LETTERS: I would like to respond to the letter "A vicious cycle that shatters dreams" (NST, Sept 29).
First of all, I wish to congratulate the writer's daughter for her outstanding results. I have gone through the same worries.
Although it happened more than 20 years ago, being accepted to the university of your choice is something you will remember forever. I was lucky to have family members who advised me before I made my decision to study law.
I was a science student and took 10 subjects for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia. Being the eldest and coming from a middle-income family (both parents were teachers), studying abroad or enrolling in a private institution was not an option.
My only choice was to apply through the Central University Admission Unit (UPU).
With As for all the core subjects plus an A in Biology, the choices I had seemed endless. I applied to matriculation institutions, polytechnics, as well as local universities via UPU.†
The first offer I received was from the matriculation institutions. I rejected them as I had no desire to continue studying science subjects.
When I was rejected by a polytechnic, I got nervous. What if I got rejected by UPU too? For some reason, UPU's offer was the last to come and the anticipation was overwhelming.
But, praise the Lord, I got into the Pre-Law programme at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).
If memory serves me correctly, we were given up to nine choices. Most students (including yours truly) chose all the courses they qualified for.
UiTM Pre-Law was at the top of my list. I also chose medicine, information technology and computer science from local universities.
Before I submitted my application, my family members reviewed the form.
One of my uncles, who used to work with the Higher Education Ministry, told me that UPU would always offer you the best course of your choice (provided you fulfil the eligibility requirements).
For example, even though I choose medicine as my last choice, UPU would offer me to do medicine if that is the best course I am eligible for.
The question is, do I want to do medicine and become a doctor instead of a lawyer?
The bottom line is this: if you are not prepared to do the course or dislike the university, don't take it.
If you are eligible (or more than qualified) to do law, make that your one and only choice.
If UPU refused to grant me my choice, I would demand an explanation as I am definitely more than qualified for the course.
FAIRY FARINA
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
