Nilai U - the choice for two YPPB scholars

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Two YPPB scholars are ecstatic to have the opportunity to earn a business degree at Nilai U.[/caption]

“The thing we like most about Nilai University is the environment. It is so peaceful and quiet. You can hear the birds chirping every morning,” says Siti Nurul Jannah Che Mat Nasir, who hails from Pasir Mas, Kelantan.

Agreeing with this observation is fellow Kelantanese, Budiyati Murni Kamarudin, who says that the conditions at Nilai university (Nilai U) are ideal for the pursuit of higher education. “It is so peaceful and tranquil with the surrounding greenery, it feels almost like my hometown in Machang.”

Both young girls are recipients of Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera (YPPB) scholarships which cover the tuition and accommodation fees in full. Best part being that the scholars are not bonded and they only need to maintain a CGPA of 3.0. Jannah explains that she had already enrolled in a public university in a statistics diploma programme before getting the offer from YPPB.

After consulting with a counsellor from her school, Jannah decided to take up YPPB’s offer to do the Foundation in Business programme followed by a BBA of her choice at Nilai U. “The counsellor convinced me that it was good offer as I get to do a pre-u and a degree programme. Even though my first choice was statistics, it was only a diploma (at the public university) plus I needed a minimum CGPA of 3.5 to be able to get a PTPTN scholarship. The YPPB offer was for a full scholarship, so it was really a no-brainer,” she confesses.

Budiyati also says that she had her sights on an engineering degree in the beginning. She had already shown her aptitude for the subject when she represented her school in a national level competition to build and race a solar car. However, after a rigorous process of interviews and multiple tests, YPPB administrators offered her a scholarship to do the Foundation in Business followed by the BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance programme. She has no regrets though as she is aware how lucky she is to have snared a full scholarship.

“So many students applied but very few actually got an offer from YPPB. I intend to make full use of this opportunity,” smiles the 18-year old former SMK Machang student.

Both girls seem to have settled in nicely and are enjoying their classes. Jannah says she is comfortable with the hostel arrangements. “I came to visit Nilai U with my family before making a decision. They were impressed by the 24-hour security and the friendly ground staff. I was just happy that the rooms were not cramped like it was in the public university I attended where rooms resembled mini-dormitories,” she recalls. Budiyati says that having friendly staff on hand has made her settle in that much faster. “Everyone from the cleaning ladies to the administrative staff have been very friendly, making me feel very much at home,” she says.

In the classrooms, both girls admit it is both exciting and challenging to be in a learning environment with students from all over the world.

“Having a cosmopolitan student body certainly makes for a fun and exciting environment, and it also allows us to practice our English as we have to use it so much more often,” explains Jannah. Budiyati also adds that such an environment also pushes them to study harder. “We don’t want to be the only two Kelantanese girls in the bottom of the class!” she laugh.

Jannah and Budiyati are definitely looking forward to their degree programmes with the former deciding that she wants to pursue a BBA (Hons) in Management. The latter is hoping to emulate her predecessors from the Accounting and Finance degree programme who have excelled and been named Valedictorian. While hoping to make full use of the opportunity afforded to them by YPPB, both girls have no hesitation in recommending Nilai U to school leavers and their parents.

“Even without a scholarship, Nilai U fees are reasonable. Couple this with its Setara 5 ranking by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency, it is a good place to study,” says Jannah. Budiyati goes back to the main reason she fell in love with Nilai U, which is the environment. “Very few universities have such a peaceful environment. This alone is reason enough for students to come check this place out.”

Nilai U was established in 1997 and is located in the picturesque suburb of Putra Nilai. For more information, please go to www.nilai.edu.my or search for ‘Nilai University’ on Facebook. To speak to a counsellor, please call 06-8502308 / 07-2262336 / 03-79603089.