Why Your School Results Alone Won’t Get You a Scholarship

In Malaysia, we are taught that academics are important. So one of the most dangerous myths in Malaysian education is the belief that good grades guarantee scholarships. They don’t.

Grades are necessary, but they are not sufficient. In scholarship selections, grades are the entry ticket, not the prize. Once you pass the academic cut‑off, you are competing with hundreds of other students who also did well.

This is why so many straight‑A students are shocked when they get rejected. They assumed academic excellence was the deciding factor. It isn’t.

Scholarship providers are not giving rewards. They are making investments. Their real question is not “How smart are you?” but “How risky are you?”

They worry about students dropping out, burning out, failing interviews, breaking bonds, or embarrassing the organisation. Grades alone do not answer these concerns.

This is where most applicants fail. They submit applications that say, in different ways, “I work hard” and “I want to succeed.” That does not differentiate you. Everyone says that.

What differentiates you is evidence. Evidence that you can commit to something. Evidence that you can handle pressure. Evidence that you can think clearly about your future.

This evidence usually comes from leadership, projects, work experience, volunteering, or sustained commitments. Not the title. The outcome.

If you are a Form 1 student reading this, that'll be great. If you have brothers and sisters just starting out in secondary school, please, please make sure they know this early!

On top of that, interviews matter more than students expect. Interviews are not a formality. They are designed to test maturity, self‑awareness, and resilience. A strong interview can rescue an average application. A weak interview can destroy a strong one. A strong interview is usually supplemented with (beyond good English and communication) concrete student leadership experiences and actual effort in your passions that you pursue (chess, Olympiad, playing a musical instrument, doing Karate - you name it).

Another mistake students make is assuming selectors will “see their potential.” They won’t. You must show it explicitly. What problem did you face? What did you do? What changed? What did you learn? How does this connect to what you want to study and why this scholarship makes sense?

Grades keep you in the race, almost like an "entry ticket." Everything else determines whether you win.

If you want a scholarship, stop obsessing over being perfect. Start building credibility.

*PS: We are putting ourselves out here - if you would like to get a free review or some free advice on your choice of extracurricular activities, please just write in to us (Email: projectaccessmy@gmail.com)! Attach your school results, etc and we will get back to you!