More On 3+0 Courses

There was a question raised by a reader for my earlier post on “Speed Up Your Pursuit of Higher Education (II)”, which I thought should be raised here as a new post so that it will not be missed by other readers.

I would like to ask, is STPM, 'A' Levels or equivalent as the foundation for entering universities only? Will it be any problem, if a student can catch up the course without having STPM, 'A' Levels or equivalent level?

In my earlier posts, I’ve argued strongly against taking part in 3+0 courses due to various reasons. Basically the reader asked if it is possible for students to take 3+0 courses after SPM but still graduate strongly as he or she could make up for the shorter time frame through possibly more intensive course structure and teaching as well as additional hardwork by the student to make up for the “shortened” time frame.

Theoretically, of course, it’s possible. There are after all geniuses abound in the country. That’s why sometimes you hear of prodigies qualifying for Ivy League universities at 13 or something like that.

However, in practical terms, it’s not likely for 2 simple reasons:

Firstly, I would like to hazard a guess that 99.9% of the population, myself included, do not fall into the academic prodigy category – i.e. we are not that smart. Smart as we may be, we still need the necessary amount of time to absorb, understand and comprehend in depth the various aspects of the various subjects and topics of our degree programme.

Let me put it another way, despite having gone through 2 full years of ‘A’ Levels at one of the top institutions in Singapore, I still had to work pretty damn hard to do well for my degree in Oxford. If the top universities of the world require that extra 1-2 years, I don’t see how these private colleges could claim to be “world-class”, if they accept students into a degree programme without yet having the right foundations.

The logical (please do not take this in a condescending manner, it’s not meant to be) conclusion to this is, the only reason why a candidate can secure a degree in 3 years immediately after his or her SPM, is that the course is significantly easier and “watered down”. It is a “cheaper” certificate in all sense of the word.

Secondly, I dare say that none of the courses offered by the local colleges as part of the 3+0 schemes are of the necessary high standards and quality to make up for the significantly shortened time frame. For example, students still get the same holidays as the others instead of taking part in more intensive courses to “catch up”.

In fact I dare say, that the rigour of the courses taught for these 3+0 degrees are likely to be less than that of STPM level! What this means is that it’s probably easier to pass the 3+0 programmes, than to do credibly for STPM examinations. This is probably one of the major reasons attributing to the popularity of the 3+0 or even the 3+1 programmes.

After all, since it’s so easy to obtain a “degree”, why should I bother to “struggle” through a difficult STPM and still don’t get my degree qualifications?

What students fail to consider is that while they do “graduate” with a “degree”, it’s one of poorer quality both in the eyes of many employers (like myself) as well as the student’s personal growth in terms of knowledge, skills, critical thinking and analysis faculties. Read the case study of regret from one such student in my earlier post.

Hence to summarise once again – yes, it’s definitely “possible” to cramp all the education of STPM (and equivalent) as well as a good quality degree into a 3+0 programme. However it’s likely to be possible only in theory, as not that many of us are academic prodigies, and the current offerings of 3+0 programmes in the market do not give me any confidence at all. Strong SPM students should definitely give them a miss.