmark as the money used sponsoring them are taxpayers money? How would you feel if the government spends RM 1 million on a medical student but she fails her final exams? Where is the justification for the money spent on her? Our money? Will she or he be transfered to another university? Its the same concept like a scholar having an obligation to serve the bond required by him or her. No matter what, there is a certain responsibility.....

My apoligies to glassylicious, MsLee, and even youngyew. I hope u all understand.

Yikes, I do apologize if my post seemed a bit harsh. No hard feelings, okay? =)

And yes, where scholars are concerned, there are certain responsibilities they have to uphold. I wholeheartedly agree with you. They shouldn't be failing their finals, be skipping classes/tutorials for no good reason or be getting kicked out of the course due to poor academic performance. But at the same time it might be quite harsh to expect them to ace every test, quiz and assignment and show consistently strong results all through their course, due to the reasons I have posted earlier.

Yes, there's got to be a certain benchmark, but where this benchmark stands is very debatable, and the standard of "high" and "low" differs significantly across universities and courses. Setting high requirements may look good to the third parties [e.g. taxpayers] but those who's been through university life will know how hard it is sometimes to achieve a certain target. And I am pretty sure most of the scholarship providers are aware of how standards may differ across individual universities and courses. This is why, instead of setting some sort of "positive requirement" like "You need to get at least 65% in every exam", they work the other way round by saying "Just don't fail", because it's a lot easier that way.

[Smilehoe]

@Glassy, Didn't know you were science student before.

Anyway, I feel that at times failing to secure grades might be due to inefficient study techniques. There're people who spend few hours and are able to accomplish what seemed like a day's work to us. Though techniques differ greatly between subjects and courses so it's hard to suggest what's best. Also, trying too hard may be detrimental to efficiency. Try exploring some time management methods, it could help to lay a smoother path. There will be some very bright students who excel in probably most of the stuff they do, this could be demoralizing. Have faith in yourself, focus on improving small parts first. Then build from it when you see positive results.

University life is awesome. Don't let studies fill your 3/4 years there.