ASEAN Scholarship 101

It’s really strange that every time you mug, you feel that you’ve mugged harder for this exam than the previous exam… And as you can see, when you begin attending uni, you begin 101-ing the basics of every subject.

Anyway, that aside, it’s the time of the year where the Form 5s would begin to contemplate their options for college, thinking whether Singapore is the ‘greener side’ and the Std 6, Form 1 and Form 3 people are beginning to wonder whether they can make a change in their situation, be it to open up opportunities for themselves or even to legally ‘runaway’ from home (oh, there’s nothing to be ashamed about, you’d be surprised how many people use that as an excuse, including yours truly). But regardless of your motivation, the question at the bottom line for everyone would be: ‘Is it for me?’

One thing I realised about education, is that there is no one fixed ‘best’ route for everyone. What may seem best for you, may not be the best for the rest. A little background to my story, I was a recepient of the ASEAN Scholarship for six years. I was in NYGH during my high school years and VJC in JC days. Fine, to be more exact, I was a school-based scholar for 4 and ASEAN for 2. Difference between the both? Apart from the fact where for the former, you know which school you’re headed to (from the very beginning) and who you’re directly accountable to and for the latter, you have lots of fun-filled activities throughout the year, MOE pays for your school fees, lodging, food and provides you with a minimum sum of allowance. Honestly, that’s a pretty good deal in terms of finances. Plus the fact that you get to go home every 2-3 months and eat all the home-cooked food that you want, it’s a good way for a teenager to adjust to the life of being away from home.

As it is commonly known, academics in Singapore really drive her students to the edge, and I mean, to the very edge. The curriculum is extremely heavy in content, with the schools trying to feed you as much knowledge as possible, even though it is not within the exam syllabus. In my high school, the year younger than me had to learn about DNA in Secondary 2, of which I tell you, is university stuff! However, we had the opportunity to make ginger beer, learn IT, plant our own organic vegetable, dance, home economics, etc… which, upon retrospection, was a really good experience for a 13/14 adolescent who knows nuts about the world. While I may not remember the itsy bitsy details of everything, the activities gave me the opportunity to try things that I would never have tried in my entire life. It gave me the opportunity to explore and experience, on top of the gruelling studies.

College was a killer, definitely. We only had two years to squeeze all the fun and the pain in- the A level exam materials were extremely heavy and having to mug for them sucked the marrow out of us. However, it was the memorable part of our time when we had the opportunity to participate in clubs/ societies and meet amazingly motivated and highly ambitious people. However, if you had survived this, as everyone said, university life would be a breeze (given if you do not continue your studies in the local uni). But as everyone would agree, a student’s most memorable time.

Of course, depending on which school you are assigned to, it will determined the allocation of your hostel. Honestly, don’t expect too much of hall food. It’s part and parcel of your ‘good’ financial deal. Not enough to make you sick, but enough to make you appreciate home-cooked food. The first hostel I stayed in had a strict time curfew. Apart from that, I had rated it as a ‘5 star hotel’- the rooms are big and spacious with an ensuite, cosy and a nice friendly atmosphere. After all, it was an all girls’ hostel anyway. My second hostel was more of an apartment than anything else. No matter how I cleaned it (i’ll touch on that later), it will get dusty almost the very next day .

Ah yes, for those who are fortunate enough to not know what to do with your dirty laundry, you are expected to clean your own room (yes, stringent room inspections) and do your own laundry (fortunately, either by using the service provided or even doing your own). You would also need to wash your own dishes if you’re cooking instant noodles to survive! But basically, it’s all on your own and you would have to learn how to clean after your own mess.

In terms of finances, Singapore is a very nice and affordable place to do shopping, that is if you have the cash. While it is unlike any other large countries where you can go on a road trip (you can practically travel the entire island within the day (just take the mrt) and not spend anything on lodging), you would still be spending money visiting the different parts of the country such as the zoo (highly recommended), buying stuff that you like, or even, hunting out good food (of which, for a food lover, is a very memorable track) and for a spend-thrift like me, end up having your parents to supplement your allowance. You can still keep your budget under control when you’re in high school, however, be warned that in college, the first month of your experience would suck up lots of your $$$- orientation group dinner, class dinner, cca dinner, etc etc.

Contrary to belief, the kiasu mentality is more a fallacy than a fact. After all, everyone are hard workers and trying to do the best they can within their own means without intentionally stepping on to others.

Anyway, as mentioned in this blog entry, it is of extreme polarity- it’s the best and worst years of your life that you’ll ever remember. I have met life-long friends whom are with me every step of the way and now, even though we are miles apart (everyone is spread all over the world) we still keep in touch in every single little way that we can and are aware of what’s going on in each other’s life. The studies are hard. I wouldn’t say difficult, because as long as you get understand the fundamentals of the course and study hard and smart, you would be able to reach the finish line. It takes determination, strong-will, perserverance and patience to get through all the crap that will be beaten out of you in those six years. Eventually, the experience will shape you and develop you into a person that you can truly call yourself.

So, is this experience for you? I believe that the most important characteristic to possess is perseverance. You need that attitude as your core to take you through all the blood, sweat and tears over the number of years that you will be there. Where does the future lead you, you may ask. For most of the ASEAN scholars, they are in the local unis, however, studying in Singapore does give you the opportunity to assess the plentiful scholarship resources that they have, allowing you to study in countries such as US, UK and Australia, of course, most with the condition of you taking up PR status. Nonetheless, if you are not going to study something exotic, it is an almost direct path for you to enter the local unis with either a full scholarship (plus 4-6 years bond) or a tuition grant (3 year bond).

Indeed, my views may be biased, but I am proud to say that these six years were the best six years of my life.

What I have given is a general overview of the life of an ASEAN Scholar. If anyone of you have any burning questions to ask or would just like to know more, feel free to drop your queries/comments together with your email and I’ll be glad to correspond with you personally.

All the best for the exams!

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