#24

Being bored at work, I chanced upon a forum of NUSHS on kiausparents.com It’s rather interesting to see parents so uptight about PSLE and all the misconceptions of our school. But then again, I don’t have kids so I won’t know how important it is to ‘invest’ in a child’s education. The parents in the forum are really scary. They write of their kids achievements in SMO, in NMOS and in school. They ask if our school sells past year papers in the bookshop. And they ask about the camp and test and the interviews and what they can do to get their child in. Honestly, if I have to be a science wizard, start studying SMO in primary 2 and be a medalist, to be admitted into NUSH, I won’t even think if applying. I don’t even remember why I applied in the first place. All I remembered was that Stella and I were working on a school project when the random idea popped up and I applied because she did. Sidetracked, I feel so old now.(On second thoughts, maybe the school’s standard has really risen that high such that half the cohort has medals!)

I don’t regret choosing NUSH and spending 6 years of my life there. Our cohort was small and it was not difficult to know everyone by the end of Y6. (Okay, I am not on very friendly terms with most of them, just acquainted). The first few years were really enjoyable because of Prof Lai. I think we had a lot of freedom to do what we like. I still remember rushing around to different classrooms for lessons, the haunted house during Art fest, painting our classroom green in Y2, raising funds for SPCA, designing a dress for Project Runway and the big tables we used to get. Those were very fond memories and it made me reluctant to change classes in Y3. I am very grateful that the superheroes remained so close even after 6 years.

My third and fourth years were spent on erm studying a lot. I wasn’t stressed, just more goal -orientated and suddenly aware that there is something called a graduation CAP at stake. It took me a while to warm up to the class and seriously thankful for Stella. Nevertheless, the projects we did were much more fun – the thermometer project, the racing car?, the board games. Haha. My mentor was awesome and I will never forgot how much effort she put in to bond the class and make sure we are on the right track.

Y5 and 6 flew by really fast and soon everyone was in their graduation robes. Hostel was the main highlight and I enjoyed every moment of it. ARP was great too (to the parents, no, we do not have to do an ARP for every subject we take. That will be inhumane). Studying for APs was not fun and neither were the english projects. On the bright side, there was no more Chinese homework to do and there were lots of free periods.

Granted, there were many things in the school that made me feel like I was at a disadvantage. Like a weak English program, the removal of counting in Y1/Y2 CAP which will not affect my batch, no internships during weekdays, less focus on CCAs compared to other schools, and the fact that there were only 3 batches which graduated before us. We were caught in a period of change but who can blame the school when it was only 2 years old when we entered?

Iwasn’t intending to write a reflection post, back to the forum.

The parents there think that all the students in our school are destined to be on a engineering/scientist path after graduation and they warn other parents to make sure their child has given much thought before choosing NUSH. Honestly, who decides what they want to be when they are 12?! Even if they have decided, it will most definitely change. ARP made me not want to be a scientist for life. Seriously, I enjoyed it, but that was only for a year, not a decade. Correct me, but I know less than half the cohort wants to be an engineer. Business and accounting seems like a popular choice for my batch as well.

Someone also said that we finish O levels syllabus in Y1/2, A levels in Y3/Y4 and University Y1 in Y5/6. Erm I don’t think so… At least I don’t feel as though I’m equipped to ace through university Y1. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe the others can still remember what they learn and score well. I’m not referring to Yihui or Zong, I meant the general population.

The forum reminds me of how I felt reading the Brightsparks forum and wondering when the med application results would be released. Well, I still think the parents should give their children a break. They are only in primary school. I cannot imagine their reactions when their children need to decide on a university course. They will probably tear the house down in anxiety (Maybe they won’t, housing in sg is too ex. They might tear out their hair instead (:  )Sigh, education in singapore is so stressful.

#23 – Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (Matt 6:27)

Do Not Worry

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about your clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like on of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and  your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

(NIV, Matthew 6:25 – 35)

I always find these verses very comforting to me when I have things on mind. They appeared to me very often, during the period when I was waiting for the med interview notification and then for the application results. Right now, everything is pretty much settled but there is still cause for worry (i’m an uptight person). I’m worried about our HK trip, worried about medicamp, worried about not having enough time to do the things I want before school starts, worried about my budget for HK trip and basically hundred other things. But God reminded me that such worries are trivial in comparison to His kingdom. Now, that’s a great relief, knowing that the Lord will provide. I should really look at the big picture instead of getting upset by these random things. Sometimes, I do wish I can shut out the thoughts in my brain.

On a lighter note, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. My job is ending in err 22 working days. From there, I have about 42 more days to enjoy before school start officially. List of things I should do during this period

1) Orientation camp

2) GO HONG KONGGGGG

3) Catch up with Mr Cheong, along with Germaine

4) Pop by my CCA

5) Go back to UHC to settle my immunisation stuff

6) Give my brother a treat (for I don’t know what reason),

7) Start exercising (you can see how reluctant I am given that it’s last in the list)

Seeing the pictures in Xinyuan’s blog makes me want to visit her in Canada. How nice it is to live in a quaint little town, with people speaking french and nice cafes at the side of the road! And in a cold environment too!

#22 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32a, Acts 2:21)

Had a small retreat on Tuesday/Wednesday at MBS because Tricia’s mum got a free room and invited us! I wanted to sneak out of work 15 minutes earlier on Tuesday so I would be on time to meet the rest but things piled up and I ended up leaving 5 minutes late. Met Germaine at Bishan before we took the circle line down to Bayfront. We talked about what we wanted to specialized in future and I became even more uncertain about it. For the past 6 years, I haven’t been that unsure of the future. Year after year, there really wasn’t any cause for worry because you know that you will still be in high school for the following year. No major major decisions to make, no new environment to be in, no unfamiliarity at all. But now, whatever decision I make will determine my life. It’s scary to think about it.

Okay, that aside, we met up with Joanna and Tricia before heading to dinner at Din Tai Fung. I love xiao long baos (: The room was huge, just plain luxurious. Huge washroom, huge TV, huge beds and good company! Went to the sky garden/infinity pool at around 9pm. Our lousy cameras don’t do justice to the scenery at all! Waded around a little, saw part of a light show and attempted to take more photos with bad lighting. Elza and WJ came at around 10pm so we continued slacking around till 10.40pm. We wanted to get Gong Cha and coffee bean but unfortunately the shops were closed… Somehow, we managed to wander around in an empty mall till 12 midnight. Washed up then Germaine and I started ‘planning’ for our HK trip! Okay, we kind of just decided which airline and hotel to book.

I wish we can do that more often. Get away from the hustle and bustle of life, take a step back and evaluate what we want and of course, spend time with the friends so dear to us.

#21

Went for medical checkup with Germaine yesterday. Met Cleo there too! They didn’t manage to take my blood from the usual spot so they ended up taking it from a spot near the wrist. AND IT HURTS LIKE MAD WHEN THE NEEDLE WENT IN. To be fair, it wasn’t the nurse’s fault. It’s not the first time I was poked numerous time to get my blood out, but it’s the first time someone attempted to draw blood from that vein near the wrist (pardon my lack of medical knowledge).   The waiting time was rather long so I advise those who’s going there to reach at 1.30pm (the start of the afternoon session).

I hope we get to go HONG KONG!! Ooh, all the dim sum, egg tarts and shopping. So exciting!

#20

The custard cream biscuits from Khong Guan are really nice! It shall be my new favourite snack for the next… 2 months? Haha, I’m trying very hard to change my eating habits. The hospital sells salad every Tuesday and Thursday and I’ve been eating that for the past 3 weeks. It’s buffet style but the dishes available are the same. I think it’s helping me to lose weight not just because it’s healthy but because it’s unappetizing after a few mouthfuls. The same goes for brown rice. My mum cooks it all the time and I really dislike it. Oh wells, who said healthy living is easy?

Packed my room/shelves to clear space for my future textbooks! Threw all the physics notes because I am definitely not going to touch them anymore. most likely not… I couldn’t bear to throw my textbooks away so I’m going to hold on to them till I think of what to do.

I  love my workplace but I don’t like work ):

#19

Praise the Lord. I know that without His grace, I will never have come so far. But it doesn’t stop here. He has a greater plan for me, a plan that He has yet to reveal. I hope I won’t be so short-sighted to only treasure and rejoice this moment but to rejoice in the many years to come for His coming kingdom. Everything I do, I pray that I do it for Him and not for others.

#18 – Med interview

Disclaimer:

1) This was written on 19th April, more than a week after my interview on 9th April so, it’s not as detailed. I wanted to post this only after the application results are released.

2) For those who found this blog post through Google search or whatsoever, I’m from NUS high and therefore, did not go through the usual A level\IB route. Nevertheless, I think the questions will still apply.

Before I go on, I shall introduce myself more. I graduated in 2011 with a distinction , I took honours in biology and chemistry with majors in physics and mathematics. I was in the St John Ambulance Brigade from 2009-2011, during which I became the chairperson of the CCA in 2010. I did 2 research projects, one in Y4 and the other in Y5, both of which are biology-related. I clocked a total of 679 hours of CIP. Attachment wise, I did one with NUH at the Urology Dept, one with Thomson Medical Center at a gynae and obs clinc and another one with St Luke’s hospital under the pharmacy dept ( I wanted to find out what pharmacy is about since I applied that too). From Mar to Jun, I worked at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital as an admin assistant and kind of saw how a hospital works internally. That was really different compared to just following a doctor around and seeing what they do. Well, I do not know how much these credentials matter to the interviewers but it’s important to have a strong reason behind why you are doing certain things. Try to bring out your qualities and experience through these events.

I was informed on the 23/3 that I was shortlisted. My essay was on the 7/4 while the interview was on the 9/4 (3.30pm). My interview was held in NUHS tower block and the gist is that there’s a lot of waiting time. I wore a dress instead of a white blouse and black skirt, simply because almost everyone wears that and I don’t think that will help me stand out.

Note: There were 3 essay tests held this year. The main one was on 7/4, the second one was on 14/4 6.00 pm? and 14/4 7.00pm.

What you usually hear is that the first panel, consisting of the doctors, is the scary one and the second panel, which can be made up of doctors/nurse/students, is the less stressful one. Well, for me, the first panel consisted of 3 doctors while the second panel consisted of 2 A/profs whom I think are doctors too. Generally, the first panel was really nice and they weren’t intimidating. The second panel didn’t grill me much but I felt that I did worse for the second than the first.

First panel

D1: I’ve read through your portfolio and you must understand that everyone’s portfolio is as outstanding. Why don’t you tell me more about yourself, and what you do during your downtime?

D1: How were you given the opportunity to be the CCA leader?

D1: What did you learn from your research?

Then D2 tells me about a PhD program which allows doctors to concentrate on research. I think i portrayed research more enthusiastically then I thought I would.

D1; What will you do if you don’t get into medicine?

D1: How is medicine different from the other healthcare professions?

D2: How will you maintain a work-life balance?

D2: If you have to sacrifice one, will you sacrifice your work or personal life?

D2: Is it for money?

D2: Are you intending to start a family?

D2: What do you want to specialise in?

D2: Do you know the workload of a gynae? (I replied O & G for the previous question)

D3: You said you had no stress in school, but I’m sure you faced challenges. Tell me one challenge you faced in your CCA

D3: Explain to me what you mean by the power of healing in a doctor’s context (i wrote that in my PS)

D3: Have you heard of the phrase: “A doctor cures sometimes, heals often and comfort always.’ ?

D3: How will you break the news to them?

D3: My medical students actually saw a lukemia patient who was re-admitted 2 weeks later. If you are the doctor, what will you tell the patient (assuming there isn’t a cure)?

D3: Will you do more research than to practice?

D3: Will i consider taking a gap year to apply NTU Med?

Sorry, my memory fails me. I pretty sure they asked some more questions before it ended…
D1: I think we are done. Any questions for us?

Me: Tell me more about the residency program.

Second panel

D1 kept asking why I didn’t want to take nursing and the conversation went on for quite a while. I honestly cannot remember what I said.

D1: Tell me about the NUS Med curriculum.

D1: What happens after that? (referring to residency and consultants etc.)

D1: What are the top 3 cancers in Singapore?

D1: What is the common essence that all these doctors with different ranks have? (IMO, it was a very vague question which I didn’t understand, and which none of my friends that I asked afterwards did.)

D2: What did you learn from zebrafish? ( I was really amused because I was thinking: are you seriously asking me about what i learnt from fishes? I ended up answering what I learnt from research)

D2: What kind of patients do you think you will be seeing next time and what skills will you need?

D2: How do you handle emotional setbacks?

D2: Have you had any emotional setbacks?

D2: If you become a doctor, do you have any quality that will benefit the younger doctors and the faculty?

I think they asked me less questions but I did a lot of explanation and there were sub-questions along the way which I can’t remember.

I came out of the first interview smiling and reassuring the next candidate that the interviewers are very nice people. I felt a little tramautised by the second panel but also felt very relieve that it was over. I think the key is to really appear confident and keep smiling. The doctors will smile back at you most of the time. Of course, I was lucky to not get any ethics or health policies questions which can get one into very big trouble if he/she doesn’t take a neutral stand. They really do ask a lot from your personal statement and if your PS is good, they probably will grill you less.

Also, just appear confident to the interviewers. You might want to rehearse your answers or at least state down the main points you think you are going to say for the few questions that definitely will come up. Maintain a cheerful disposition and smile at appropriate times (my friend has a psychiatrist on the panel who questioned why he was smiling while recounting a sad story).

How I organized my resume was:

1) CCA achievements

2) Research/exchange programs

3) Attachments

4) Work Experience

5) CIP/Voluntary Projects

What you can do after your interview:

Think about it for the next 3 weeks until your results are out. Keep on recapping the details and find out from others how their interview went.

Haha, kidding.

Drink coffee bean at NUH and relax with your friends. The biggest hurdle is over and there really is no point think about it. You can, however, help to assure your friends who haven’t had their interview, because it will really help them a lot.

If there are any questions you are dying to know, you can always leave a comment!