Challenges so far.....

I am a college student. Now, I am in the second month of my studies. Being a college student isn’t as easy as what others think. There are lots of challenges and we have to overcome them with great patience.

Asasi, which is also known as the fast track for the SPM leavers consists of a short period of study time. This is because the courses that usually take 3 years are shortened to only 1 year. In this one year, we are expected to perform at par with the Diploma students where they have to complete their courses which are the same as our courses in 3 years. So, the main challenge that I face so far is time management. As I am a student of the Faculty of Education which is placed at INTEC in Section 17, Shah Alam, I have to wake up as early as 6.00 a.m. in order to board the earliest bus early as I am scared that there will be not enough buses provided for us. Besides that, my classes start as early as 8.30 a.m. and end as late as 6.00 p.m. So, the only time for me to rest, complete my assignments and homework will be at night. Sometimes I even sleep at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning in order to finish up my homework, assignments and revision. In order to overcome this problem, I came out with a time table which helps me to manage my time wisely to complete all my work on time as well as do revision.

In addition, another challenge that I have to face is waiting for the UiTM bus. On the first day here, I was told by the seniors that the UiTM bus service from the Mawar College to INTEC which is called the E bus operates from 7.30 a.m. until 8.30 a.m. So, whether my classes start at 10.00 a.m. or 2.00 p.m., I have to take the bus between that hour. I remembered the day that I was going to take the Malaysian Studies test. My friends and I were early as usual but we were fuming as the bus did not appear on time. It was really frustrating and we finally complained to the guard in charge of the bus service. He contacted the bus driver and after 20 minutes, the bus finally arrived. I was quite upset with what had happened that day and I intended to complain to the students’ affairs department. However, after that unfortunate incident, I am quite satisfied with the bus service although sometimes they do not provide enough buses to cater to our needs.

The other challenge that I face is group work. Some of my assignments need to be completed in groups. Once I formed my group, I tried my best to cooperate and do my best so that our assignments will be perfect. Unfortunately, some of my group members do not really show their commitment. For example, some of them did not show up for discussion and some of them did not even contribute anything in the initial stage of doing the assignments. After realising this problem, I called my group members and we had a heart to heart talk. We accepted each others’ opinions and my problematic group members started to change for the better. This made me happy and at the same time we share the burden of completing our assignments. Now, my group is a strong team and we look forward to more assignments to be done together.

Besides that, I also face the challenge in gaining access to the Internet. I love to surf the Internet. I love face booking, blogging, and watching videos, dramas and music videos from the YouTube. When I came here, I was quite disappointed as the wireless Internet is not available in my college. Thus, I was unable to surf the Internet and do the things that I love most. However, this helps me to concentrate in my studies and thus I am able to complete my assignments on time. This taught me that surfing the Internet will not ensure the success in my studies. Surfing the Internet is just a waste of time and energy if I were to do the things that I like. Despite that, sometimes the Internet helps me in providing the information that I need for my studies. In addition, surfing the Internet sometimes reduces my stress and provides entertainment in my mundane daily routine.

In a nutshell, the challenges that I face really help me in building up my confidence and patience. Now, I am able to stand up with my own feet as I realise the importance of concentrating in my studies. Besides that, the challenges I face will make me strive to work harder in order to achieve success. Moreover, I am able to control my desires and be more focused in my studies. I am happy that I have succeeded in overcoming the challenges that have taught me to be strong and remain calm in whatever difficult situations. I am looking forward to the end of this semester and I hope that I am able to see the changes in myself. On top of that, my family members will be proud with what I have achieved so far. Finally, this quote “challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful” by Joshua J. Marine has touched my heart as I am able to relate it to my own life.