More on Pre-U ASEAN Scholarship

Ah... the Scholarship post has obviously attracted a fair bit of attention, with many giving their diverse opinions on the matter. I can only say that while Charlotte's and the posts by the bloggers' here did give a positive slant (and it is largely positive) to the scholarship experience, there are of course niggling negatives which I dare say, all of us have experienced. However, both ends of the experience certainly gives me a better perspective to the world, hence I am who I am today. ;)

Anyway, here's another article hosted at TinKosong.com written by another Asean Scholar, currently pursuing his degree in Dartmouth College. Unlike many of the earlier batches of Asean Scholars who were sent to the "top" junior colleges like Raffles or Hwa Chong, Benjamin Lo did his at Andersen Junior College (AJC) under the pre-university scheme.

In contrast to Charlotte's post which was more experiential, Benjamin gave a thorough account on the specifics of Junior College life, the hostels as well as the system in general. He emphasised specifically on the fact that enrolment into different colleges may result in distinctly different experiences, and as such, scholars should pay attention to the JCs allocated before deciding on the acceptance of the scholarship.

Know your school well, and know your own goals before accepting the scholarship. Recognize that the school you are placed into is highly important; good schools will provide you with a wealth of opportunities and further scholarships to go to top schools abroad, while giving you the connections to make successful applications. Mediocre schools will turn you into what’s derided as a “mugger” – A student who merely can work and memorize, devoid of any spark of creativity because it was burned out by Singapore’s harsh fires.

The ASEAN scholarship scheme has obviously evolved since my days (I was a scholar back in 1985 as a secondary 1 student) where students were largely sent almost exclusively to the Raffles schools. However, I'm just glad that despite the years of difference, those who still managed to gain entry into Raffles like Charlotte still shared largely the same experience, which I hope many more will get to enjoy. ;)