Orientation Week 2008 (First and Second Day)

Last Wednesday to Friday, I attended the UTAR KL Campus Orientation 2008. Now before I go any further, want to note this out first... I discussed with my family and we have decided that:

I WILL NOT GO FOR JANUARY INTAKE

Yeap... this was after I found out from a classmate of mine that he don't know anyone who is taking up bachelor degree courses that starts in January... everyone is waiting for the results in March. Some have decided to do courses that are not available here in Malaysia, some hopes to enter public universities...

Anyway, back to the topic...

I submitted my forms to enter Electric and Electronics Engineering in UTAR in KL. Checked out the website after a few days and saw that my application have been approved. Someone from the office also called my phone about going to the PJ Campus (that's where I dropped my application form to) to collect my conditional offer form.

So on the first day, I took the LRT from Amcorp Mall to the Wangsa Maju station. Then I took a bus to TAR College (As far as I know as of right now there's no public bus from the LRT station to UTAR). Next, I walked for about ten minutes to UTAR...

(Okay, straight to the point...)

1st day

Those who have paid up all the fees are given some freebies and important documents and stuff like that... Since I have not paid up, I am not entitled to these... Next we were ushered to the Lecture Hall. At 9.30am the events started. First it was... er... (Now looking at the orientation programme list in front of me...) a video presentation, then some brief speeches from PIC of the library, ICTC, Dept of Student Affairs, and also student representatives (the guys who put this thing together...), people from the counselling unit, soft skills unit, and a rep from the Institut Integriti Malaysia...

Somehow when one of the student representatives was giving a speech, blackout occurred. Things went on as usual however.

Learnt a lot of new friends... But I think when I first stepped into the school compound my parents and I already kinda knew that I am not going to be studying there right now... It was me who made the decision to study in January because I would probably can't make up my mind of which engineering course to study when it is time to choose anyway...

2nd day

The dean of the faculty gave us a talk... or rather an overview of the rules, general information of UTAR, info about how the courses are like and so on... briefly speaking, the way she talked to us really was how she wanted us to take it... to tell and remind us that we are adults, no longer teenagers or students at school 'that needs to be spoon-fed'... we need to be independent and have the initiative to study alone.. blah.... blah.... you'll get it...

The most interesting, important and major part of the whole orientation thing must be the welcome and mass call event. This was where all the students took their oath (is this the word?) and pledge (something like that la...) as new students of UTAR in front of the VIPs of the university. Even the President was here to deliver her speech... according to her, she and her team of university officials have been to different campuses (UTAR has four campuses) to attend to these mass call sessions. Other high-ranking university officials were also there to accompany her.

Before the mass call session I kinda imagined how it will be held. Glad to have attended such an event. I think all the students must have felt a strong sense of belonging to the university after that.

Anyway, after some slide shows about various topics, it's time for some serious stuff... the PTPTN loan. Heard a lot of it but since it is regarding my tuition fees, it has always been my parents that asked questions or discussed about it... I considered a long time ago that when it comes to financial matters it will be under my parents' jurisdiction (even though we never clarified it... and it's not that I don't want to care about it... they are the ones who told me not to worry about it...)

Surprisingly.... or not surprisingly... a lot of questions were raised during the session. Now I realized how indepedent these students really are... Really humble about that fact... I am such a loser...