The Next Step.

I am now officially a graduate of Nirwana College's Foundation in Science program. Have been since Thursday, actually, but haven't been compelled to write about it up till now.

Honestly speaking, I thoroughly enjoyed my two semesters there. Made friends with people I never thought I'd never be friends with, did things I never thought I'd do, and generally made huge leaps and bounds in terms of my social and intellectual development. I find myself hardly being able to believe that my eight months at Nirwana are actually somewhat comparable to my two years in Rembau in that aspect.

So what does one usually do after he's graduated from his Pre-U studies? I can't exactly say, but one thing's for sure - I'm not gonna just sit around kicking my heels. I'd had enough of that sort of thing during the post-SPM days.

I guess I'm looking towards my Bachelor's Degree next, and to get that over with as soon as possible, too. Of course, my primary choice to further my studies in Actuarial Science would be at Indonesia's Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), as that was the whole reason I got into Nirwana in the first place.

However, my initial desires of earning an overseas degree have somewhat mellowed in these past few months. Back then, the allure of studying on foreign soil looked to be a novelty, something highly coveted by recent SPM graduates like myself. I would have agreed to go anywhere, just as long as I could do my Actuarial Science degree somewhere that wasn't in Malaysia.

I was at the education fair earlier today, and naturally, my mother made me listen to some of the Actuarial Science degree programs offered by the various institutions there. I didn't really feel particularly attracted to any of them, except for the last one we went to.

Manipal International University (currently in Kelana Jaya, but they're relocating to Nilai in February next year) was apparently offering a new-ish course called Actuarial Finance. It piqued my interest, mostly because it differed from the original Actuarial Science by being more finance-centered, which was the route I'd planned on eventually taking anyway. 

Another difference is that this course only requires three years to complete, one less than the one I'd had my eye on at ITB. Also, with it being shorter and conducted entirely on Malaysian territory, it's considerably cheaper.

Well, nothing's finalized yet, but Manipal is definitely an option. I'll be off to Bandung on January 4th (which happens to be on the same day that my Foundation results will be released) to help me decide once and for all if ITB is what I really need. If not, then as of January 15th 2013, call me a proud pioneer* of Manipal International University, Nilai.

*Yes, the parallels with Rembau are not lost on me.