Malaysia Students Blog

On Writing Term Papers and Plagiarism

2010-08-18T16:15:00.001+08:00

Posted by Josette

We groan and complain when given assignments to do at the beginning of the semester. We’re lucky if we only need to write a minimum of 5 pages. Usually, we have to write around 8 to 12 pages for one assignment but the lazy me always writes the minimum number of pages. Due to my extreme laziness, lack of motivation, and my talent at procrastinating, I ALWAYS end up writing my papers the day before its due date. I hope to change this bad habit starting next semester!

Because I frequently write the minimum number of pages, my grades are only average. I believe that if I wrote more until the maximum number of pages, then I think I *might* get better grades. But in the end, it’s always the quality that counts and not the quantity. It depends on how you put your own ideas in your paper, how you elaborate and argue your points, how you organize them, how relevant they are to the main topic and so on.

In the beginning, I didn’t really understand what a term paper was. Fortunately, my sister lent me a book on writing research papers and after reading it halfway, I got an idea on how to get started. The book guided me on how to research for information, how to write outlines, how to write a bibliography, etc. You can find such books at your library too. I saw some at my university’s library and they’re just as informative. Too bad not many students bother to borrow them. I don’t think they even know that there are such books! But do borrow and read them so you’ll be ready for your next term paper.

Anyway, are you familiar with the word ‘plagiarism’? Look it up in your dictionary. I do hope you know that it’s kind of illegal to ‘copy and paste’ your term papers. Some students are very smart when doing this. They find information from various sources, usually from websites, and they combine them together. They then ‘forget’ to list out the sources in the bibliography section. If you’re using someone else’s work in your paper, it’s always a good idea to cite them to let your lecturer know that it’s not written by you. In fact, you only cite when you want to further prove your points.

Your lecturer wants to read what YOU wrote. They want to know what and how you think, how you argue your points. They want to know what YOU think on the topic given. Unfortunately, some students nowadays don’t write the papers themselves. They plagiarize instead and half of the time, they don’t realize that what they’re doing is wrong. Some even plagiarize for presentations.

Lecturers do warn students about plagiarizing and the consequences if they’re caught. They’ll also know if you do copy other people’s work. Remember, they have been lecturers for many years and have read a lot so they’ll definitely find out if it’s an original piece of work or if it’s been copied.

To be on the safe side, just don’t plagiarize and remember to cite your sources. Start your homework as soon as possible. Start doing your work the day you’re given the assignment. Do a little bit every day and before you know it, you might have completed your paper well before the due date. You’ll actually be given weeks to write your paper. Don’t be like me and most of the other students, cramming to write as much as possible one day before due date!

How to Survive Your Internship

2010-07-27T02:50:00.007+08:00

Posted by Josette

The first day of work is just like your first day of school. So not true! You need to realise that you’re on your own and you won’t be spoon-fed. You’ll need your wits, grit, determination and a lot of positive thinking to succeed or at least, do your best to shine at your job internship.

My course mates and I were required to undergo a two-month long practical training after our second year in university. I was terribly nervous on my first day as an intern reporter at a newspaper organisation. Technically, it was my second time working. I had to brace myself to stay confident while meeting new people and learning the ropes of reporting for a major newspaper.

So, to help you prepare for your first, second or third internship, here are some internship survival tips:

Learn as much as you can about the company or organisation where you’ll be working. Do your research on the Internet, the company’s website, newspapers, anywhere in order to have a better understanding of what the company does and expects from their employees. Find out who are their top people. Get to know what your role is when you start working there. Know the location of your workplace and practise getting there.
Prepare yourself. By this, I meant by personal grooming and work ethics. Think about the proper clothes and shoes to wear. Get a haircut or a trim. Make sure you are clean, neat and tidy. Remember, first impressions count. Besides, brush up on your working skills or any other skills needed for work. I wished I had done more preparation before I started my internship but managed to catch up by reading a lot on newspaper reporting and writing, which were relevant to my job.
Smile and be friendly. Even if you do meet some nasty people at work. Just maintain a calm, friendly demeanour and don’t worry if they don’t seem to like you. Try to get along with them but concentrate on doing the best in your job. Don’t fret if your boss seems unpleasant. He or she has a lot of responsibility so don’t be too quick to judge them. Listen to what they say and take note of any advice they give to you. You learn the best from your boss and superiors.
Be alert and learn from your work surroundings. Know what’s happening. Ask questions if you don’t understand anything. There’s nothing wrong with asking. If you feel your workload is too light, you can ask for something extra to do. This shows your initiative and interest in the job. Don’t just sit around chatting on MSN, waiting for something to do. Ask for more.
Give 100% effort in everything you do. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might – as the saying goes. Don’t do things halfheartedly as it sends out a wrong impression on you and it’ll reflect badly on your evaluation. Even if your boss initially sets simple tasks for you, do them well. This will show that you take pride in your work and that you’re ready for more important tasks.

If you perform well during your internship, they will keep you in mind if they have a hiring process later. You can also mention your job stint with the company when you apply for a job (position) there. Remember to put it down in your resume.

The most important thing is that you enjoy yourself when you’re an intern. It’s a great learning opportunity which exposes you to the real deal if you start working at the job full-time. Ask yourself if it’s something you’d like to do every day for the rest of your life after graduation. Make full use of this incredible experience to help you decide what you want to be.

Links: OSK Investment Challenge, NESCAFE Kick Start, Chill-Lah Gig & MILO Hidup Bola

2010-07-07T00:19:00.018+08:00

The OSK Investment Challenge (Campus Edition) let you play stock trading with a virtual capital of RM100,000 to begin. You’ll learn to invest, polish your trading skills and reap the rewards for your efforts.

Get certificate of participation and win real cash grand prizes: 1st Prize RM25,000 2nd Prize RM10,000 3rd Prize RM5,000 and other attractive prizes.

MILO Hidup Bola easy redemption programme starts from June 1 till August 31, 2010. Just buy any MILO products to accumulate points used to redeem Adidas mini ball and MILO Hidup Bola bag. Just fill up and submit the form which can be download from MILO website to get these limited edition premiums from Adidas delivered to your house!

Join Cadbury: Share the Joy contest to win Wii console, iPod Shuffle, movie vouchers and other great weekly prizes!

Nescafe Chill-Lah Gig: Write the next great jingle and win grand prize RM10,000 plus other awesome prizes up for grabs. Enter now!

Nescafe Kick Start is back, and this time even more dream jobs to be won! Show your stuff and outshine the rest to win a 3-month internship (chance to convert into full-time employment subject to review) in a dream job of your choosing!

The 15 most wanted dream jobs available are travel writer, travel guide, brand custodian, NGO worker, gadget reviewer, party planner, TV host, mystery shopper, talent scout, wedding planner, celebrity PA, concert promoter, events writer, game tester and photo journalist.

Win one when you participate in F&N Juicy Wins Video Submission Contest! Plus, get Free Drinks and Instant rewards at 7Eleven participating outlets.

Have you taken the Treevia? Answer correctly as fast as you can, challenge your friends, and win prizes like iPod!

UPU 2010/2011 STPM-leaver IPTA Intake Application Results

2010-06-03T07:43:00.001+08:00

Posted by Chong

The Star Online reported that June 18 is the date from which students can check to see if they are accepted into local public universities, according to Higher Education Department Director General Datuk Radin Umar.

You can check the IPTA intake application result through Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) website http://upu.mohe.gov.my and for STPM students who fail to get a varsity seat, you can do your appeal application (permohonan rayuan kemasukan ke Institut Pengajian Tinggi Awam, IPTA) via https://upu.mohe.gov.my/erayuanstpm/index.php

Please take note that you can appeal only if you ticked no at accepting course out of your eight choices during IPTA application (permohonan IPTA). The appeal results (keputusan rayuan FASA 1) will most probably out within a week before IPTA orientation week commencing on July 4 this year.

Semakan Keputusan Permohonan Kemasukan Ke IPTA Sesi Akademik 2010/2011 can also be done via the following four links, if the official website is unavailable or too slow to load: