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
A Practical Information Guide to Choosing A Secondary School
A Practical Information Guide to
Choosing A Secondary School
Congratulations! You, like most Singaporean parents, have successfully steered your child through the potential minefield that is the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) and are about to give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done and breathe a sigh of relief. But do not rest too easily just yet! For another imminent decision will require your stewardship to firmly set your child(ren)’s on the path to future secondary school academic success.
Choosing a secondary school is a critical and pivotal decision that every Singaporean (based) parent encounters as they, together with their child(ren), navigate the increasingly myriad range of MOE regulated schools available to them. Considering the far-reaching implications on their child(ren)’s future career choices and lifestyles, this is, without doubt, one of the most important considerations upon which any family will deliberate.
O Level Master presents here (what we rank as) the 5 most salient and practical factors to consider when contemplating which secondary school most suits your child’s individual needs.
- PSLE Cutoff: Eligibility and Suitability
As part of the Secondary 1 posting exercise in late November every year, a list of PSLE Cutoff points (COP) for all MOE regulated schools in Singapore accepting secondary 1 students for the next academic year will be published. The COP quite simply defines the minimum PSLE score required for a student to gain admission to the school.
View 2019 PSLE Cut off Points Sec1 intake
Perusing the table, it should become immediately obvious to parents, the upper limit of the range of schools to which your child(ren) will be able to access. This automatically forms the upper bound of the range of accessible schools that you would consider.
- School Forte
A secondary school’s forte or specialisation with regards to academic banding, elective programmes offering, talent development or even special needs will, for most parents and students, be the primary consideration for suitability. This single factor will directly determine the breadth of educational pathways available to the student (N Levels, O Levels, A Levels and International Baccalaureate Diploma) and hence is most likely to influence their future post-secondary and career pathways and choices. As such, parents and students should first be cognizant of and fully explore the range of options before them. The following is an executive summary of the educational landscape in Singapore.
- Proximity and Accessibility
A mundane factor which is often discounted but will have a significant impact on your child’s wellbeing is the location of the school of choice. Students will be increasingly expected to travel independently on public transport to and from school as they progress through their secondary school learning journey.
- School Fees
Every cent saved on school fees may be effectively redeployed into further enrichment or tuition programmes to avail your child of an edge in the ultra-competitive Singaporean education system.
- Graduate Results Track Record
Many parents are reassured by the high standards of pedagogy and achievement of former graduating cohorts from premier secondary schools as a benchmark when finalising their selections. Although school-specific historical data on O Levels, A-Levels and International Baccalaureate Diploma exam results is a little more difficult to mine, most schools do post the exam results of their most recent graduating cohort on their websites which may serve as a basis for comparison.
A Final Word to the Wise
Having identified a shortlist of at least 2 to 3 candidate secondary schools, it is always highly recommended to visit these schools on their open house dates, with your child, to get acquainted with the school’s management, teaching staff and senior schoolmates to understand more about the school’s academic as well as CCA programmes and pedagogy and to survey the premises and facilities. Parents should also use this opportunity to clarify any doubts or missing information critical to their decision process with the school administration.
Ultimately, both you and your child should be fully comfortable about the overall learning environment and educational offerings before confirming its nomination as one of the school’s of your choice. A list of secondary school open dates for 2019 may be found by following this URL:
https://www.schoolbag.sg/story/open-house-dates-of-secondary-schools-2019
Looking for reliable tuition specialists for secondary and IP? Check out ‘O’ Level Master for Secondary and Learners’ Lodge IP.
View our 2020 JC class schedules here.
How Things Get Heavy: The Nature of Mass
Physics can be a weighty subject, full of substance and gravitas. It is therefore perhaps entirely reasonable that a central topic of the discipline is mass. But what is mass, really? What is the origin? What is the nature of an essential feature of the world around us? Are there any surprises to be had as we dig deeper into that question?
Find out more from here.
10 Physics Questions Science Still Hasn’t Answered
With all of the discoveries and all the progress that has been made and advanced scientific tools at their disposal, physicists have yet to find answers to many of the most prominent questions that pertain to our physical universe.
We looked at 18 of the most compelling enigmas to see more precisely what we know and do not know about our universe. Far from being exhaustive, this list is a representative sample of the major issues facing physics today–and we’d love your input to help round out this list.
Among these questions, which may sound esoteric, there may be those that we will never be able to resolve.
But we’ll let you make that distinction.
With any further ado, here are 10 unanswered physics questions we still need help figuring out.
48 Critical Thinking Questions For Any Content Area
Critical thinking is the heart and soul of learning, and–in our estimation anyway–ultimately more important than anyone specific content area or subject matter.
It’s also an over-used and rather nebulous phrase — how do you teach someone to think? Of course, that’s the purpose of education, but how do you effectively optimize that concept into lasting knowledge and the ability to apply it broadly? Check this out!
Top 20 signs that you went to JC
They say your time at JC is the most memorable period of your life… but only if the word ‘memorable’ was synonymous with ‘torture’, ‘pain’ and ‘death’!
Ranging from PW hell to skipping lectures to study even more, here are 20 things all JC kids can relate to.
Find out more from here