Yasshootha a/p Supramaniam achieved Top in the World in the recent Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards for Business in the A–Level November 2019 examinations.
We interviewed her during the first phase of MCO (virtually, of course) about her experience at MCKL and her plans for the future.
Yashootha (Back row, center) with her cohort-mates
What was your reaction when you heard that you would be receiving this award?
It initially didn’t sink in for me until a day or two because I never expected this. As a student, only I know the mistakes that I make; therefore, I was genuinely surprised. However, I was beyond grateful for the acknowledgement of my effort through this course.
What is your secret ingredient for this achievement?
Balance and Consistency. A balance between my studies and my leisure. A balance between my subjects. A-Levels is known for its intense curricular syllabus. On weekdays, I stayed up till 8 pm in the library to revise and prepare for exams. However, on weekends, I never get near books regardless of the reason. As a student taking four subjects, the balance between my study hours was crucial due to the lack of time. The constant tests in classes helped me determine which subjects I needed to focus on at that time.
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Which university will you be joining? Why did you choose this university and this course? Will you be receiving any scholarship?
I have decided to pursue Accounting and Business at the University of Edinburgh. Besides the university being in the top 20 in the World and having one of the best business schools around the globe, I also believe that this university can provide me networking opportunities with future leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Why did you choose to do A Level at MCKL?
MCKL is well known for producing award-winning students every year, and this showed the promising potential of the lecturers. MCKL also offers lucrative scholarships compared to other colleges, and the fees are relatively more affordable, considering the facilities offered.
Please share some of your memorable moments at MCKL.
There are a fair number of memorable moments I have had in MCKL. While most of it is of the silly things my friends and I have done in college, one that I will remember is our Business Classes. The classes were always exciting with new activities that brought all of us in the class closer, which is quite rare in college. Now, all of us (business class students) have a family-like bond, and it was all thanks to Ms Jennifer.
How did MCKL nurture you to be who you are today?
MCKL has an inclusivity culture among all of its students. Therefore, this gave me a sense of belonging, which led to the acceptance of myself for who I am and the acceptance of my friends for who they are. This made all of us have a healthy competition among each other without having any ill feelings towards our competitors because inclusivity fosters a culture of respect.
In what ways did your parents play a part in your education journey?
At 18, my parents were no longer as involved in my education compared to back when I was in high school. They let me be independent with whatever I wanted to do, and this showed me the degree of trust they had in me. They never pressured me in any way and were understanding of the difficulty of A Levels. Thus, although they were not actively involved, their trust and understanding was enough support for me throughout the course.
What would you advice your juniors?
Working hard one week before the exams does not pay off. Consistency is the key. Start early. The earlier you can detect your mistakes, the faster you can improve your grades.
Choose your friends wisely. Surround yourself with positive and supportive friends. Friends who motivate you to study. Friends who are willing to help you out at any time. Friends who are family. Finding your genuine friend can save your time from unnecessary problems, and as an A-Levels student, you have no time to waste.
Lastly, with the MCO, what do you do to “kill” time?
MCO has taken a toll on everyone’s boredom. While that’s the case for many, I still happen to have a tonne of work left, now that I’m working as a website and social media manager. This still requires me to create and post content weekly.
While that takes away some of my time, I am also a freelance website developer. Therefore, I used this time to catch up with the clients that I had missed before due to work schedule and am now back to building websites for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME).