sec 3 interview and beyond

Hi, could you guys tell me about the interview for the scholarships? I heard that once you got through the selection test, you're almost in. ANd the interview is just to "make sure". Is that true? 8O What's it like to enter at sec 3? I'm from KL. Oh, do you get to pick an extra language, like, say, japanese or french? I'd love to learn those two! Living with 3 other people in the same room must be erm... tough?exciting?no privacy? 8O From what I've read in this forum, most of you entered at JC....I'm not sure if entering at sec 3 is any better, perhaps an earlier start is better?
p/s Thanks so much for your cooperation

[chenchow]

In terms of entering between sec 3 vs JC, I would say that the difference would be that you would not have SPM, and hence, you are embarking on a path that is non-returnable. You would need to convince yourself that the move to study at Sec 3 is the best choice for yourself.

If you go during JC, that means, you would still have SPM, and hence you could explore various options within Malaysia. One thing to note, only a small portion of those ASEAN Scholars manage to secure full scholarships to study abroad beyond your A Level, so you would need to be prepared for those situation. Do you mind studying at NUS and NTU?

Of course, going early, would ensure earlier transition, and perhaps smoother.

[weich]

Originally Posted by anonymus

Hi, could you guys tell me about the interview for the scholarships? I heard that once you got through the selection test, you're almost in. ANd the interview is just to "make sure". Is that true? 8O What's it like to enter at sec 3? I'm from KL. Oh, do you get to pick an extra language, like, say, japanese or french? I'd love to learn those two! Living with 3 other people in the same room must be erm... tough?exciting?no privacy? 8O From what I've read in this forum, most of you entered at JC....I'm not sure if entering at sec 3 is any better, perhaps an earlier start is better?
p/s Thanks so much for your cooperation

hmm...i entered in sec 1 after form 1 in 1996 but not everybody who gets to the interview stage gets to go through though...not too sure about those who come in sec 3.

And for the language part, it depends 'cos ppl who take the language course in Singapore take it as a subject for O levels. So, if you have done the language before and have already reached an acceptable level, you are allowed to go for it.

As for living in a boarding school, it really depends on you and the bunch of ppl around! When I was there, it was the time when we had super-soaker wars, birthday dunking sessions, stripping ppl for no reason, hiding rotten eggs below the bed and all sorts of nonsense. Anyway, the rules have become stricter in the boarding school i was in since but the best thing was to get to know ppl from Indonesia all the way to Korea, occassionally some Australians/Brits and sharing stories, studying & doing things together, etc.

Also, like chenchow said, there's no turning back after going to a Singapore secondary school but I have to say the benefits I received from my secondary school was amazing. Getting sent for national competitions (I was in a band and also won the 1st prize in a science centre competition), good facilities for doing fun lab experiments (was playing with chloroform and mice), receiving private one-to-one sessions with your teachers (no need for tuition), teachers bringing us out for supper almost every Friday night, etc. It's really an unforgettable experience for me.

Truthfully speaking, it's not exactly that stressful until you reach JC. So perhaps you should consider leaving Singapore for Taylor's or some other A Level Malaysian colleges at that time since you'll save about a year as colleges in Malaysia have their exams in June and for Singapore it's November, while most UK/US universities start their term in Sept/Oct.

However, I realised that some good schools in Malaysia offer that too...so if you're in such a school in Malaysia. You should perhaps consider staying back in KL.

As you would have known, not everyone can adapt to a new environment as quickly as everybody else. So, those who can't adapt as quickly normally suffer badly both academically and emotionally.

[jiinjoo]

Originally Posted by weich

So perhaps you should consider leaving Singapore for Taylor's or some other A Level Malaysian colleges at that time since you'll save about a year as colleges in Malaysia have their exams in June and for Singapore it's November, while most UK/US universities start their term in Sept/Oct.

US schools for example take you from your O-Levels/SPM. A-Levels/STPM is good and necessary for UK and local U, but not for US schools.

anonymus, do let us know the outcome yah (and if you want to meet up in SG just send me a private message)

SO what made you guys leave for Singapore?Actually I'm having a hard time deciding...some people advise me not to go, because, they said"Stay here and you're like one of the top, but go to Singapore and you'll be average..." sigh*If I go at sec 3, I'll most likely be in NUS or some other uni in SIngapore, is it?Is that good news?Anyway, I still think Singapore unis are way much better than the ones here in KL....What made me think it's best to go is that I think I'll probably understand better in english(history and some other subjects are in Bahasa Melayu here in Malaysia) and I will learn more over there, higher standard....I'm 14, will be 15 if I enter next year, same age as the locals. That's good, right?
Thanks, recom has been a great help to me!

[rice]

One more thing, what do I have to be prepared for in the interview?

[weich]

Originally Posted by rice_anonymus

SO what made you guys leave for Singapore?Actually I'm having a hard time deciding...some people advise me not to go, because, they said"Stay here and you're like one of the top, but go to Singapore and you'll be average..." sigh*If I go at sec 3, I'll most likely be in NUS or some other uni in SIngapore, is it?Is that good news?Anyway, I still think Singapore unis are way much better than the ones here in KL....What made me think it's best to go is that I think I'll probably understand better in english(history and some other subjects are in Bahasa Melayu here in Malaysia) and I will learn more over there, higher standard....I'm 14, will be 15 if I enter next year, same age as the locals. That's good, right?
Thanks, recom has been a great help to me!

Can't remember exactly why, but i think at that time I find it really pointless to study science and maths (2 subjects i really liked) in malay, which were translated from english so i decided to go.

Also, since it was a scholarship and I was getting paid to study - I thought why not? hehe =)

If you want to know how well you stand against smarter people out there, please go. You might have the chance to compare yourself to ppl from Vietnam, China, HK and not just Singaporeans, depending on which school you get into.

As for uni, NUS/NTU's are very good unis IMHO. But if you work hard, participate strongly in co-curricular activities, have strong leadership qualities and have good achievements, you might get a scholarship like jiinjoo who got a scholarship to CMU then Stanford.

Also, there are other scholarships for ex-ASEAN scholars in Malaysia too if you know where to find.

[jaX]

i was an asean pre-u direct scholar, which means i went to jc after spm.

i didn't have to go through an interview...so can't help you there!

anyway, my personal opinion is that it's better to go after spm. from what i saw in my batch in my college, the directs do better academically compared to the flow-thrus (scholars who entered s'pore before spm).

maybe it's cuz directs are forced to adapt much quicker, and hence don't take things for granted as much. not too sure about that! or maybe because we left home at a later age and deal with freedom in a more mature manner?

not a generalisation!

going after spm also gives you the advantage of being qualified for malaysian scholarships and gaining exemption from certain subjects in malaysian private unis.

singapore doesn't offer many scholarships to foreigners, especially not scholarships to study overseas. unless you do REALLY well, and are willing to take up the singaporean citizenship.

as for whether nus is a good idea...the fact is that once you're in the s'porean education system, it's quite hard to get out. unless you have lots of money.

you'll just have to know what you want. lots of my friends did very well for alevels, got asean undergrad scholarships and are now happily reading law, pharmacy, econs and so on in nus or ntu.

others, like me, are in malaysian private unis because we opted for courses like medicine and dentistry, which only admit around 20 international students per intake. in other words...not much hope la. lol.

for some reason, nus likes stpm students, especially for medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. *shrugs*

anyway, for what it's worth, it IS quite impressive to be able to call yourself an asean scholar. haha. admissions people do look out for applicants that were receipients of scholarships, and the asean scholarship is well-known around the world. so there you go!

at the end of the day, my 2 yrs in jc were undoubtedly the best years of my life. i emerged unscathed, with a good result slip, and a priceless experience in singapore. truly enjoyed my time there.

just try your best for the selection tests and interview. these huge decisions only need to be made once you get the result of your application. whatever choice you make, i wish you all the best and may you have as good a time as i did!

[Tasslehoff]

Yes, its more advisable to go after SPM

My sis entered in Sec 1, after UPSR. she never went through SPM. thus she was unable to do medic locally. shes currently doing medic in NUS. Shes an ASEAN scholar too She was offered a scholarship in pharmacy by NUS but not medic though.. I'll try to get her on this forum to share her experience

cheers!

[rice]

So I went for the interview. And I hope I did ok...haha i saw more guys than girls though...? I wonder how many Malaysians, or ppl from Kl get through every year? Does it vary each year? i know that if I go for sec 3, I probably won't be studying in a local uni. Most likely a singapore uni, which might be better? And I understand, the chances are very slim for me to get a scholarship overseas(uni). But other than that...it seems ok.