Over 71,000 students worldwide sat for the New South Wales Higher School Certificate (NSW HSC) exam last year. Of the INTI International College Penang (IICP) students who sat for the exam, 42% achieved an ATAR of above 80.00, placing them among the top 20% of best achievers globally.
“We have a tradition of nurturing students to become truly well-rounded individuals who excel academically and go on to greater achievements,” said Dr Michael Yap, Chief Executive/Principal of IICP. “For instance, Michael Teoh, the co-founder of Youth Entrepreneurs Malaysia and Rockefeller Foundation’s Exclusive Asia Leaders21 Group nominee, was a NSW HSC student. Lay Xiang Yih who obtained distinctions in all subjects in 2009 is now a medical student at the University of New South Wales, Australia, while Leong Jia Yi studies dentistry at the University of Otago, New Zealand.”
The top ten 2010 NSW HSC students who achieved an ATAR of 90.00 and above are Chong Kuok Liang, Yeoh Wei Siang, Liow Ying Qi, Daniel Ding Chao Chun, Lee Hsien Ming, Vincent Song Hong Sheng, Kathryn Seow Mei Yee, Tung Yiu Jho, Ong Siew Chai and Goh Shian Li.
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 Top scorer Chong Kuok Liang (left) receives a commendation from Dr Michael Yap. |
Chong, who achieved an ATAR of 97.8, aspires to become a pharmacist. “The support from lecturers at IICP was invaluable; with their constant encouragement and guidance I was able to grasp the information and knowledge passed on and make the most of my education here,” he said. “The best piece of advice I can give is to never settle for anything that isn’t the result of your best effort – hard work is the key to success.”
Widely regarded as the most prestigious of the Australian matriculation credentials, NSW HSC is a qualification accepted by universities in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the USA, Canada, India and Singapore as well as Malaysian private universities for entry into popular degree courses in medicine, pharmacy, engineering, business, IT and more.
Entry into universities depends on the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), a measure of the student’s overall performance in comparison with all other students taking the NSW HSC. Comparable with A-Level, NSW HSC can be completed in 11 months. At IICP, a wide range of subjects is available in the sciences and commerce, and students may combine subjects from the two for broader options in tertiary studies.
“The progress of every student enrolled in NSW HSC is closely monitored at IICP,” said Dr Yap. “We understand that parents are particularly concerned at this critical stage in their children’s education and they can rest assured that we will keep them informed of their children’s performance.”
An attractive feature of NSW HSC is the assessment system which comprises 50% internal assessment based on assignments and projects at IICP and 50% on an external final examination set and marked in Australia. The assessment marks awarded by IICP are moderated against the final examination marks. The average of these two marks is used to determine eligibility for university entrance.
Upon completion of NSW HSC, usually more than 25% of INTI’s students take up medical studies at first-class universities like the University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales, the University of Adelaide, Monash University and locally at International Medical University, Penang Medical College, Melaka-Manipal Medical College and Monash University Malaysia. About 20% of INTI’s students pursue pharmaceutical studies at the University of Tasmania, the University of South Australia, the University of Queensland, the University of Sunderland and locally at International Medical University and other institutions.
INTI enjoys the benefits of being part of a global network as a result of the synergy with Laureate International Universities – the world’s leading provider of private international education. Students will not only benefit from the years of experience and strong track record that INTI offers, but also gain from the resources that Laureate provides. These include international exposure, where INTI’s Semester Abroad Program (SAP) provides students with the opportunity to spend a semester abroad in an institution within the Laureate network, while paying local tuition fees; and the Laureate Visiting Fellows Program which exposes students to inspiring and well-qualified international academicians and thought leaders from the Laureate fraternity.
Laureate is present in over 24 countries, and serves more than 600,000 students globally. The network offers more than 130 career-focused undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees in fields that include architecture, art, business, the culinary arts, design, education, engineering, health sciences, hospitality, information technology, law and medicine.
For further information on NSW HSC, please call 1300-88-4684 or visit the website: www.newinti.edu.my.