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Hello! I am Amalia Nadirah, currently studying American Degree Transfer Programme at INTEC Education College before furthering my studies in Finance to New Zealand. I will be sharing my JPA-MARA scholarship application experience to help you guys have an idea of how the process will be like. Before starting, here’s a tip I want to share which I regret not doing it earlier: during the three months of post SPM, please do a lot of research on scholarship applications and practice your soft skills as these will help you greatly during the interviews.
Alright so let me put in the picture about the scholarship organization. Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) offers various types of scholarships including Program Penajaan 9A+, JKPJ, Program Penajaan Nasional (PPN), JPA-MARA. Please take note that you can apply for one type of scholarship only under JPA. As for me, I applied the Accounting/Finance/Economic/Actuarial Science programme to New Zealand under JPA-MARA since it offered my preferred course. JKPJ offered for engineering, science and technology, and social science courses. So, make sure you checked your preferred course first before applying. Usually, the application needs to be done within 7 days after the result is out.
First thing first after receiving your SPM result, you have to always check whether the application has been opened. Then, qualified students can apply online through the JPA website. Personal details are usually required to be filled in online. Within 2-3 weeks after the online submission, I received a message saying that I got through the Student Assessment Centre (SAC) stage. Make sure to bring the required documents as stated on the website. During my year, we were obligated to wear dark-colored sportswear, unlike any interviews where the students need to wear formal clothes.
The day came. My interview was scheduled at INTAN Kemaman in the evening. It was my first scholarship interview and I had zero knowledge and experience on the process. I was required to register before the interview began and my name had already been grouped with other four people in a name list. While waiting for our group to be called in the room, we had an ice-breaking session among ourselves to get to know our groupmates better.
The first session was an individual interview. Although it is called “individual interview”, five of us were still in the same room with two interviewers. We were asked with several questions individually. Bear in mind to always answer in English. We were seated according to our turn number and I was the second candidate. Right after the first interviewee ended his last question, I was asked to do a brief introduction of myself. Then, they asked questions regarding my chosen course like “Why do you want to take this course?” and the following questions will be based on your previous answers– make sure you did thorough research on the course! Apart from that, they also asked questions like, “Will you be okay if you are far away from your parents? Won’t you be culture shock?”, “If you were to get a high paying job at New Zealand, will you accept the offer and stay there OR come back to Malaysia and serve your country?”, “What if you come back to Malaysia but there is no job offered to you?”. Be prepared with these kinds of questions. Nonetheless, the interview feels more like a chitchat session between you and the interviewees so, fret not, don’t tense yourself. Before leaving, always ask question to the interviewees to show your credibility as a scholar.
Straight away after the first session ended, we moved on to the second session. It was a group presentation that was held in another room. We were immediately given a topic which was “Teknologi Memusnahkan Hubungan Sosial” and we needed to discuss for 5 minutes only. During the discussion, we divided our points equally whereby each of us talked about the introduction, causes, effects, ways to prevent and the conclusion (it depends on how you want to divide the points actually). The presentation lasted for 10 minutes in front of two interviewers. Note that this session is in Bahasa Melayu. After the presentation, the interviewers will ask everyone one question each regarding the topic to analyse our critical thinking skills – like a KBAT question. It is best if you could answer it with details and lengthy response. Tips for this second session is to always show your teamwork in the group but never overshadow your other teammates. However, if your teammates get stuck at a question, help them in the right way.
That marked the end of the JPA-MARA interview. Then, we collected our documents from the officer on duty and went home. All in all, I think the key in interviewing for scholarship is to always be confident in terms of your body language, eye contact and most importantly the way you answer all the questions – but not too overconfident. The method of my assessment might not be the same as yours because JPA can change their mind hehe. I hope this article helps to those who are still lost in applying scholarships. Don’t worry if things don’t go as planned. Always believe the best reward will come at the right time, just do your best and never give up. May the odds be ever in your favor!
Amalia Nadirah is currently taking ADTP at INTEC Education College and planning to further my degree in Finance at University of Auckland. She hopes to become a financial analyst in the future. Latte and Netflix are two things she can't live without.