Harvard

In my quest of killing the boredom, I browse aimlessly from magazine to website to search for some interesting reading materials. Fortunately, I found one in the Times Magazine. The article entitles, "Who needs harvard?". A catchy title often entices me to read further. Well, it seems there is trend of increasing applicants to get into Ivy League school. To be honest, Ivy League school never once cross my mind mainly because I think the dream is simply unachievable, my academics and co curricular aren't that outstanding and probably financial issue. However, the article states that the world is changing. It used to be networking in the well known university forms the initial step to get you through your working life. However, the current trend seems to suggest otherwise. The new jobs created nowadays are not available previously. Hence, one cannot depend on networking to get you further anymore.

Surprisingly, many students still cling on to this perception. Hence, a few interviews with students who decided to choose other universities instead of Ivy League-status schools are held. Throughout the interviews, some comments suggest that being in less famous schools allow you to get more attention from the teaching staff. Besides, one has more chances of succeeding in carrying out research and getting your research published as there are more resources to help you. I think it is quite true towards certain extent. I will not go very far but through my experience when studying in University of Sydney. It is true that the university holds a lot of job career event, job fairs and even holds workshop to enhance your interview skills but I still think more things can be done to help students, especially international students. More often than not, students are left on the lurch of surviving on their own. I think somehow, the University just want to achieve higher job rate after graduation rather than enhancing the quality and successful graduates.

My aunt did ask about my course about some on hand experience after graduation and I said my university provides none. You are left to search for your own way to survive. Luckily, I met some very nice seniors who are willing to share their stories and experience with me. In this way, I hope I will survive too in times to come. Putting this aside, the Ivy League schools also charge around 30k per year fees. I was like, "Wow". Education has grown into money leeching industry. What happens to the education subsidy, study grants and despite of not being taxed, the costs of higher education is increasing at an increasing rate.

I only can put my hope that Malaysia starts to develop world class university too. I want to see every Malaysian has the chance to pursue higher education and of course with the emphasis of merit, creativity and innovation in mind. It is not that we are left out already which is the problem, it is that we are falling behind every year. I think the costs of higher education in Malaysia is reasonable, just that I often heard bad quality teaching staff. Maybe one day, they should hire me when I am experienced enough. Haha!!! AND I DEMAND HIGH SALARY PLEASE. The notion of teaching union is very impressive to me. At least, the teaching staff gets the chance to voice out and teaching union in my university is very strong. Up to now, I have heard two proposed strikes and both of them are settled through amicable solutions.

The privileges of doing more research, less teaching and higher salaries are gained. Good stuff. I dislike the current proceedings in Malaysia. Any strike is deemed bad, authority challenging, loss of power and associated with negativity. It should be viewed as a healthy way of voicing out, not like everyone is killing each other. Perhaps, it is the Asian mentally is at fault. "I dun wanna create problem." Wake up, my fellow friends, if you do not voice out, nobody knows what are your problems. Talk and negotiate PROFESSIONALLY and please do not include personal opinion, race issue and hate-talk in it. Some unscrupulous parties tend to use own agenda to gain publicity. What the heck, so uncivilized.

But, I still will love it very much to see my home country universities to grow and develop, just in case I wish to pursue Masters or Phd in the future (oh no, self interest). But, good education benefits everyone. As the economic theory says, education has various overflowing beneficial effects on the society. One particularly important to Malaysia is civilization. People's minds need to open up more and be ready to accept challenges. If you don't, you will lose out and say bye bye to the world. All in all, I still love my university. Partly, it because it has a beautiful landscape, partly due to the some of the great teaching staffs that I have met, partly I am passionate to go further in life and partly because I have a chance to know what I want to be in the future.

Blogger who cannot believe he spend so much time talking that he forgets that it is supposed to be study vacation for him. Ciao-su!