What To Do After SPM - Guide

Decide what you want to do.

Take a gap year or jump straight into college?

Some people prefer to take a gap-year break. There is nothing wrong with this, especially if they’re still undecided on a course to study and want to take some time to discover themselves. If that is you, that’s totally fine!

But if you’re excited to begin the next chapter of your tertiary education, then there’s no reason to dilly dally!

Pick a course

You want to start by picking a course to study. Typically, students often pick something that is a skill/hobby they’re good at, aligns with their interests and provides fast career advancement.

If you have trouble deciding, take a moment to reflect and evaluate your priorities. Do you want a job that involves helping others? Or do you prefer a career with a high paycheck and the opportunity to advance up the corporate ladder? If you prefer the former, then you might study a course related to psychology or medicine.

Choosing a course can be overwhelming. With so many options available, you might feel like you’ll never be able to choose. But don’t spin out of control just yet!

Talk to your friends and parents for second opinions on what they think could be the best choice for you. If that still doesn’t help, our counselors are available here to guide you!

Decide where you want to study

The next step is to decide where you want to study. While it can be a really enjoyable experience to study abroad in countries such as UK, Australia, and US, not everyone has the expenses for that. So, why not look into Malaysia itself?

You can choose from private or public institutions depending on your budget or type of course you want to study. Universities may offer different courses depending on their specializations, so it pays off to research on those!

Fun fact: did you know that Malaysia provides internationally recognized degrees from the UK, USA, and Australia? The course content and evaluation criteria are pretty much the same, except that instead of hefty US dollars, it’s priced in Ringgit! Isn’t that a steal?!

Look for scholarships

A scholarship can help to relieve some of the financial burdens of university fees. Scholarships are usually open around the time SPM results are released, so don’t wait too long before you start looking!

Tip: Look for a scholarship that covers your preferred course. Some scholarships only look for students that are from specific backgrounds, so you don’t want to waste time applying for something that doesn’t fit. For example: A medical scholarship may further your professional goals in research medicine, but only funds students who are interested in practicing clinical medicine. That is a clear distinction between two different career paths, so keep that in mind.

Make preparations for university`

Start organizing your documents and preparing the certificates you’ll need for the application. If you’re unsure what type of documents to prepare, check with our counselors here. They’ll be more than happy to help!

University is going to be different from what you’ve experienced in high school, so make sure you’re ready to face it! To make the transition easier, note down your strengths and weaknesses so you know how to balance both upon entering university.

If you’re planning to stay on your own on near to campus, it will help to start learning basic life skills. Cooking, budgeting, and doing your own laundry may seem simple at first, but you’ll be surprised at how quickly the dirty dishes pile up when no one’s putting them away for you!