Why are internships important?
As you await the start of university, some of you may be considering taking on internships to gain working experience, or perhaps earn some extra cash. Having done a couple of internships at different places like MOE Special Education Division, Duke-NUS Medical School and Learners’ Lodge, here’s my take on internships*. Are internships necessary and should you seek one? Read on to find out more!
Internships provide the perfect opportunity for you to explore and affirm your interests in that industry. You may have read stories, watched videos or heard experiences from other people about their work life, but nothing beats experiencing it yourself first-hand. Internships are usually over the span of weeks and months, so taking on an internship is a great chance to test your commitment to that industry. The timespan may be long enough for you to experience the joys and challenges of that role and can be a good point of reference when you are considering taking up similar roles in the future after university.
Taking on an internship exposes you to the working world before university. Like most people would say, the working world is much different from school. There will be no one to push you, and you have to take ownership of your actions. However, it is utterly impossible to adapt to the working world overnight. Thus, doing internships will help to ease you in and aid you in managing your expectations about becoming a working adult.
Of course, internships look good on your resume. They help to make you look motivated and the skills learnt during your internships can be applied in your internships in the future. In fact, these skills can make you become a more attractive candidate when competing with other applicants for internships in the future. For example, researchers may be more willing to take in interns with prior research experience, since the intern can probably understand and live up to the expectations quickly.
If you are confused about which university course to take, try your hand at some internships! For example, you may be interested in doing a degree in Computer Science or an IT-related course. An internship will give you the chance to explore and experience doing coding on a day-to-day basis. If you enjoy your work, it may be a sign that taking an IT-related course would be a good idea.
On the contrary, internships have their downsides. The remuneration is usually a few hundred dollars, which may not be appealing for some people. However, you will still be able to profit a lot from the valuable experiences learnt from your internships. Sometimes, there may not be much to do during an internship, thus depriving you of the full experience of working in that industry. Fret not, during your internship, you will have the opportunity to network with colleagues and learn some soft skills from them.
If you are going for an internship soon and would like to make the most out of it, here are some things you might want to take note of:
- Jot down your experiences, especially those that you have never encountered before.
- Be meticulous and put in effort in your work.
- Stay open! It may be daunting to talk to colleagues who are much older than you but do try to network with some of them. This will make your life as an intern much easier too since you can look for them to get help if needed.
- Make yourself useful. If you have no work to do, be proactive and offer to help your supervisor or colleagues with simple work.
- Ask for a testimonial from your supervisor when your internship ends. This will be useful when you are applying for other internships in the future.
*This article is written by Gabrielle Lee, who interned for Learners’ Lodge, MOE Special Education Division and Duke-NUS Medical School. This is her take on why internships are important.
How do I retake the A-Levels as a private candidate?
Congratulations on receiving your A-Level results. We are extremely proud of you for completing another milestone! Some of you may be thinking of having another go at the A-Levels, be it retaking just one H1 subject or the whole A-Levels, and we applaud your courage for that. To register as a private candidate with SEAB, you must not be studying in a junior college in the same examination year. Should you want to sit for science subjects with practical components, you must have sat for the same science subject previously. Otherwise, you must attend a course of instruction in Science practical at any school. Check the link here to see if SEAB offers the subject that you wish to take as a private candidate. Registration will open from Monday, 28 March to Friday, 8 April 2022.
Retaking the whole A-Levels as a private candidate
Sitting for the whole A-Levels independently and without any teacher to push you might feel a little daunting. However, with great willpower, it is possible! There have been students who retook the A-Levels and witnessed a great improvement in their rank points.
Since you have many subjects to take, you should start preparing for the exams after you have registered for them. In the beginning, it would be wise to look through your prelim papers and practice papers that you have done to see what are the concepts that you are unfamiliar with. Write them down and remember to place greater emphasis on these concepts when you are revising content. If you need help, do reach out to your past JC tutors politely. Let them know that you are retaking your A-Levels and they should be happy to help! Otherwise, you can contact seniors, friends or sign up for tuition classes. It is critical to grasp the concepts well and build a strong foundation before moving on to practice questions.
Additionally, look at the learning style that you adopted during JC and question whether it was efficient. If it was not, it would be good to change your learning style quickly. If you are a visual learner, try using diagrams and flashcards to help you. If you are an auditory learner, try saying the things you want to memorise and answer questions out loud. If you are a kinesthetic learner, you can try walking around while memorising, or doing hands-on activities to help you remember difficult concepts. You can also try active recall, where you look at the learning objectives of each chapter, and see if you can answer them. To beat the learning curve, try spaced repetition where you revisit the same content every now and then. This will help to lock the concepts better in your memory.
Once you have strong content knowledge, move on to doing practice papers. Trying practice questions are really important because it tests whether you actually understand the content, and it assesses your ability to apply your knowledge. At the start, you may not be scoring as well as expected, and that is normal! You will need to take time to get used to the answering techniques since it has been a few months since the A-Levels. Take note of the questions that you are always answering wrongly, and place greater emphasis on mastering similar questions. If you are having trouble answering with the appropriate keywords, it will be good to highlight those keywords in the answer keys, compare them with your answers and take note of the keywords that you always miss. Make a conscious effort to remember those keywords and write them when you see similar questions or questions asking about the same concept. After doing many practices, you will start to realise that the style of questions asked are rather similar and the keywords examiners are looking out for are rather repetitive. There will still be some niche questions that take up 1-2 marks though. If you have the time, create a bank of niche questions and revise them every now and then, and before your A-Levels.
In addition, do not push yourself too hard and do several practice papers every day, especially when the A-Levels are still quite far away. You certainly do not want to hit your peak before the A-Levels and burn out while taking the examinations. Listen to what your body needs and take breaks when necessary. Of course, do not use burning out as an excuse to procrastinate. If possible, find yourself an accountability buddy, be it a parent, sibling or friend. Ask them to check on you if you have completed the tasks that you planned to complete every week.
Retaking one H1 subject
Did you do well enough to enrol into university, but just a few rank points shy away from the cut off point of your desired course? Retaking a H1 subject may be able to help you meet the cut off! For example, if you want to enter NUS Law, but received a C for GP, you can retake H1 GP and if you score an A or B during your retake, you may be able to meet the requirements for NUS Law. Here is the NUS Office of Admissions’ stance on combining grades from different sittings of the A-Levels.
“If you are applying for Law-related course(s) and did not obtain at least a B3 (for old syllabus)/B (for new syllabus) for General Paper (GP) or B in your Knowledge & Inquiry (KI) (for new syllabus) in your first sitting, you may submit the improved GP grade from another sitting to qualify for application to this course. However, the GP or KI grade obtained from the first sitting will be used for admission consideration.”
Alternatively, if you want to enter NUS Medicine, but did not hit the cut off, you may want to retake one H1 subject and if you get an A during your retake, you may be able to get an invite to the interview round.
“For admission consideration, we will consider your grades for GP/KI and 3 H2 subjects attained at one sitting of the A-level examination. Only the H1 content-based subject, H1 Project Work (PW) and H1 Mother-Tongue Language (MTL) subject can be of a different sitting (if this is presented, we will use the grades of these 3 H1 subjects attained at the earlier A-level examination). If you decide to retake any of the H1 subjects (excluding H1 General Paper), the best H1 subject grade will be taken into consideration for university admission.”
Click here for more information on combining results.
Last but not least, we wish all private candidates all the best and we hope that you will receive your desired results! Put in your best effort and you will eventually see the fruits of your labour :) If you need any help with acing your A-Levels, just enrol with us!
Scholarship opportunities for pre-university students
Are you a pre-university student looking for scholarship opportunities? The Ministry of Education, as well as other agencies, have provided several scholarship opportunities for pre-university students. Apart from the commonly known MOE Pre-U Scholarship, there are also many other programme-specific scholarships.
MOE Pre-University Scholarship
The MOE Pre-U Scholarship is offered to top-performing Pre-University 1 students who have achieved outstanding academic results and excelled in extracurriculars. The scholarship is awarded for 2 years, provides the recipient with an allowance of $750 annually, and covers the school fees based on Singapore Citizen’s rates. Selected applicants will have to go through an interview as part of the selection process. Application for 2022 cycle starts on Wednesday, 12 January and ends at 11.59pm on Monday, 28 February 2022. For more information, click here.
Programme-specific scholarships
- Art Elective Scholarship (only for students in the Art Elective Programme)
- Bicultural Studies Programme (BSP) Scholarship (only for students in BSP)
- Humanities Scholarship (only for students in the Humanities Scholarship and Programme)
- Language Elective Scholarships (only for students enrolled in the respective Language Elective Programme)
- Music Elective Scholarship (only for students in the Music Elective Programme)
- Regional Studies Programme (RSP) Scholarship (only for students in RSP)
Do note that not all schools offer the above programmes, so please select your schools wisely if you are interested in applying for these scholarships. Application for 2022 cycle starts on Wednesday, 12 January and ends at 11.59pm on Monday, 28 February 2022. For more information, please click here.
DSTA JC Scholarship
The Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) provides scholarships to JC1 students who are interested in discovering opportunities in defence science and engineering, with engineers and scientists. The scholarship is open to all JC1 Singapore Citizens who have achieved excellent results in Science and Mathematics and have a strong passion for science and technology. The award is an allowance of $1,000 which will be provided per year, tenable for two years. Additionally, award holders will be provided with an opportunity to participate in activities and internships. The application period is open until 21 Feb 2022, Mon. To apply, click here.
A*STAR SCIENCE AWARD (JC)
If you are interested in becoming a scientist or researcher, the A*STAR Science Award (JC) allows you to obtain first-hand experience working on a research project for 5 weeks at an A*STAR research institute. You even get to work alongside an A*STAR scientist or researcher!
The award provides an allowance of S$1,000 per year, tenable for 2 years. However, a continuation of the award in JC 2 depends on excellent academic performance in the JC 1 promotional examinations and continued interest in science and mathematics. Only Singaporeans are eligible for this award. Applications are invited through nominations by schools only. For more information, click here.
SAF Young Leader Award
The Singapore Armed Forces awards about 20 recipients a year. Applicants must submit an essay on a defence-related topic and shortlisted candidates will attend an interview and a one-day assessment session. Only Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents intending to take up citizenship who are in JC1 are eligible to apply.
Successful candidates will be people who demonstrate academic excellence as well as strong leadership qualities through co-curricular activities (CCAs). They should also be passionate about defence-related issues.
They will receive a $2500 cash award, internship opportunities with MINDEF/SAF, and even opportunities to attend MINDEF/SAF functions, scholarship talks as well as engagement activities and a scholarship interview for overseas studies upon application. Application for the SAF Young Leader Award 2022 has closed but the 2023 intake will most likely open in Nov 2022. Click here to find out more.
How should you approach the scholarship application?
Firstly, only apply for the scholarships that you are genuinely interested in. Especially for the scholarships provided by agencies, the interviewers will be able to tell whether you are truly interested in their organisation’s mission or not.
Secondly, if you are selected to attend an interview, make sure that you practise as much as possible. It will be hard to predict all the questions but there are certain questions like ‘Why are you interested in taking up this scholarship?’ that will most likely surface during the interview.
As much as possible, prepare some concrete points for these questions and link your experiences and abilities to increase the depth of your responses. Although it is good to be prepared, there is no need to memorise answers word for word.
Lastly, treat the interview like a conversation, it will help you feel a lot more comfortable and confident!
What if you don’t qualify for computer science?
This article is for students who were unfortunately not accepted into a local university for computer science this time around. Computer Science is a competitive field with a lot of good job prospects, so nonetheless, good job for trying your best!
So, what should you do if you are unable to qualify for computer science locally?
You might have other options in mind that you are passionate about, so spend some time exploring those options too!
If computer science is the only thing that you are passionate about, consider applying to overseas courses! If not, take a gap year and try to reapply.
If your rank points can be increased by retaking an H1 examination, for example, H1 Economics, you can also consider retaking the subject, or the whole A levels examination.
All about applying overseas
Applying for computer science overseas is also competitive because there are limited spots for international students and the fact that you have to compete with international applicants all over the world. Not to mention, the total school fees for the whole course can go up to S$100,000 or more. Contrary to Singapore, the duration for computer science is usually 3-4 years, depending on whether you want to graduate with only a bachelors or spend an additional year to complete your masters.
If you are interested in applying for the UK schools, the UCAS application deadline will be in October and you can start filling in your application form as early as 18 May 2022. Do check with your JC if they still offer help to alumni for their UCAS application. If they are able to help, you can apply together with your juniors when the application opens. However, if they are not able to help, you may want to ask an agent to help you with the UCAS application. Regardless of whether you are applying through UCAS with or without help from your JC, you should contact your Civics Tutor (CT) or Maths teacher and ask them if they are willing to help you write a reference letter for your UCAS application. Make sure to prepare early and check with the teachers way before the deadline as most teachers have very tight schedules and may not be able to provide you with the help you need on short notice. Do also make sure that you meet the English Language requirements. If you do not, the university should provide information about the ways to meet the English Language requirement besides using your O Levels/IP English or A-Level General Paper grade. Failure to do so will result in immediate rejection. On top of that, you will be required to write a personal statement. Since there are a couple of months before the UCAS application cycle starts again, make good use of your time and commit yourself to intern, volunteering, learning some programming during your free time and understanding your motivations to do computer science better.
If you are interested in applying to Australian universities, you have to apply with your A-Level results. Different schools have different deadlines and different application processes, so it will be advisable to seek an agent. Not to worry, there is no agent fee. International applicants will be selected solely based on their A-Level results. Do also make sure that you meet the English Language requirements. If you do not, the university should provide information about the ways to meet the English Language requirement besides using your O Levels/IP English or A-Level General Paper grade. Extracurriculars are not taken into consideration for the selection process. There is also no need to write a personal statement or ask someone to write a recommendation letter for you.
If you are interested in applying for US schools, you will have to apply through the CommonApp, which is similar to UCAS. Be sure to check what are the requirements that your desired US universities require, for example, SAT or ACT scores. You will have to register and take those tests. You will also need to prepare a motivation letter and a writing sample if required.
Other alternatives
On the other hand, you do not have to do a degree in computer science to land a job related to computer science. You can consider doing a Bachelors in Information Systems and gain 2 years of IT experience before applying to take your Master of Computing – Computer Science Specialisation. More information can be found here.
Taking a gap year to reapply into computer science
Over the years, the notion of taking gap years has become increasingly popular, as it gives students a second chance to reapply into their dream course, retake their examinations or spend time exploring future career options. There have been many prospective computer science students who took a gap year, and eventually landed a spot in computer science locally. However, that being said, it depends on how well you utilise your gap year, and even if you are able to stay productive, there is no guarantee that you will be accepted upon reapplication. Competition is still intense, or even more intense, as gap year students will be expected to do something fruitful with their extra time.
Here are some things that you can do while taking a gap year to reapply for computer science. You can pursue an internship related to computer science, volunteer, network with other programmers and professionals in the same field, as well as prepare for a backup plan, just in case, your reapplication is unsuccessful. You may also wish to retake an A-Level subject at H1 level to improve your rank points, or give the whole A-Levels another shot. This will require a lot of discipline and it is advisable that you spend time thinking about your abilities and mental capacity should you be taking A Levels again. Taking a gap year may be hard, especially when you watch your friends leading slightly different lives from you. You should spend some time learning more about gap years and deciding for yourself if you are ready to take up this challenge. Should you need help, you can always reach out to GapyearSG, a Singapore-based organisation started to provide assistance and opportunities to prospective and current gap year students.
With that, we wish you all the best with your reapplication and if you would like to find out more about applying to computer science, do lookout for our upcoming workshop Career Pathfinder 2022, a University & Career Series for Young Adults (aged 15-19) which provides you with a better-informed decision-making process when selecting a degree and university! The workshop will be on 12th March (Saturday), from 9 am to 1 pm, online via zoom for only $19.90.
WHAT IF YOU DON’T QUALIFY FOR LAW?
This article is for students who were unfortunately not accepted into local law school this time around. The competition to get into law school is extremely intense, so nonetheless, good job for trying your best!
So, what’s the next step? What happens if you are unable to qualify for local law school?
You might have other options in mind that you are passionate about, so spend some time exploring those options too!
If law school is the only thing that you are passionate about, consider applying to overseas law schools! If not, take a gap year then reapply to your local law school again.
If your rank points can be increased by retaking an H1 examination, for example, H1 Economics, you can also consider retaking the subject, or the whole A levels examination.
All about applying overseas
Applying for overseas law school is competitive because there are limited spots available for international students. You also have to compete with applicants from all over the world.
Not to mention, the total school fee can amount to over S$100,000 for the whole course. However, unlike Singapore, which usually takes 4 years to complete, law school overseas usually only takes 3 years to complete.
On top of that, also consider whether you will be practising law in Singapore. If you are keen to practice in Singapore, you should apply to schools that are recognised by the Singapore Institute of Law. The list can be found here. A wise move would be to apply to the recognised schools even if you are planning to practice overseas, just in case you need to return to Singapore for personal reasons, or if you change your mind midway through.
UK Law Schools and UCAS applications
For those interested in applying for the UK law schools, the UCAS application deadline is in October and you can start filling up your application forms as early as 18 May 2022.
Check with your JC on whether they offer help to alumni for UCAS applications. If they are able to help, you will be able to apply together with your juniors when the application opens. If they are not able to help, you can ask an agent to help you with the UCAS applications.
Regardless of whether you are applying through UCAS with or without the help of your JC, you should still contact your Civics Tutor (CT) or General Paper/Knowledge and Inquiry teacher and ask them to write you a reference letter for your application. Make sure to prepare early and check with the teachers a good amount of time before the deadline as most teachers have very tight schedules and may not be able to help you on short notice.
When applying for UK law schools, you need to register for the LNAT by yourself and sit for those examinations. Make sure that you meet the English Language requirements. If you do not meet the requirements, the university will provide information about the ways to meet the requirement besides using your O levels/IP English or A level General Paper grade. Failure to do so will result in immediate rejection. On top of that, you will be required to write a personal statement.
Since there are a couple of months before the UCAS application cycle starts again, make good use of your time and commit yourself to intern in the legal industry, volunteering, reading up about law and understanding your motivations to do law better. All these will come into good use when you sit for the interviews.
Australian Law Schools
For those interested in applying for Australian law schools, you have to apply with your A level results. Different law schools have different application processes and deadlines, so it is advisable to seek an agent. Not to worry, there is no agent fee! International applicants will be selected solely based on their A level results. Make sure that you meet the English Language requirements. If you do not meet the requirements, the university will provide information about ways to meet the requirement besides using your O levels/IP English or A level General Paper grade. Extracurricular activities are not taken into consideration for the selection process. There is no need to write a personal statement or ask someone to write a recommendation letter for you.
US Law Schools
For those interested in applying for US law schools, note that there are no undergraduate law programmes offered in the US. This means that you will take an undergraduate degree of your choice before applying for graduate law school.
All about Juris Doctor (JD)
If you are not keen on studying law overseas and would prefer to do law after your bachelors in Singapore, NUS offers the Juris Doctor (JD) programme, which is a 3-year single graduate degree programme for candidates holding a non-law degree. You need to have at least a Cum Laude or Second Class Upper Honours degree or its equivalent. You also need to have two academic referees or recommendations from two employers if you have left school for a few years.
All applicants must also submit a personal statement and a one to two-page curriculum vitae, setting out their educational history and work experience (if any). Shortlisted applicants must also undergo a written test and interview. More information can be found here.
Taking a gap year to reapply into law school
Over the years, the notion of taking gap years has also become increasingly popular. It gives students a second chance at reapplying to their dream course, retaking their examinations or even spending time to explore future career options. Many prospective law students have taken gap years and eventually landed places in local law schools.
However, that being said, it all boils down to how you utilise your gap year. Staying productive is no guarantee that you will be accepted into local law school as competition is still intense, or even more intense, as gap year students will be expected to do something fruitful with their extra time.
Gap Year Activities
To increase your chances, here are some things that you can do while taking a gap year before reapplying to law school.
You can pursue an internship in a legal setting, volunteer at a pro-bono legal clinic, network with other lawyers, as well as consider your backup plans, just in case your reapplication is unsuccessful.
You can also retake an A level subject at H1 level to improve your rank points, or give the whole A levels examination another shot. This will require a lot of discipline and it is advisable that you spend time thinking about your abilities and mental capacity should you be taking A levels again.
Taking a gap year can be tough, and you might feel more alone as many of your friends start to move on to a different phase of their lives.
Spend more time learning about gap years and decide for yourself if you are ready to take up this challenge. If you need help, reach out to GapyearSG, a Singapore-based organisation providing assistance and opportunities to prospective and current gap year students.
With that, we wish you all the best with whatever decision you make. Find out more about applying to law school with our upcoming workshop, Career Pathfinder 2022, a University and Career Series for Young Adults (aged 15-19) which will help provide you with a better-informed decision-making process when selecting a degree and university. The workshop will take place online via Zoom on 12th March 2022 (Saturday) from 9 AM to 1 PM for $19.90.
References:
https://law1.nus.edu.sg/admissions/jd.html
What if you don’t qualify for medicine?
This article is for students who were unfortunately not accepted into local medical schools. The competition to get into medical school is extremely intense and the schools do not really give the specific criteria on what type of students they are most likely to accept. Nonetheless, good job for trying your best!
So what should you do if you fail to qualify for local medical school?
If you have other options in mind that you are passionate about, you should spend some time exploring those options if you have not already done so.
If medical school is your only aim and you do not have any backup plans, you may want to consider applying overseas if your parents are comfortable with it or taking a gap year to reapply into local medical school. If your rank points can be increased by retaking an H1 examination (eg. H1 Economics), you may want to consider retaking an A-Level subject or retaking the whole A Levels.
All about applying overseas
Applying for overseas medical schools is also competitive because there are limited spots for international students and the fact that you have to compete with international applicants all over the world. Not to mention, the total school fees for the whole course can go up to S$500,000 or more, so do make sure that medicine is something you really want to do, or you will be wasting your money and time. Most medical schools in the UK and Australia have a duration of 6 years, but there are some schools with a shorter duration of 5 years.
On top of that, you should consider if you want to practice medicine in Singapore or not. If you would like to practice medicine in Singapore, you should apply to the schools that are recognised by the Singapore Medical Council. The list can be found here (updated as of Jan 2020). A wise move will be to apply to the recognised schools, even if you are not so inclined to work in Singapore, just in case you need to return to Singapore for personal reasons, or if you change your mind during medical school.
If you are interested in applying for the UK medical schools, the UCAS application deadline will be in October and you can start filling in your application from as early as 18 May 2022. Do check with your JC if they still offer help to alumni for their UCAS application. If they are able to help, you can apply together with your juniors when the application opens. However, if they are not able to help, you may want to ask an agent to help you with the UCAS application. Regardless of whether you are applying through UCAS with or without help from your JC, you should contact your Civics Tutor (CT), Chemistry or Biology teacher and ask them if they are willing to help you write a reference letter for your UCAS application. Make sure to prepare early and check with the teachers way before the deadline as most teachers have very tight schedules and may not be able to provide you with the help you need on short notice. When applying for the UK medical schools, do check if the school requires a BMAT or UCAT entrance exam. You will need to register and sit for those examinations by yourself. Failure to do so will result in immediate rejection. On top of that, you will be required to write a personal statement. Since there are a couple of months before the UCAS application cycle starts again, make good use of your time and commit yourself to work in a healthcare setting, volunteering, reading up about medicine and understanding your motivations to do medicine better. All these will come into good use when you sit for the interviews.
If you are interested in applying for Australian medical schools, you have to apply with your A-Level results. Different medical schools have different deadlines and different application processes, so it will be advisable to seek an agent. Not to worry, there is no agent fee. You will have to sit for the ISAT and applicants will be selected for the interview based on their A-Level results and ISAT results. Extracurriculars are not taken into consideration for the first half of the selection process, but these experiences will certainly aid you to ace the interviews if you use them strategically, for example, like talking about what you learnt during your experiences and linking them to why you think medicine is suitable for you. There is also no need to write a personal statement or ask someone to write a recommendation letter for you.
If you are interested in applying for US medical schools, do note that US medical schools only offer graduate medical programmes. This means you have to take an undergraduate pre-med degree before applying to medical school.
All about Duke-NUS medical school
If you are not keen on studying overseas, and you are interested in taking graduate medicine in Singapore, the Duke-NUS medical school offers a graduate medicine pathway. You can only apply for it when you have completed, or are in the final year, of a bachelor or honours degree. You will need to sit for the GAMSAT or MCAT and your results will be taken into consideration. You will need 3-5 references from professors, mentors and/or employers. The rest of the requirements and technical standards can be found here. There are also many pre-MD pathways that you can apply for, and these tracks offer conditional admissions to outstanding students who wish to pursue graduate-entry medicine at Duke-NUS. You can learn more about them here. These pathways are advisable for students who wish to pursue their other academic interests while remaining in the medical landscape. If you are an aspiring clinician-scientist and would like to pursue a PhD on top of your MD, you may want to consider the MD-PhD track in Duke-NUS medical school. All students admitted into the programme will be offered a full scholarship for the PhD component as well as scholarships to cover tuition fees for their first 2 years in the MD programme and their final year of MD training.
All applicants for the MD-PhD programme are required to sit for the MCAT. Upon completion of the degree, students will receive a joint MD degree from Duke University and NUS, as well as a PhD from NUS.
Taking a gap year to reapply into medical school
Over the years, the notion of taking gap years has become increasingly popular, as it gives students a second chance to reapply into their dream course, retake their examinations or spend time exploring future career options. There have been many prospective medical students who took a gap year or even a few gap years, and eventually landed a place in a local medical school. However, that being said, it depends on how well you utilise your gap year, and even if you are able to stay productive, there is no guarantee that you will be accepted into a local medical school after taking a gap year. Competition is still intense, or even more intense, as gap year students will be expected to do something fruitful with their extra time.
Here are some things that you can do while taking a gap year to reapply into medical school. You can pursue an internship in academia, work in a clinic or a hospital, do more job shadowing with doctors, network with other healthcare professionals, as well as explore other jobs in the healthcare industry and prepare for a backup plan, just in case your reapplication is unsuccessful. You may also wish to retake an A-Level subject at H1 level to improve your rank points, or give the whole A-Levels another shot. This will require a lot of discipline and it is advisable that you spend time thinking about your abilities and mental capacity should you be taking A Levels again. Taking a gap year may be hard, especially when you watch your friends leading slightly different lives from you. You should spend some time learning more about gap years and deciding for yourself if you are ready to take up this challenge. Should you need help, you can always reach out to GapyearSG, a Singapore-based organisation started to provide assistance and opportunities to prospective and current gap year students.
With that, we wish you all the best with your reapplication and if you would like to find out more about applying into law school, do lookout for our upcoming workshop Career Pathfinder 2022, a University & Career Series for Young Adults (aged 15-19) which provides you with a better-informed decision-making process when selecting a degree and university! The workshop will be on 12th March (Saturday), from 9 am to 1 pm, online via zoom for only $19.90.
References:
https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/education/our-programmes/md-phd-programme
https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/admissions/pre-md-pathways
https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/admissions/duke-nus-medicine-programmes/admissions-requirements