Assalamualaikum. Amboi bersawang betul blog ni haha. I've been busy catching up life especially after officially became a postgrad student. My business pun tak jalan. First and foremost, Alhamdulillah for my graduation last October and everything that I've blessed with last year. I hope 2016 will be better than last year *cliche*. 

Alright, other than soalan "Kau nak kawen bila?", I got this question a lot : "Best tak sambung master?" Okay to be really honest, tak best pun. Bukan ape pun, lonely okay sambung master ni. T.T

Disebabkan kelas I campur dengan budak part-time so it's really hard for me to mingle with them. Sebab their commitment is not 100% on campus. My classmates pun ramai dah jadi bapak orang, bini orang, ada yang baru je jadi datuk... So, nampak tak? macam mana nak ajak makan malam2 kat mapley kalau macam ni? Oleh itu, kawan I mmg berubah each class and basically I close with full time student jugak. In this post, I want to share some of things you need to consider before you decide to pursue your study in postgrad.

1. Nak pilih mode ape? Research lagi senang kan?

Okay. Soalan ni memang popular and ramai yang confuse. This is my WARNING, CHOOSE YOUR MODE BETUL2. In UTM, especially in my fakulti (Fakulti Pendidikan), we have three mode of study which are: TAUGHT COURSE, MIX MODE and RESEARCH. 

TAUGHT COURSE.

Okay guys, taught course ni kerjanya memang kene masuk kelas, buat assignment, presentations etc. Pretty much like your degree years dulu senang cerita. Sebagai contoh, sepanjang tahun pengajian you need to complete 45 credit hours *depends on your program*. Dia adalah jumlah jumlah subjek yang kene ambil before you can graduate. Contohnya, like me, I need to take 3 core subjects, 4 electives, 2 uni's subjects and 2 faculty's subjects and dissertation. Oh, btw, kalau kat UTM ni, peringkat master kita tak panggil thesis ye awok awok, kita panggil di Dissertation. So, it depends on you nak susun ur jadual macam mana. Boleh pilih ikut your time, bila you bangun tido. Haha true tho. Advantage of this mode, in shaa Allah dan kebiasaanya you boleh  habiskan you punya study on time depending on how fast you want to end your study. Disadvantage pulak, kau kene datang kelas lah. For full time student, maybe takde masalah because your commitment is 100% on your study, but part-time student ni perit sikitlah. Nanti kita borak2 pasal ni. Kalau kat UTM ni, Dissertation utk taught course TAKDE PROPOSAL PRESENTATION AND VIVA HOIIII. HEAVEN.

MIX MODE

Mix mode ni gabungan dua mode lah, taught course and research. Maksudnya, you have to attend classes and do the research. Sebelum ni, I mmg pelajar untuk this mode, tapi dah tukar mode jadi TAUGHT COURSE hahaha Okay untuk mix mode ni, ur credit hour untuk kelas is basically half of taught course and dissertation. Kalau kat UTM ni, you just need to take core subjects, uni's and faculty's electives. In my opinion, untuk amik mix mode ni, you need to have prior knowledge since nanti kene buat dissertation. Eh, habis kalau amik taught course tak perlu prior knowlege lah? Haah pretty much like that sebab you'll attend many classes which will provide you with a lot of input. Kalau mix mode ni, you'll just attend core subject and basically theory class yang biasanya susah for you guys nak cari which scope for your dissertation nanti. Believe me, kadang2 habis 1 semester pun you tak tau nak buat ape kalau takde prior knowledge. So dah rugi masa kat situ. Mestilah nak habiskan master cepat2, yuran bukan murah hoi. Advantage mode ni, kelas tak banyak lah and dissertation tu you can do it on your pace along with the guidance of your sv lah kan. the disadvantage, maybe you need to prolong your study time because you knowww you ada research tau. You need to present your proposal and ada viva hockay. Pasal research ni kita discuss kejap lagi. Oh, I think mode ni sesuai jugak untuk part time student. Sebab kelas tak banyak so takde lah beban sangat. 

RESEARCH

Untuk research, you really need to be bold kalau amik this mode. Eh dont get me wrong because I heard that buat research ni mmg lonely gila. haha yelah you dont need to take classes, so takdelah kawan sangat. Kalau kat UTM ni, memang you dont have to attend class tapi setiap bulan ada 3 sessions for your research methodology class. BELIEVE ME, I have attended those classes, not fun for people yang memang have zero knowledge research methodology. You actually kene start on something baru you tahu what you gonna ask later in those sessions. And biasa kelas ni akan gabung sekali with PHD students. Okay macam mix mode, you have to present your proposal with external panel and then viva jugak with external panel. Advantage untuk mode ni, you can get duit because of research grant and doing work on your own pace. Tak terikat with date sangat. Disadvantage pulak, well, kebanyakan student research biasanya tak habis on time. at least 4 sems jugak while other people can finish it at 3 sem. Untuk orang yang nak dapatkan master dengan kadar yang segera, this mode is definitely not for you. 

So, biasanya kalau mode mix mode and research ni, orang susahhhhh nak grad on time because you're basically dealing with people *read: examiners, panel, supervisors* Well, kalau you're postrgad student, people will expect more and takkan you nak bagi seciput je. I have friends dah habiskan one year which is two semesters with research mode and then tukar to taught course sebab kerja tak jalan-jalan. Ada juga yang up till now tak grad-grad sebab SV busy, examiners tak lepas, VIVA tak lepas bla bla. I'm not saying that research or mix mode ni tak bagus, no, it would be good for you bila nak amik PHD nanti. It depends on your goal and your minat.. So, if you decide to take research for example, you dont have to worry. Janji rajin baca 30-50 artikel/journal per day, you can learn a lot actually. It'll really help you doing your research. 

2. Part time? Full Time?

Okay, issue pasal part time dengan full time ni pun masalah jugak. I'm full time student, so basically I mmg tinggal kat kolej and pergi kelas dengan jayanya. Tapi kalau part time ni biasanya orang yang dah ada kerja but they want to study at the same time. 85% of my classmates are part time student. Memang I sekelas dengan cikgu-cikgu, pegawai PPD, nazir sume. 

As full time student, apa masalah yang korang akan hadapi? Meh I list kan..

- Financial : kalau kau bukan anak menteri, memang kau sesak lah. Boleh je nak buat part time job tapi kene pandai2 lah especially yang amik taught course. 

- Assignment : Ha, pasal assignment ni mmg kontroversi sikit. Especially kalau you kene buat assignment dengan budak part time. Weh, from my experience you need to have a lot of patience and try to be understanding even if you're not.  Dorang ni biasanya akan banyak alasan sikit. Susah nak siap kerja on time sebab they've commitment yang lain. But, they're good for you because they could provide you with their experience. 

- Expectation : Biasanya orang expect lebih sikit kat budak full time ni, sebab dorang pikir kita ni 24 jam study je. Lol. Yelah budak part time kan ada kerja, so untuk full time student ni kita takde kerja so study jelah kat library sana. Haha hoi budak part time, we got life too okay?

As part time student, apa masalah yang you guys kene hadap pulak?

- Time: TIME TIME TIME, MASA MASA MASA memang masalah you guys no 1. Nak kene kerja, siapkan assignement, kalau ada family lain pulak, mana nak kene datang kelas sume. As for me, if you dah decide nak sambung belajar, you need to be prepared betul2 lah. dah kene tahu time management sikit. It's important supaya tak susah kan yourselves and other people. Please. 

-Assignment : aka quality of work. since you have a lot of commitments, you tend to buat kerja cincai2. lepas tu banyak budak part time attendance memang teruk sikit.

Looks like macam I bash budak part time kan? tapi actually if you;re full time student pun, kalau you tak tau nak manage masa, you guys pun boleh menyusahkan diri sendiri and orang lain.I ada je kawan spent most of time with other things, dia full time student jugak, Hm kerja pun so-so je. not good not good.

Ehem. So itu jela yang basic things you need to know. It depends on your priority and universiti jugak. As for me, postgrad ni mmg lah tak best, tapi daripada segi learning, it's far better than your degree years because I can see my own effort tau. Postgrad ni tak spoonfed sangat so it'll be good for your development. Seriously. Apa-apa pun, no matter where you decide nak smbung ur study, dalam negara ke overseas ke, tak kisahlah, yang penting effort kene ada. Just remember your parents, you'll be fine kalau you stumble in the middle of your study. Good luck for you guys and for me too. xoxo