30
May
Rejection
It is with a sombre mood that I share this, even though I have expected it for some time.
The rejection letter from NUS (National University of Singapore) came in my mailbox. Frankly speaking, I was not really holding my breath for an entry at all, given my dismal A level scores.
That said, I think I can carry on with my plans to re-take the exam. Forget about the C and Ds I’ve gotten. Time to look ahead, and plan. I am going to shock everyone with triple As, so much so that this time, I will be the ones rejecting universities clamouring for my grace. That is my vision.
I remembered that two years ago, just after I’ve gotten my O level results, I was planning to give Junior College education a shot. I’ve managed to pass it, which definitely proves to me that I have the ability to score. Time was not on my side, and I must say, I did exceed my expectations.
Time to surf the Internet for private tuition courses! Watch this space. I promise that three years from now (that will be when I am discharged from my national service duties), you will see positive news on my exam results this time!
Excerpt from the rejection letter:
Please be assured that your application was treated carefully and thoroughly. Admission to NUS is very competitive as a large number of talented students, such as you, apply each year. However, the number of places for the course you have applied is limited and hence, we have arrived at this very difficult decision.
If you are reapplying for a change in course as a place had been reserved for you at NUS due to full time National Service commitments, please be assured that your place reserved is still valid.
We appreciate your interest in NUS and wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
on May 30th, 2004 at 10:28 pm
My commiserations. I know you were expecting this, but there’s always a little niggle of hope, isn’t there. You’re being wonderfully philosophical about it. Good for you. You will do well - you’ve got what it takes. I don’t know if you’ll do well the way you’re hoping to - you never know what life will throw at you - but whatever it turns out to be, you’ll do well with it!
And in the meantime you’ll be learning, learning…
One thing I’m wondering: is NUS the only option for the course you want? I know it’s the most high status, and the hardest to get into, but if Singapore is anything like Japan that doesn’t necessarily mean you’d be getting the best education in your particular field. Do you know if that’s where you’d learn best? Or do the two (status and level of education) go together over there?
What is it you want to study, anyway? I think you might have mentioned it earlier, but I’ve forgotten.
badaunt
on May 31st, 2004 at 8:48 pm
Of course NUS is not the only university in Singapore. We also have the Singapore Management University. However, NUS happens to be the only one among the three (Nanyang Technological University is the third one) which offer Arts and Social Science courses, so I am stuck to it. That is, unless I choose to take the overseas route, of course.
NUS is definitely well-known, and is quite reputable in the world. That could explain why I failed to get in.
Anyway, I heard something which made me quite disappointed. Some of my friends have secured TWO places in both NUS and NTU, which means that two places have been taken up by one person. That means one person less who could get in because of them.
Well, in this competitive environment, I can’t really blame them for their predator-like instincts.
on May 31st, 2004 at 10:31 pm
The overseas route could also include online learning, or distance learning (the two seem to be merging). That’s how I did my Masters (through Macquarie U. of Australia). It’s not easy, but it’s got the advantage that you can work at the same time, and take on as much or as little as you want at any one time (within reason, of course). A lot of reputable universities are offering very high quality courses.
They cost, of course, but I imagine so does NUS…
Just something to consider. It’s always good to know all your options!
Badaunt
on June 4th, 2004 at 5:06 am
Trust me, NUS isn’t as great as they make it out to be, at least not yet.
I’ve spent about 8 years there (from undergrad to PhD) in Department of Biological Sciences followed by the Department of Paediatrics. FYI, they don’t even recognise their own Life Science degrees when employing academic staff - and graduates from Tsinghua/Beijing University are given priority in admissions for postgrad courses over NUS honours grads. This reflects a lot on the quality of the degree doesn’t it ? –> when a university does not even recognise its own degree ;D
What are you interested in studying ? There are several options - SIM and SMU do offer humanities courses (eg. Sociology, Psychology, Political Science) if Arts and Social Sciences is what interests you.
Another option you could consider would be a correspondence course from American Military University (http://www.apus.edu/amu/). Check it out - they have quite a number of interesting courses, and the courses are 100% online.
Hope you find what you are looking for.
& for all you know, not going to that cesspool known as NUS might actually be a blessing in disguise
Warmest regards,
Aaron (http://progressive.tblog.com)
P.S. : Sorry won’t update my blog till July as i’m terribly busy with work ;D