No man should escape our universities without knowing how little he knows.
– Julius Robert Oppenheimer, 1904-1967, American physicist.
Each time I see students jumping for joy over their straight A’s in the Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM), my heart sinks a little.
At first, I didn’t understand the idea that life is more than just A’s and B’s, especially when deciding the next stage of our studies. While most of my classmates headed off to Matriculation or university, my story took a less conventional path – Form 6, often perceived as the last resort for those who run out of options.
Back at SMK Padawan, I had an English teacher who was stern and tough. She used to tell us, “Form 6 is the hardest test you’ll ever face. Get through this, and university will feel like a breeze.” Talk about motivation, right?
Once, I retorted, “What breeze are you even talking about, cikgu?” and received a thrown duster in return.
I didn’t come from a well-off family. We struggled to put food on the table, let alone afford fancy colleges and expensive diplomas. That’s where Form 6, or the Malaysian Higher School Certificate (STPM), came into the picture.
During my time in Form 4 and 5, I was a science student, but not the nerdy archetype you might imagine. I was more of a “Why am I even here?” type.
The hard sciences, the likes of Oppenheimer’s, felt like an endless uphill battle, and Bahasa Melayu and English seemed akin to deciphering hieroglyphs.
Amidst all this, however, two subjects lit my way – Mathematics and Additional Mathematics. They were my lifesavers in a sea of confusion.
Just as persistence led to breakthroughs, so did mine in Maths and eventually in Economics.
When I stepped into Form 6 at SMK Batu Lintang, I decided to switch to the arts stream, even without my father’s approval.
Was I scared? Absolutely but I knew I had to take this leap to reach my goals.
As my wife often says, sometimes, you’ve got to walk through the fire to emerge stronger on the other side.
As for my SPM results…well, let’s just say they weren’t the type you’d showcase on social media.
Two shining As in Mathematics and Additional Mathematics, sure, but the rest? Mostly Cs and a couple of embarrassing Ds.
I wasn’t exactly at the top of the class, but I gave it my all, investing more effort than I ever had. I found myself excelling in Economics, and before I knew it, I started receiving nods of respect from my Arts stream mates.
Actually I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard, “You’re an arts student, what’s there to stress about?” Seriously? Writing close to 5 or 6 pages for each exam in my chicken-scratch handwriting doesn’t sound stressful?
You’ve got to cram what feels like an encyclopedia’s worth of information into your brain, make sense of it all, and then regurgitate it onto the exam paper. Yet, when it came to Economics, things felt different. It was like a well-orchestrated symphony in my mind, with all the graphs, numbers, and stats moving in harmony. The answers were sharp, straightforward and logical.
Moreover, English wasn’t my first language. I was the guy who struggled to compose a proper English sentence. I didn’t fare well in my first attempt at MUET and barely passed on the second try. Here’s a twist though: my second attempt was prompted by an old friend from SMK Taee. She wanted to retake MUET and asked me to join her. I agreed, not so much to pass MUET, but because I had a crush on her. Today, she is the mother of my children and is on her way to becoming a medical specialist. Life sure has a funny way of working things out, huh?
The first three months of Form 6 were tough. I kept to myself, often slept in class, and nearly gave up. But as time passed, I made friends, picked up English from my classmates, and things started to improve.
Fast forward a few years, my Form 6 friend Julia Goh and I found ourselves attending Columbia University’s top economics school. After graduation, we secured roles as Tier-1 economic analysts at a leading investment bank.
So, do I regret going to Form 6? Not one bit! It was a challenging journey, no doubt, but also the most fulfilling part of my high school life. It laid the foundation for university, helped me secure my dream jobs, and I even found my soulmate in the process. So, if you’re stepping into Form 6, remember: work hard, enjoy, and make the most of every moment. You won’t regret it. Form 6 was my game changer!
