NTU early app

Doing this because I'm so worried that I'd never get into NUS Pharmacy because my performance for As was abysmal. I think I'd actually cry if I don't, to be frank. Toying with the idea of studying Chemistry as a backup.

Anyway as some sort of record, here are the top three achievements i entered into the system, in descending order of merit:

1. SYF 2011

Award: Silver

This involvement required great emotional resilience and discipline for self-directed improvement. I had to be focused even during practices after school ending at 9pm to keep the team on task. Despite our fatigue, I did not hesitate to offer (and receive) help, as teamwork was of paramount importance to the item. I tutored my peers during breaks in between dance practices, and juggled both my studies and the heavy commitments to dance practices. The disappointing subpar award taught me how hard work did not guarantee success, yet failure does not remotely lessen the joy of a fulfilling experience.

2. Swiss science immersion programme

The programme itinerary pedalled the opportunity to visit science facilities as the highlight of the trip, but through active involvement, my takeaway from the trip was greater than that. By initiating interaction with our Swiss peers, I could glean insights of the Swiss culture and education system through stories of my buddy’s personal experiences. Although we were given guided tours of various tourist attractions, the first-hand accounts of Swiss life brought to light how certain nuances not captured by the guide was only apparent upon greater introspection or participation.

3. OGL, PSL

As an OGL, I had to integrate freshmen from the 2011 batch into the Victorian community. While appearing spirited and ebullient, I still had to handle time management, communication amongst the OGLs and safety of my freshmen during games simultaneously to facilitate the smooth-flowing of the event. My enthusiasm to share the Victorian spirit proved to be a great ice breaker, and through sharing my experiences, I could form more personal relationships, even with freshmen who wanted to transfer out. Being a PSL subsequently required continual guidance of my freshmen even after the hype of Orientation died down.


300 word essay:
"Share an event or incident you have encountered personally and why and/or how it has affected you or is especially meaningful to you"

While out shopping, my mother and I realised that we were running late for a family gathering. While we were rushing over, she received a text from my aunt, informing us that she’d be late. Almost immediately, her fast trot slowed to a leisurely pace. Startled by the abrupt change in gait, I asked her:

“Aren’t we running late?”

To which her reply was: “It doesn’t matter, there’s somebody later than us.”

Make no mistake, I love my mother and I think she is one of the most brilliant women I know. I have always looked up to her since I was young, and aspired to be as great as her. Her actions were benchmarks for mine, and I worked towards them doggedly without taking a step back to examine them.

Now I have, and in the process, came to this revelation:

One can really be only as good as the person they are learning from.

My mother is a great woman, and she has taken care of us exceedingly well. I suppose self-preservation was the key to securing a stable life when she had to learn that life lesson, and hence she has tried to pass it on to her children through the mantra “It doesn’t matter as long as there is somebody behind you”.

It took me awhile to realise this, but it dawned on me that I wouldn’t like to live my life this way. This realisation challenged my reasons to blindly take my mother as my role model, emulating both her strengths and weaknesses (which were new to me).

Today, any benchmark I set for myself uses my expectations as a yardstick, instead of another person’s achievements. It is to myself that I owe this self-improvement, not to anybody else.