Google Hangout Session 1: SPM Leavers 2014

I had the privilege to join this year's Projek Inpsirasi's initiative: GH Session 1 in helping post-SPM students select a course of study for university. It's an online live video conference where 9-10 panels answer questions asked by the audience. It's a pretty cool way to engage with the students on broader subjects in one sitting. Session 1 comprised of  Engineering, Biotechnology, Pure Science & Computer Science and I was invited to talk about chemical engineering and its prospects. 

Our GH coordinator: Syaza Azmi

The video can be seen here (as well as my awkward face -- this is my first time, don't judge!)

It's always nice to see the young generation getting more involved in carving their future. I know how tough it is for you guys to choose a course of study despite not knowing what exactly you want to study. 5 years ago, I was dead set of studying chemical engineering because I loved chemistry (urgh worst misconception about chemical engineering ever).  But Alhamdulillah 5 years later, I am almost done studying it and surprisingly I've enjoyed the course more than I expected. 

Anyway, I thought I would compile all the questions I answered last night and maybe answer some that we didn't have enough time to get to.

Hope this helps! 

Questions Answered: 

Answer: If your intention is becoming a Petroleum Engineer, then proceed directly to study Petroleum Engineering. But if you don't want to limit yourself, you can pretty much do whatever you want and learn EVERYTHING.

Answer: Generally? Yeah it takes a lot of critical thinking, understanding advanced physics, fluid mechanism, transport processes, operational and process conditions, and decision making. You should feel scared when taking it (this avoids any truancy on your part), but you should also believe in yourself. It's definitely challenging, and not for all people (I have seen some of my friends drop the course and switch to something else) but with proper strategies it's do-able.

Opinion: Personally, after enduring 4 years of studying engineering plus 8 months of industrial experience in Shell PD, I think this is true to a point. Specializing your degree limits your scope of work only after graduation (because you have zero work experience). But if you enter the right field and gain years of experience afterwards, the sky's the limit. 

The reason I like chemical engineering is more of a personal choice in having the versatility to enter whatever field I want (Oil & Gas, Food, Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics, etc). You know, in case I get bored in one field, I can join another one. Haha..

Unanswered Questions: 

Answer: Well if for local PETRONAS scholars, yes the min CGPA is 2.75 to mantain your sponsorship. From what I've been told PG studies natural resources in the ocean to discover new areas of oil exploration & extraction. Once they find these potential reservoirs, Petroleum Engineers are responsible in getting the oil out from it.  But that is in layman's terms. For more details, Google! 

Amy: You know the funding could go to the geology department.

Sheldon: Oh no! Not the dirt people.

LOL, OK enough Big Bang Theory references (in case you didn't know what that joke was)

Answer: None kid, none. I suggest you take Industrial Chemistry or any divisions of chemistry if you still love the subject and want to work in the industry. I heard UTM has some good chemical programmes, and they're not just exclusive of engineering. 

Answer: Chemical Engineering is an art.

Instead of paint, you have chemicals with unique personalities and traits that can be transformed into products suitable for consumerism. Instead of a canvas, you have block diagrams and process instrumentation diagrams. Instead of a brush, you have process optimization softwares (iCon, HYSYS, MathLab, Phast Risk, etc)

In a nutshell, if we were to convert crude oil into the fuel we fill our gas tanks with, chemical engineers are involved in the design, planning, construction and operation of the refinery. And instead of just producing car fuel, we produce other products that are marketable. We turn simple chemical reactions found in labs, into large scale plants looming over people's heads and making companies rich. The technicalities of it include many aspects of physics, maths and a whole lot of brain crushing.

Hope this is brief enough ;) 

Answer: Senang? Nothing's easy in this world kid. If it was everyone would be doing it haha. You can check UTP's website but last I heard the requirements were a minimum C grade in Physic, Chemistry and Maths. 

Answer: Honestly, I like it. I come from a suburb and I've never been fond of the rush of the city. So UTP's alright for me. I'm not an aspiring hipster so I'm not a frequent at hipster cafes. But if you like 'em, I heard Ipoh has tons. 

UTP's basically in the middle of nowhere (Google: Tronoh, Perak) but lately it has been developed because of UTP and UiTM Sri Iskandar. So yeah, we have Billion, McD and Dominoes now, which is a huge improvement than when I came here 5 years ago (which only had KFC D:).

It's a great place to study because we're surrounded by forestry and the occasional visits from monkeys. 

Answer: There was one dude in the GH who studies Chem Eng in University of Manchester, UK. You can ask him for more info, but yeah generally Chemical Engineering programmes overseas are more detailed and comprehensive than in Malaysia. Here are top Chemical Engineering schools in the world. But coming from a local institution, I'm proud of the quality of education I was given. So, bear in mind, never underestimate local institutions, we have some great universities offering chemical engineering: UTP, UTM, USM, UniKL MICET, etc.

In the end, you're the one who's in charge of how the final product (read: you) is despite your location of study :) 

It's not hard if you like all of those subjects. You will find the course even more enjoyable too! And in terms of demand, think of it this way: as long as people need food, transportation fuel, and medicine, insyAllah there will be demands for the profession. Don't be choosy and always chase for experience regardless of area of specialization. The money will follow afterwards. 

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Anyway hope this helps! You can leave comments below if you have any more questions, I'd be more than happy to help you to learn more of this course. You can refer to the list of panels of last night's session here if you have more questions related to their fields of study. 

To SPM leavers, I wish you guys all the best in this new endeavor of your life. It is going to be challenging and difficult, at times you will feel like giving up. But always cleanse your intention (for muslims, your niat), to study for the sake of knowledge and passion. Science and technology can be a lucrative industry, but always remember the people who raised you and never forget your roots :)

You are the future generation, and we definitely need more engineers to direct our nation to a prosperous direction. So, research properly and choose wisely :D 

Oh before I forget, my one-liner advice from last night's session was: 

Your only competition is yourself...

:)

Malaysian Readers in a Pinhole

You know the first thing how someone would describe me? A reader.

And I'm proud of that. Not many Malaysians read consistently enough for them to be labelled as one. I once heard that the average Malaysian read 2 books as of 2005, and in 2014 the stats increased to 14 books. Here's the thing: 85% of Malaysians do read and our nation does have high literacy rates. Yet, did you know only 3% of that 85% read books? While the rest actually reads magazines, comics or newspapers. Albeit a reading material is still reading material, but I feel sad that books or novels don't get the attention they deserve.

There are many reasons why kids don't read books:

• Parent's influence
• Reading material
• The Reading-is-for-Scoring-Exams perception
• Expensive books (in which I once wrote tips on how to buy cheaper books here)
• Social media distraction

I'm always an advocate for youth reading, and when I started my Instagram-based book account (@BookLoves_) initially it wasn't for that purpose hahaha. I just wanted a medium to practise my photography skills and be a place where I can do book reviews or showcase some pretty book-related items. I was tired of having to answer my friends' "What books do you recommend?" questions individually, and wanted a collective medium to do just that. Some people have gave feedback saying they really enjoyed my reviews and it made them want to read it/ I didn't expect my account to have an impact on anyone to pick up a book. But I do hope my posts make you guys WANT to read and feel the exhilaration every time I finish a book. 

I read mostly because of the 'feels'. Each book makes you feel different things: remorse, disappointed, exuberant, smart well-informed, etc. So I hope you read because you feel about books the way I do, along with some of your own reasons :) 

As a way to interact with my friends and colleagues, I asked on FB what book(s) people have as their favourites. I've always loved it when people tell me about books they've read because they this gleam in their eyes that usually appears in readers with a favourite book. 

I was very excited when people started sharing their favourite books! Plus I got to know more about books I haven't heard of too. Surprisingly I've read some of these books too. Read anything familiar? 

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Around 22 people responded. We're not a big bunch. But from Instagram I do know of thousands of readers who are actively reading. If I can increase that number even by one, I think I've done my part in encouraging reading. 

Even if we comprise less than the 3% of Malaysian readers who read books, I'm glad I know many friends who are avid readers such as I. It's hard to continue the habit and I hope you never lose that momentum to pick up  a book and read. 

And here's a video about book lovers that we probably can relate to :D 

So, what's YOUR favourite books? 

IELTS Steps & Preparation Tips

So I've been preparing a few documents for postgraduate submissions and I've noticed some of them do require an English Proficiency Test Result such as IELTS, TOEFL or PTE. IELTS stands for International English Language Test System and the method of testing is recognized and approved in all institutions.
You're lucky if the university you're applying to can waive IETLS and use your SPM 1119 results, or known as GCE-O Levels. The universities I was interested in did not waive IELTS and I decided to sit for my IELTS exam and get it done with.  Despite UTP conducting lectures in English as the main language, I couldn't waive it. But after experiencing the IELTS process, it is fairly easy and a high band is possible with the right strategies :D 

STEP 1: Booking a test date

There are 2 types of IELTS exams: General and Academic. If you're pursuing studies abroad, Academic is what you'll be sitting for. Otherwise, General's the way to go.

You can always check for dates of the tests in the British Council page and choose that suits you. You can also select locations that you are nearest to. Now, my case is a bit different as I didn't register through BC. I took it at International Yayasan College Melaka (ICYM) as it is one of the locations in South Peninsular that BC holds its exams at. I registered directly with them. You have to register manually and they don't accept online application. But if you're applying through BC, I believe online applications are acceptable.

Usually the exams are split into 2 days. Listening, Reading and Writing are taken on the same day while Speaking is on a different day. So just check the dates properly and plan your journey well ;) 

STEP 2: Payment and Login Code

Now that you're registered with BC, you'll get your own online tutorial code to login online and begin your "training". 

Here is practically where the fun begins. 

I highly recommend you to do ALL of the tutorials and watch ALL of the video tips. They are seriously, seriously helpful and you can even track your progress and compare with the average candidate. I found this to be really great in identifying areas I'm weak in. And they are pretty accurate too. 

STEP 3: Sitting for the Exams

Once you're prepped and loaded with IELTS lessons in your head, you're good to go! The exam consists of 4 sections: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. I've outlined some general tips on how to score for each section: 

Listening: 

This part has 4 sections you'll have to answer while listening to a pre-recorded conversation. Time: 40 minutes. Bear in mind the voices on the recording will have European accents (British, Scottish, French) or plain ol' American. So make sure you familiarize yourself with these kinds of slang and different word usage. 

The most fun way to get used to it? WATCH MOVIES AND SERIES! It's time to get out your How I Met Your Mother or Agents of Shield or even 1995's Pride and Prejudice series and familiarize yourself with how those Westerners talk. 

Reading:

This part also has 4 sections and you get 1 hour to read all 4 longgggg passages and complete the questions. A good tip I adapted for this exam was reading the first and last paragraph first. And then you read the first sentence (topic sentence) of each paragraph. Don't take too long to read everything. Most of the information are just an elaboration of the main point which is what the questions target. 

I particularly loved this part because I'm such an avid reader ;) 

Writing: 

This section requires you to write 2 types of essays: a short analysis of any trends/graphs they give and a longer essay of your opinions towards a topic given. Write cohesive sentences and never forget topic sentences. Read up on great ways to write formal reports and brush up on general information. It's a pretty straightforward test and never forget to give a wide variety of vocabulary. 

Speaking:

This section only takes 15 minutes and you'll be talking about general topics. This part is a little tricky in my opinion if you're not used to conversing in English, because you definitely can't practise in 2 weeks on how to improve your speaking skills. This section is just a snapshot of how well you currently speak in English. 

So if you're still young (at heart), begin practising like right now! Every moment counts in improving your English and always always get feedback from people you're talking to. Be open on their feedback and practise some more. The more you read and listen to English, the more your brain picks up proper grammar and you'll slowly adapt to it.

Step 4: Results

So after the grueling sessions you just went through, all you have to do now is WAIT. Results are usually out after 2 weeks. You can check online here and wait for the test form a few days after. Usually you go back to your test centre and collect the test form or have it couriered to you. Test forms are the only forms universities accept, not the online results. 

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So I hope these tips help you in some way. All the best and have faith in yourself! And may your dreams in learning/living abroad come true :) 

Note: I didn't take any extra classes and just used the RoadsToIelts tutorials and managed to get a band 8. So those REALLY helped. That and also reading and regularly conversing in English haha. These methods are free so make use of it! Otherwise BC would charge you around RM990 for its classes. Imagine the amount of books you can buy *swoons*