A LEVEL and LIFE IN KOLEJ MARA SEREMBAN?

Assalamualaikum guys!

Okay, you’ve read the title right? So let’s go straight to the point. Btw, mesti korang pelik kan kenapa Ezlan excited sangat nak post benda ni. Well actually kisah dia is sebelum I masuk Kolej MARA Seremban ni I was so lost and confused, “Apa dia kolej ni?” “Apa benda A Level ni?” “Kenapa aku dapat Engineering?” “Bilik hostel dia macam mana?” Nampak tu, membebel-bebel terhantuk-hantuk dalam kepala memikirkan. So, I tried Google-ing the info but sikit sangat result yang keluar. Banyak pasal International Baccalaureate (IB) je. Dahlah pada mulanya I mohon IB Tindikan Maths. But that’s another story so nvm hahaha.

So, fear no more, here in this entry, I’ll try my best to explain to you macam mana struktur pembelajaran A Level kat sini, like a clear point of view of the system or whatsoever. Fyi, Ezlan punya course is A Level: Engineering. Kalau nak research apa tu A Level rasanya banyak lagi orang yang lebih berpengetahuan dan arif lagi sarat dengan informasi, so I taklah explain banyak sangat. I’m taking three core subjects actually, MATHS PHYSICS CHEMISTRY and side subject (tak kira pointer but wajib lulus) THINKING SKILLS and ISLAMIC STUDIES atau nama normalnya, Agama. Wuu 3 subject je? BESTNYA? BEST? Well you’re wrong actually. Ada reasons kenapa A Level limitkan to three subjects only sebab syllabus dia tersangatlah detail and deep kajiannya sehinggakan buku-bukunya tebal belaka. Haaaa dah boleh bayang kepayahan dia? So beware new A Level students, bewareeeee!

Perkiraan points dia pun simple je. Kalau dapat A = 5 points, B = 4 points, and so on sampai E = 1 point. If you get below than E, kitorang tak panggil fail or F, kita panggil UNGRADED or U terus. And trust me, I pernah dapat U for a Physics test lol kelakar. So for our batch the requirements are 13 (at least) so ranges from AAA to ABB. AAC pun 13, so boleh tak? Imo MARA tak galakkan dapat C for any subjects atas beberapa sebab, so better no C guys. And if you think oh senang je nak dapat A or B, well you’re wrong lagi hahaha  (sorry kejam sikit) sebab it’s not easy, betul A Level ni continuation from SPM, but konsep continuation tu sangatlah minimal sebab apa yang kita belajar masa SPM tu hanyalah secebis serbuk roti di Kilang Gardenia. But, walaupun susah macam nak arwah, tak semestinya benda yang susah itu mustahil, so bila dah masuk A Level ni kan determination kena kuat, pandai cari kawan, control your hobbies yang tak berfaedah, focus and be strong!

If you have any enquiries about A Level punya system, feel free to contact me sebab now Ezlan nak sentuh macam mana struktur A Level in Kolej MARA Seremban (KMS). Basically you have 5-day classes with morning break in the middle, from 8.10 until 1.40. Macam sekolah je. So a good news for sekolah harian students like me, dapat experience macam mana duduk dalam asrama. Siapa yang SBP, MRSM etc tu akan rasa macam “Lah macam ni ke?” disebabkan kebasian style asrama yang digunakan. Almaklumlah, kolej ni actually MRSM pertama di Malaysia so keadaan agak memberangsangkan, hostel lah. But Blok akademik dia agak modern because setiap class ada air cond and LCD projector, so urban gitu. So macam tu lah jadualnya, tak selenggang U yang ada class kejap pagi kejap petang, malam pun ada. So petang InsyaAllah free kalau takda apa apa program like assembly ke perjumpaan kelab etc. Speaking of clubs, how about the co-curriculum activities?

Well, disebabkan A Level is an exam-oriented program, so Koku memang takda effect. Kolej ada sediakan pelbagai kelab and sports, as for me contohnya, I masuk kelab Dynamic Youth Club (ala ala PRS but vogue gitu) and Tennis (letak nama je as syarat). Depends on the club kalau ada activity semua, joinlah. If krik krik, so tidur je lah petang tu haha. But for KMS dia wajibkan each students to assign in one club and one sports sekadar nak record je. No extra marks for A Level. About sports punya kemudahan I think okay je kat sini, padang futsal ada, tennis court ada but since I tak minat sports so marilah kita ke topic lain. Hmmm how about makan? Makan cam best kan? Hahaha. Berita baik buat penggemar makanan, makanan di kolej ini adalah PERCUMA, SAYA ULANGI PERCUMA buat semua pelajar. Kita ada breakfast, morning break, lunch, dinner and night tea (tak tahu nama). And kita makan kat Dewan Selera (DS), dengan pelbagai jenis lauk setiap hari haha, but biasalah, mesti ada yang menepati cita rasa setiap orang but as long as there’s food, I’m a happy man. Buat yang terlebih kaya atau tak cukup makan, at weekdays punya night, ada satu warung akan buka di tepi DS yang dipanggil Lahuma (don’t know the exact story of this stall’s name) yang korang boleh beli nasi lemak, goreng-goreng and burger. So jangan risau, makanan kat sini okay je.

Hmm what else ya…? Haa this college juga ada curfew. A lot of people taktahu maksud curfew tu apa lol sampai I pun question myself betul ke penggunaan curfew tu hahaha. In my understanding, curfew tu macam time constrain, like every weekdays, boleh keluar kolej from 5-7 p.m. only. And for weekends form 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.. I pun tak tahulah best ke tak curfew, rasa menyusahkan pun ada, but if you live under MARA’s roof, you’ll have to live by the rules too. So siapa nak keluar awal tu buatlah surat and mintak kebenaran kat pejabat. And we have fellows (warden) yang live nearby so okay je kalau nak pergi clinic and balik lambat after curfew, just inform them. Jangan keluar sesenyap! Nanti busted, susah haha. And classes every morning kena scan college card before 8 a.m.. Okaylah kan? Daripada sekolah biasa 7.30 etc so extra rest time weeee. Biasa je bangun 7.30 and rushing macam nak gila haha. But digalakkan datang awal untuk mengelakkan didenda dengan kejam haha like I said, macam sekolah je kat sini hehe.

How about the hostels? Well at first I was so shocked sebab high expectations sangat lol. The lantai was cement and sebilik kongsi 3 orang. So berdoalah dapat roomates yang elok and baik (like me) and Ezlan bersyukur sangat dapat roommate macam sekarang ni sebab masing-masing sporting. Everyone akan dapat one locker and one study table. And single beds BABY! Hahaha. So takda double decker semua tu sebab susah double decker. And bilik takda aircond ya, jangan nak lelebih. Ni bangunan lama, dah boleh jadi muzium dah hahaha, sedangkan nak pasang water heater pun tak digalakkan, lagikan aircond. Mahu black out satu blok hehe. So we have 2 blok girls yang ada 4 aras (AISYAH AND FATIMAH) and 2 blok boys yang ada 2 aras sahaja (AMINUDDIN AND BURHANUDDIN). Terima je lah nama klasik ni hehe. Kalau pergi Aminuddin, singgahlah bilik 106 untuk bertanya khabar dan mengkritik kesepahan bilik terutama section Ezlan lol. Setiap aras ada pantry untuk basuh pinggan, and ada beberapa pantry bertuah ada fridge to keep foods and drinks cool and fresh haha.

Ada banyak kemudahan kat sini actually, well not so ‘kemudahan’ but it’s memudahkan in a way. Ada system dobi since korang bayar yuran pendaftaran ada section DOBI kan so every two chosen days you guys can hantar baju ke dobi untuk dibasuh, and if you guys nak terus keringkan guna machine pun boleh, but kena bayar extra RM1 for each keringan. Yang ni you must follow your given days sebab kalau degil, dia tak basuh pun hahaha. And bring your own soaps, detergents etc. Sabun mandi pun jangan lupa bawak, since tandas kongsi for each aras. Tapi ada banyak cubicle lah haha  jangan risau. Oh and one more kat sini ada system ‘lights off’, wuu creepy kan? 2 a.m. every day lampu akan automatic tertutup dengan sendirinya, kipas taklah hehe. And akan kembali terang besinar in about 5.15 a.m. so bawaklah study lamp kalau teringin nak tidur lambat siapkan homework, study etc. Tak pun boleh je study kat DS or Wisma Pelajar, which is a temporary class above DS. So tak kisah sangat lights off walaupun annoying kadang-kadang in the middle of kerja suddenly BOOM! Kegelapan.

Yang lain rasanya you guys experience lah sendiri okay hahaha. Blok Akademik (BA) dia cantik, hexagonal gitu. Library dia pun baru renovate, cantik. Makmal dia in a good condition, tandas kat sini pun bersihlah juga hehe. Lecturers semua baik baik, kat sini tak macam U, di mana ada grand lecture dalam lecture hall beratus-ratus orang dengar. Kat sini amalkan system small class where at most 24 je satu class. My class ada 17 orang je. So senang kalau nak refer teacher and belajar pun selesa and the teachers will know us and students semua akan dapat attention. Tapi kat sini practice self study, so yang tu korang kena biasakan. Sebab A Level conceptual dia banyak, buat application dia pun susah. So banyakkan bertanya, baik teachers atau rakan-rakan yang terror and perform gegila hehe.

Living here so far? Hmm well I think okay je kot. Ada satu-satu masa tu Ezlan rasa macam penat sangat nak mati but ada kalanya sihat walafiat terkinja-kinja dalam bilik, so it depends. Currently I am still in the middle of the exams right now, but I don't want to explain about the exams rn. Complicated nak menerangkan, and complicated nak menjawabnya hehehe. Before I spam you guys with the pictures that I took throughout my life here, I would like to share a few tips and pesanan as your guidance. 

• Be friendly even to the ones you don't know.
• Just be yourself sebab membazir je masa to be someone else.
• Know your limits and plan your time usage here.
• Always respect others sebab muka dioranglah awak nak menghadap in dua tahun ni.
• Seniority rasanya tak ada kat sini but don't be rude to anyone.
• Belajar dari orang lain how to survive here if you can't do it alone.
• Jangan rasa intimidated dengan orang lain yang better, we are equal and we can learn.
• Just so you know if you feel like giving up, remember the reasons why you hold on this long.

PICTURE GALLERY

A look at my room on the first day.

The antic lockers.

The beds.

Look at the amount of stuff I brought lol.

The length of journey from hostel to college, kinda short.

Sitting in Dewan Selera (DS) for the first time.

Waiting for iftar actually.

Wuu look at my first meal here.

My bed after it has been made. Love the sheets.

Another picture of the DS. It's steps away from our hostels.

My friend Amierul is running from the camera, like literally.

Aiman Azlan came to visit my surau and it was sure a lot of fun!

The scenery of inside our hall, DTHO which is Dewan Tun Hussein Onn.

Rehearsal of a performance in the Music Room.

Physics experiments got me like...

Just a normal day when the teachers are not in class, right Hadi?

Cover-cover pula nak tidur ya Amierul and Zharif.

I don't even remember what causes this hahaha.

ATM (her nickname) is sweeping the floor in one of the classes.

Gotong-royong with Mentor Mentee group.

Meeting at Wisma Pelajar, nice tables they have.

My classmate Qis is posing in the lab.

How awesome is the scenery guys? The models are okay je.

Tercicir gambar locker haha kay.

A day with Chemistry with Puan Noorlida. The girl in purple is sleeping, as usual lol.

Holding a solution in the lab, burn liquid burn.

I looked okay, but he's not.

Seremban has the most beautiful lakes and parks I have ever seen, jk. Cantiklah juga.

Learning Agama in the library.

Look at our outdoor gyms hehe.

Normal workout for me; smile, pose and done. I can feel all the fats being sucked up lol.

Nothing is better than these parasitic humans in your rooms lol jk.

The newly-designed library looked amazing, except for the rejected models here.

Things A Level students are capable to do....*no comment*

So that's all from me guys! If you have anything to ask, just add me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter or visit my instagram @EzlanAdlee lol promote. I've been working on this post for quite a month now so I hope benda ni sedikit sebanyak membantu hidup anda kay. Good luck for all the coming A Level and IB students :D

p/s: Boleh pulak lupa, dresscode is formal like for everyday, 'kemeja slacks kurung tudung' but on Thursday boleh pakai batik and Jumaat Baju Melayu for boys.

xoxo Ezlan

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"KOLEJ MARA SEREMBAN 15/17"

Hey guys, it's Ezlan from 2019! Wow it's been 5 years since this post has been....posted haha. Just wanna tell you that since this post is ancient, there's a lot of changes happened in these past few years in KMS so the info above is not as accurate and updated as it should be. So I might not be the best person to answer most questions rather than experience related ones. Better to redirect the questions to the current students or the college itself. I'm truly sorry to those yang I tak terjawab soalan in my socmedia because sometimes tak perasan and kinda busy since I'm still finishing my degree here hehe. But apa pun, congrats for getting an offer to study here and I hope nothing but the best for your future. Thanks for reading :)