| blessed |
Sep. 13th, 2009|10:51 pm |
This post is abit too optimistic for any cynics out there...
When I turned 12 and got my PSLE results, I believed that my life as I knew it was over. Having a score of 206/300, I was ineligible for ANY of my 6 Secondary school choices. To make matters worst, my choices were the top schools, schools that required scores like 250 minimum to be even considered. My aunts and fellow relatives looked at me with disgust and even my own father said that I had disgraced him.
Being from a family whose cousins have all gone to the top flight schools and being warned from a young age about how your life is over if you dont do "well" for your PSLE, I really believed I was a "gone case senario".
However, being in Telok Kurau was the probably the best thing that ever happenend to me. The people there were not the best in terms of academia, but they were talented in so many other ways. Had Singapore then had other avenues of talent grooming, I am sure many of my friends would have been leading a very different life today (thats not to say that their lives are sucky at this point). Furthermore, my teachers believed in me and encouraged me to not let myself be intimidated by the fact that I was from a neighbourhood school. It was a very different setting from what I experienced in JC.
In JC, I could not cope with the heavy time table. Instead of working harder, I gave up. My teachers had every right to dislike me and I do not blame them. However, I am still disgusted by some of them because I did try to make an effort to discuss my options with them and there were times when I went to the staff room in hope that they could explain the theory to me better. I loved biology then but constantly failed. My teacher's reason? I did not follow the KEYWORDS underlined in the notes. I remembered arguing about how the answer is the same just that it was phrase differently.. but if you'd read it, you'd realise its the same thing. The answer is something forever etched in my mind
" the markers in cambridge will just look for key points and go tick tick tick.. ooo keypoint not here... untick"
A level was really about memorising the stuff. Half the time I didnt understand WTF was I learning. Needless to say I performed averaged in my A levels. I had my fair share of As,Bs and Cs. Nothing spectacular and I was prepared to go NUS.
Somehow, I managed to muddled my way into Imperial. If anyone asked me back then if I'd ever imagine myself in London, I would have laughed and call them crazy. I bet even my teachers wouldnt have believed me. I have to admit, I am lucky that my dad could afford it. I shudder to think what would have happenend if I stayed in NUS.
Anyway and the point I want to bring across is that I didnt do very well in Imperial initially (and Im still doing Okay/fine..just slightly above average). However, one thing obviously different in Imperial is that you're not judged on academic per se. My tutors have been very encouraging and they have made me believe that I once more can try to reach for the stars. There are no such things as key words either, alot of independent reading is required and the formulation of your own notes. In many ways, it is similar to what I did during my secondary school days.
I truly thank God that he has blessed me thus far. Thus despite my constant whinings and dis-satisfaction with almost everything, todays entry is dedicated to counting your blessings and realising how lucky I actually am.
The battle against Grad school applications continue... |
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