Hi! I’m Peng Han, a current Penang scholar.
If you’re reading this article because you’ve got a scholarship interview offer from Penang Future Foundation, congratulations!
Not many have made this far. But you have.
But, be warned. The battle is not over yet. In fact, it has just begun.
In this article, I would like to share with you some handy tips to ace your Penang Future Foundation scholarship interview as well as provide clarification for some misconceptions surrounding this scholarship. Without further ado, let’s get started.
Firstly, it is very important that you understand the ins and outs of the Penang Future Foundation scholarship itself.
There are two types of scholars, namely the Penang scholar and Mutiara scholar.
The interview I sat for is the Penang scholar interview, which this article will be based upon.
This scholarship differs from most of the other scholarships because it is based on meritocracy. Most scholarships out there consider your family’s financial standing and would prioritize students from lower income families. But if you are applying to be a Penang scholar, as long as your family’s total income is less than RM 15000 per month, you are eligible for this scholarship.
Click the link below to find out your eligibility for this scholarship.
PFF 2020 Scholarship & Eligibility
The Application Process
The procedures and documents required to apply for the Penang Future Foundation scholarship is quite a lot. I would also consider it to be quite tedious as applicants are required to get signatures from notaries in their town.
Nevertheless, this is a good scholarship. And in the end, all your hard work will pay off.
One more thing that I should add is you can contact PFF should you have any questions via their email info@penangfuturefoundation.my or FB messenger on their Facebook Page. They are very responsive and would message you even after working hours.
Also, if you forgot to print any important files or documents, printers will be available on the day of the interview in the waiting room. So, don’t panic. 😉
The Interview Process
You will be informed via email that you have gotten the interview.
Interviews will be conducted in Penang. So, those who stay outside or far from Penang should make the necessary arrangements.
You will be held in a waiting room where you wait for your turn to be called.
Once called, you will wait outside a room where your 2 interviewers are.
As you nervously count the passing of each second while hearing the deafening but silent thumping of your heart against your chest, an assistant will lead you to a room where the interviewers are prepared to gobble up their terrified prey!
Haha, I’m kidding. Your interviewers would love to get to know more about you. 😊
You enter the room and politely take a seat.
You position yourself nicely on the chair and sit up straight. The sound of pages turning can be heard as the interviewer combs through the documents you so meticulously prepared.
Eye contact. Courteous smiles are exchanged and….
The interview begins.
During the interview:
The interview lasts for 25 minutes with about 15 questions total.
During my interview, there were 2 interviewers. One was the legal assistant of Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow (as I found out later). The other was a Dato. Both are very well-educated professionals. They usually elect lawyers or professionals related to your degree course to interview you.
To keep things simple, I will divide the scholarship interview into 3 parts. But, the interview will be held just like any other interview.
· The Routine Questions
· Knowledge About Penang Future Foundation
· Knowledge About Your Field of Study
Part I: The Routine Questions:
1. Tell us about yourself.
2. How has extracurricular activities helped my life?
3. Why do u want this scholarship?
4. Do you have any leadership experience?
5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
These are the routine interview questions (as the name suggests). You should already have a list of prepared answers to say when these questions are brought up in the interview.
Part II: Knowledge About Penang Future Foundation:
1. What is the minimum CGPA that you must maintain to keep this scholarship?
· Penang scholars: Must maintain CGPA of 3.33 and above at all times.
· Mutiara scholars: Must maintain CGPA of 3.00 and above at all times.
2. If Penang Future Foundation grants you a total of RM41,000, including living expenses, how many years of service are you bonded to Penang?
3 years of service.
3. Upon graduation, what types of companies will you be eligible to work for?
You can work for any company whether is it private or government-run, as long as it is based in Penang.
Part III: Knowledge About Your Field of Study:
This is the most important part of the interview.
How you perform in this section will determine whether or not you qualify for the scholarship. This is because the interviewers mainly want to determine how you as a scholar can contribute and give back to Penang when you graduate and become a working professional.
1. How can your field of study benefit Penang?
Just describe what your dream job would be like when you have graduated and entered the workforce. Also, I would add that browsing the Penang official website or Facebook page would be helpful for you to relate your aspirations to Penang State’s goals.
2. Example of questions for degree in Dietetics:
· What is the difference between Keto and Atkins diet?
· How many teaspoons of sugar are found in one cup of bubble tea? (this was featured in a recent newspaper article)
· From a dietitian’s perspective, what would you say to friends or family who is losing fat the harmful way?
Then, the interview ends. You heave a sigh of relief as you walk out of the battlefield dazed, while remnants of adrenaline continue to course in your veins till it subsides.
To sum things up, with enough preparation, you can surely ace this scholarship interview!
The scholarship application and process are based on the 2019 batch of Penang scholars. If there are any changes, feel free to leave a comment or contact me at penghan2000@gmail.com.
Before you go, here are some common misconceptions that my friends have about the scholarship.
MYTHBUSTERS:
1. Penang Future Foundation only accepts Penangites as scholars.
ANS: False. I live in Taiping, Perak. I have friends from Selangor and KL who were awarded the scholarship as well.
2. Only first-year students can apply for this scholarship.
ANS: False. All Malaysians under 25 years of age entering or currently pursuing full time first undergraduate Degree (fully accredited by MQA) in Malaysia are eligible for this scholarship.
3. This scholarship is available for all courses.
ANS: False. Penang Future Foundation is only available for MQA accredited courses in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Accountancy, and Finance. EXCLUDE MEDICINE.
