I got accepted into a postgraduate program!

11 May, 2026

More than a month ago, I shared a post here that was sort of a free flow journal entry about how I felt being rejected to the first postgraduate counselling program I ever applied to.

For some context, I applied to that program around September of last year and had my MMPI-3 Test and interview the same month. The test went well, but the panel interview didn't go too well. I went into it ill-prepared and wasn't able to provide well thought out examples when asked, and felt that I was, in a way, rushing through the interview. I didn't feel too good about it, and was quite certain that I won't be accepted.

And I was indeed, not accepted. After about 2 months, I finally received the status of the application. There was this feeling of 'satisfaction', where I could stop ruminating about it, but also disappointment. Although I've been mentally preparing for the results, I felt this sense of inadequacy.

This event put a pretty big damper to my mood and outlook for the next few months. I officially graduated from my undergraduate around the same time I was rejected¹ and I told myself that I would wait till I received my physical copy of the degree before I proceed with applying for anything else.

So… that was just what I did! After recovering for a few months from all the assignments, finals, thesis project, moving out from my dormitory, I finally sat down with one more session with my therapist. We talked a lot about what I wanted to do moving forward, any worries, and my dilemma with everything. We worked together for a game plan: I would let myself explore naturally, speak to a few people in the industry, really put together a document with my financial reality, and reflect on these wants.

After all of that, I decided that I would commit to this pathway. Or at least attempt it. In Malaysia, most clinical psychology and counselling postgraduate programs (with an exception of 1-2) require a certain CGPA and a panel interview before you're able to enrol. They are often expensive which can become a deciding factor for many, which was actually the case with many of my peers, on whether they wanted to go down this route of being involved in the mental health side of things within psychology versus climbing the corporate ladder for something stable.

At the end of my research, I decided that I had to apply soon as some universities had a rolling quota and have limited spots in each intake. I applied for one of the better ranked schools, and I was scheduled for an interview very quickly. This time, I decided that I could not not prepare. I was asking around and managed to find out through happenstance that a peer of mine applied and had her interview! With her help and some Reddit searches, I was able to journal and organize my points for it.

The interview went well, and I was offered a place at the university. What I love is that it is also about 1/2 the price of the first postgraduate program I applied to, after a scholarship deduction to the tuition fees. I don't know how to say this but I'm glad that I was rejected the first time around. Not just for the financial benefits, but also what it brought me - the reflection, the sitting with the failure, and growing back to myself from it. For months I've had this tingling thought at the back of my head that I just wasn't good enough, but talking about it with my partner, friends, and therapists reminded me that I wasn't defined by it.

One 'failure' didn't dictate how my life was going to be or who I am. I had to really believe in myself again that I could try again and be compassionate with the part of me who was still hurt from that first attempt. I was still just as anxious throughout the entire process but… I made it!

And for someone who isn't quite comfortable with self-praise, I'm really proud of myself.

It's still a few more months before the program officially starts but I'm so excited for what's coming!

#personal