MCO season: Student Edition

Howdy dear friends, I can bet korang semua macam I: stuck at home thinking about what day it is again lol. Well after asking all you folks apa yang korang nak Sya update on my blog, quite a number of y'all asked for tips as to what to do amid this Covid-19 crisis. Disclaimer, this post is tailored and targeted to my dear juniors still studying and who might be sitting for public exams this year. With all the uncertainty around, I guess all we can do is make the most out of our time at home. So here goes some pointers as to what Sya akan buat kalau I korang semua yang masih bersekolah:

1. Pretend it's school

I memang legit ye sis. If you guys feel like you're so unproductive and directionless this MCO season, maybe pretend it's still school and belajar ikut jadual sekolah yang korang ada. At least by doing this, you have a clear objective of what to study next. And when I mean pretend it's a normal schooling day, I mean that includes prep and sports hours macam biasa. Another good reason to do this is so that when you guys go back to school, you're not so rusty and your body clock is adjusted to the normal school schedule cos bruh sumpah I kt rumah pagi/petang pun idk anymore cos I practically sleep whenever I feel like it (which is bad, very bad).

However, if y'all have online classes semua tu, then that is great! Like my little bro, he has online classes but only in the morning so petang tu dia memekak main Fortnite (istg older sister probs). And if you guys macam tu jugak, meaning having classes randomly or rarely, maybe continue having your own version of "school" at home. Nak lagi realistic, maybe put on your school uniform or smtg lololol (if you guys actually do this, please I beg you send me a pic hahaha).

2. Study new topics yourself

You guys may think "Alamak, cikgu aku tak de bla bla", but I honestly think that is not an alasan. In an age where you can legit google everything including dumb gifs like I do, then I can bet all my life savings that korang boleh google latihan and videos to understand your subjects better. I feel like this is a perfect opportunity to train yourself to be an independent learner, an attitude you can bring to school when it reopens and I can tell you that being independent and a few steps ahead in your subjects is a huuugee advantage.

Oleh itu, textbook ada kan? Google ada kan? Apa lagi?? So maybe open up your books and start reading up on chapters cikgu tak sentuh lagi. This is especially useful for reading type subjects since the content is A LOT. Even masa I sekolah dulu, I had a hard time finishing the sejarah and agama textbook sebab tk cukup masa so maybe since korang ada ample time, have a read and make some notes. Lagi-lagi yang nak PT3 and SPM this year, there's so much uncertainty surrounding your exams so it's best to be ahead and ready just in case.

In terms of math subjects, the textbook would have shown you what you need to do but I totally faham that math is already hard even with a teacher, apa tah lagi nak belajar sorang-sorang. And that's where people like me come into the picture, I mean orang yang dah lepas SPM and bazir bandwith on Netflix sebab tak ada kerja. I can bet you your seniors would be happy to help in explaining how to answer the questions. Confirm, even your teachers are eager to tolong korang. So don't be shy whatsoever to ask or have the initiative to start early.

3. Improve on your basics

No doubt public exams will be testing on not only your current form's syllabus but also the years before (i.e. SPM = form 4 + form 5). So referring to "pretending it's school", during certain subjects, you can actually study up the previous year's syllabus. From my experience, the biggest struggle of SPM was being good at both form 4 AND form 5 topics, and due to limited time, trying to revisit past topics and sharpening up my basics in form 4 was difficult.

So my advice is, maybe use this time to baca and hadam balik all your past year's content so that when you're nearing SPM, tak de lah sibuk baru nak baca buku form four balik amirite? Maybe to those who are in form 4 or even form 1, I guess there isn't any harm learning up future topics so you know what to expect when you progress further.

4. Sharpen your answering techniques

One thing my school principal would say is, (sapa tau, tau lah lol) "In the exam, you write answers, not read answers". Which I mean, is pretty darn obvious cos the exam is on a piece of paper? Unless in the future canggih bapak, the paper can read your mind and write itself or wtv but I doubt that. But back to the topic, he does have a very good point tho, like you can hafal the textbook and be as knowledgeable as possible but if you're not able to present your answers in a good manner, well um hampeh jugak ye rakan.

Dengan itu, do a lot of exercise books and legit answer fully like in an exam. The problem with us students is that, we think that if you peram textbook pastu buat air, confirm dapat A+, but that is far from reality. In fact, if you can answer well, using the right techniques, good grades are coming your way. Also, this is a good way to train yourself not to be malas nak mampos untuk tulis masa dalam exam. Trust me, technique menjawab and writing compact answers are paramount in exams. So better train tangan tu to write often by doing exercise books. It's like killing two birds with one stone because when you write the same stuff over and over again, you akan ingat content tu easier. Better than Nescafe 3 in 1 ye.

One more thing, my add math teacher said that math was about presenting numbers and answers on a sheet of paper. In regards to his wise words, when doing math questions, be sure to write your answers in the correct manner because your standard written method carries the biggest weightage of your marks especially for paper 2.

5. Practice them writing skills

There is one universal truth for all students: we all hate essays. Okay, maybe not all of us but I can say a vast majority of us sumpah malas nak tulis karangan. I mean I like to write (more specifically type) things like stories, articles or blogs and wtv, but god forbid I actually have to pick up a pen and legit TULIS pakai tangan on white and weird-smelling testpad, tambah lagi ada time limit and got someone gonna judge what I write in red ink (I mean yo, it's my story don't judge me hmph). But what choice do we have? You will be tested a lot on your essays and unfortunately, that is the most overlooked part of all for most students.

Most of us take for granted language papers and essays, maybe sebab malas or cuak. But the world ain't fair sis so kena jugak buat AND be good at it. Yes, not all of us are J.K Rowling to write earth-shattering stories but what we can do is practice writing grammatically correct, spelling-error-free and engaging essays. And all this can be done through practicing writing essays.

Of course you tak boleh main suka tulis apa you nak, however you want, so maybe have somebody like your teacher review your essays/karangan to fix grammatical and spelling errors. I actually have a lot to say about writing essays and karangan cos languages were my strongest subjects but I don't want to bore you, so maybe if you guys nak sya tulis a separate page about to let me know kayy.

Maybe this MCO season you guys are lazy to write, I totally understand but it is really necessary. So maybe what you can do is, write one English and BM essay a week. OR kalau malas jugak, you guys can type it out instead, just to brushen up your writing skills and content. To get the best topics to write about, try refer to past SPM/PT3 papers to get a gist of what sort of questions/prompts will be asked.

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Well I guess that sums up my tips on studying amid this MCO season. It may be a bit hard to do at first but yknow no pain, no gain. And I can assure you, that what you decide to do these next two weeks will really define your learning later on, since starting school again is no easy feat.

Sya kesian sangat to all my juniors yang nak ambik SPM and PT3 nanti cos I bet you guys must be so worried, but don't freak out and take things positively. Buat je apa yang mampu dulu and be sure to help each other out. Most importantly, don't be shy or lazy to look for help. Good luck and have fun studying guys. Remember, my friends and I are always here if you guys need any assistance along the way because we are all happy to help you guys during these trying times. Stay safe everyone!

Lots of love,

Sya.