Good Competition?

Exams bring out the worst in people. No, scratch that. Not exams, but competition.

I thought I had seen my fair share of it during my degree days in UTAR. But guess what, people? I was wrong. I am actually seeing it happen again at the postgraduate level.

Now before you readers jump the gun and go shooting at me, saying, “Why are you so bunched up Kathleen?” I WILL tell you why.

A Bachelor’s degree was deemed as part of the natural education progress, from Primary to Secondary to college or university.  Opting to take up a Master’s degree is your own choice, your own free will. It is different from Bachelor’s as everyone was fighting for the same thing, that same degree level certificate. It was seen as a must to land any kind of job (most jobs these days). So the competition there was understandable to me in the least. And how old were the most of us when we were pursuing that degree? 20 years old. We were young, not so mature and the only goal was to graduate.

Fast forward, let’s say, 10 years and then you decide to take up a Master’s degree. By now, most of you would be successful in life. Being managers, holding senior positions in companies, being married, having your own family and so on. You have your own life path to go on but you also decide to add a feather in your cap (no harm in that, certainly) by taking up a postgraduate degree. Good for you…

Then why am I seeing all those immature and unethical behaviours coming up as well?

Cheating by writing the formulas on your hand before our midterm?

Being so tactless (and rude!) as to tell another classmate who scored higher than you, “Let me see your test paper. It cannot be that you scored higher than me.” WHO ARE YOU to say that? What an insult.

Being so competitive as to look up other people’s scores using the attendance list and matriculation number.

Being so selfish by not helping out another, but when that person scores well, you approach them to have a look at their midterm answers.

Like what???!!!

Why I am so worked up at this is not because the above happened. I mean it did happen, before my very eyes but what got to me was that, the people who were doing it were the unexpected ones. Fathers, mothers, managers (with people under your supervision), bankers. I mean like, come on!

Aren’t you all successful in your own life? You have reached so many milestones in life! Milestones which I so wish I could see myself achieving one day but seem so far away at the moment. You have so much…. Why do you behave like a degree student in class??

I cannot believe that this will happen among Master’s students as well…

It disappoints me because seeing all these happening, I may very well become like one of them. Overly competitive, rude, selfish etc… If I do, please, someone give me a smack on the head (but please be gentle…) and ask, “What happened to the real Kathleen? We want her back.”

Then I’ll wake up and come back. I will.