Well, by now, quite a large number (if not all) of you would probably have received your JPA scholarship results. It’s either a yes or a no, and if yes, you’d probably be informed of your future country of study as well.

For those that were successful, congratulations. Now is the time to feel relieved that the finances for your tertiary education overseas has been settled. But you won’t have that much time to feel relieved (or happy) given that you will have your pre-university studies, e.g. A-Levels, to tackle. Work hard, and work harder in university. Of course, please return to Malaysia upon completion of your degree overseas.

Now, for those that were unsuccessful, appeal. There’s no reason to give up, especially if you fulfill the necessary requirements. And when I mean requirements, I don’t mean the ones that JPA hands out. We’re taking about straight A1s, plus strong extracurricular involvement. Hammer your MP. Hammer MCA, MIC or whatever political group your family is affiliated to.

In any case, the key here is forge on - no matter your JPA scholarship application result. If you’ve been awarded a scholarship to an English-speaking country, all you need to tackle now is your pre-university programme and university applications. If you’ve been awarded a scholarship to a non-English speaking country, then you have an additional foreign language to tackle. Tough, but not impossible. Last but not least, if you have not been awarded a scholarship, continue trying to get one. Appeal for the JPA scholarship, and/or do your best for any other scholarships you might have on your radar (though most deadlines have passed already). And if you really can’t get an overseas scholarship, don’t fret. There’s still our public universities, and tons of private institutions to look at.

P.S.: Of course, some of you might not have gotten your results yet. For you guys… good luck.