Starting college means getting used to a new environment, making friends and finding people to work with on assignments.
But one Malaysian claimed their younger sibling struggled with the last part after beginning a diploma programme in Kelantan, sparking a discussion on Threads about students sticking to people from their own state.
Younger sibling allegedly left without a group
In the post, the user questioned why some students in Kelantan appeared to prefer forming assignment groups with fellow Kelantanese.
They also took a swipe at this apparent preference, pointing out that some would eventually move to Kuala Lumpur for work.
The user later explained in a reply that the post stemmed from their younger sibling’s experience after starting their studies the week before.
According to them, their sibling and another student from Seremban were left without a group, while the existing groups consisted of students from Kelantan.
My younger sibling just started studying in Kelantan last week for a diploma. When it came to forming assignment groups, they and another friend from Seremban ended up being the only ones without a group. Everyone in the groups that had already formed was from there,” they wrote.
The screenshots did not provide further details about how the groups were formed or whether the two students eventually joined one.
Some said they had experienced similar situations
The post drew mixed reactions, with some commenters sharing experiences of feeling excluded from close circles.
One commenter, who identified themselves as Kelantanese, said they had experienced something similar while working with others from their own state.
“I’m Kelantanese myself, and I experienced it too when working with other Kelantanese people. The cliques were quite bad.”
Others also criticised what they saw as a tendency among some people to socialise mainly with those from the same hometown or state.
However, not everyone agreed that the experience reflected how Kelantanese students generally treated others.
Others shared a different experience
One commenter recalled attending school in Kelantan and said students there had been eager to befriend people from outside the state.
The original poster responded positively, saying that was the kind of interaction they hoped to see.
Another Kelantanese commenter shared that they, too, had once been left standing alone when assignment groups were being formed during their degree studies in Kelantan.
In their case, however, it was students from other states who had already formed their own groups.
They eventually joined a group that still needed members, suggesting that such situations were not limited to students from any one state.
The same commenter suggested that the younger sibling might still be shy and adjusting to a new environment, adding that friendships could develop over the following semesters.
Could language and shyness play a part?
Several commenters suggested that familiarity with the Kelantanese dialect could help explain why some students gravitated towards one another.
One said some people felt more comfortable speaking in their own dialect and might find it difficult to switch when interacting with students from elsewhere.
Another commenter shared that they had personally struggled with this, having never lived outside Kelantan and later attending university in the state as well.
They felt that hesitation to mix with others could sometimes come from nervousness about communicating, rather than an intention to exclude anyone.
After marrying someone from outside Kelantan, the commenter said they had to learn to adjust the way they spoke.
While the replies reflected differing personal experiences, the original poster’s concern remained focused on their sibling and another student being left without an assignment group shortly after starting college.
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