an exceptional achievement that highlights your academic interests and intellectual capacity that would be of value to the NUS community.
Despite scoring only a D for my Geography paper in my Promotional Examination, my school offered me a second chance to do a retest-paper in order to get into the H3 program for the subject. What they were actually looking for, is passion. I have always been very much intrigued by the complexity and sophistication of human geography and therefore chose this branch for my research paper.
The main reason for me choosing a Humanity H3 paper over a Science-based one is exactly due to the research opportunity it offers, where we were given a chance to explore the fields of interest and choose any relevant topic to research deeper into. In this aspect, I decided to delve into the less-conventional topic of sustainable tourism and its relationship with disintermediation (the elimination of intermediaries in the supply chain) of travel agencies which is rather fresh from inquisition in mainstream Human geography. My supervising tutor was initially rather skeptical about this concept and discouraged my insistent but was later brought over by my enthusiasm. My gamble was eventually paid off with a Distinction in this particular paper.
The actual rewards definitely transcend the result on the certificate, I have really learnt a lot during my course of research and that covers from concept application to simple things such as time management to juggle Co-curriculum Activities (CCAs) and studies (where I maxed out my 12 academic units). These are knowledge that will stay intact and applicable lifelong.
I may be passionate or, more sternly, stubborn but my self-believe allowed me the confidence to hold on to my faith and daringly pursue my interest and try out less-orthodox topics that are certainly meaningful to the society and its industries, and which corresponds to NUS’ call for a bold and dynamic community. Grades and, to an extent, my future may be at stake and the learning curve may be steep but the experience, in my opinion, is much more valuable to one’s growing up and education. In this view, I believe it is in accordance to the philosophy of the university to “foster quick, well-rounded minds, well-equipped to succeed in our fast-changing world” – where in such a world, success is everything but guaranteed and failure is a better teacher. With this conception in-line with my beliefs, I am sure my course of study at NUS will prove to be a fruitful one with the mutual benefit of bringing such ideology to the root-level among students.
In the world to come, scientific inventions will only be made at a faster pace and global economy more volatile; whatever hard facts that we learn in school may very well become obsolete in the foreseeable future. However, the main crux of education is not about telling you two Hydrogen atoms combined with one of Oxygen chemically will give you water, but teaching you why and how. When tasked upon an assignment, we are very used to applying the formulas we were told to use but often, it is the concept within that educators want us to understand and I comprehended this idea fully when I took up the challenge of a research paper that is of a topic that not many people have probed into. For the first time, I found minimal information available on the internet and much of the data I have gotten came about from hands-on investigation and surveying. No prior theories were being formulated. I applied theories from other fields to support my arguments, conceptualized my analysis and concluded the inter-relationship; I was the pioneer. Such enterprise as mine will prove to be an asset to the endeavour of the university and its bid to be a globally-orientated institution that influences the future.
Handling a research project as an individual means one have to be the leader, the player and the manager all at the same time. In order to be well-placed for the challenges ahead, one has to constantly adapt to the different roles they have to assume in the course of their tasks. This aspect positions me to be efficient in diverse settings and prepares me for a possible need to multi-task no matter in my academic pursuit or working encounters.
One goal of mine is to be someone influential, standing in a position that allows me to create an impact. One would require the courage to consistently question the status quo and daring initiative to create changes to make a difference that so many others never do. Problem-solving and analytical skills and a broad perspective when viewing issues at hand are necessary to achieve my goal. These, I believe, are the reasons for me excelling in all my examinations thus far.
Of course, behind these attainments lie much trade-offs. During the research process, I not only have to cope with the mounting workload from other schoolwork but also the intensive trainings that runs every alternate days for my team’s pursuit of silverware, on top of my external commitments such as the part-time job that provides me my allowance. To be able to juggle these commitments and perform consistently in each individual aspect requires a substantial amount of self-discipline and good time management. Work-life balance is a crucial key to success and being able to maturely handle stress will definitely give me the upper-hand in the working world. With the diverse opportunities available for intellectual, personal and professional growth in NUS, qualities such as those I process will allow me to pursue these chances offered with ease and little struggle and maximize the opportunities.
As one who is academically strong, passionate, committed, and enterprising, I am definitely a suitable candidate for the university that will prove to increase its worth. Whereas on the other hand, being a student seeking quality educational experience that stretches students and develops skills and values, I believe NUS will prove to be a perfect fit for me, providing opportunities that I am looking for to advance the boundaries of knowledge and contribute to the betterment of the society.
