LSC001 - Ken T in Life Science, NUS

Let's start by getting to know you a little. Tell us a bit about yourself!

Hi! I’m Ken T, a second year Life Sciences Major (as of AY 2014/2015). I graduated from Meridian Junior College and I did ‘A’ Level Biology back in my JC days. I live in Tembusu College in UTown and I enjoy teaching and coaching others. I am a Teaching Scholarship holder (but lets not discuss stuff related to that. I’d be happy to do so privately, though) which means my future career path is already set for me.

Why did you choose to pursue further studies in Life Sciences?

I enjoyed biology in Secondary School and in JC as well (though the memorizing was quite a pain). It is also because I had already wanted to be a bio teacher from secondary school so everything sort of fell into place actually.

Also, a less legit reason would be because maths was a bummer for me in JC. I also didn’t take physics at A levels so these two factors sort of ruled out engineering courses. I loved sciences but Chemistry at University level involved a lot of Maths as well so I went for Life Sciences which had the least amount of math-related stuff.

Were there any particular moments in your life you would attribute to your eventual decision to study Life Sciences?

Hmmm, inspirational bio teacher in sec 3 and 4?

What were your favourite subjects back in school before you started university?

Obviously Biology and Chemistry hehe.

Describe what a day would be like in the life of a Life Science student.

Content, memorizing even the minutest details, lab reports are all part of the day’s work. Labs are 4 hours long though most end slightly earlier. Tutorials are usually conducted en masse in the LT. Each week, there would be 2 hours of lecture, 4 hours of lab, 1 hour of tutorial for modules with lab sessions. For those without, there would be 4-5 hours of lecture, 1 hour tutorial per week.

Looking back, what are some of the challenges you've experienced studying Life Sciences so far? Despite all that, what keeps you going?

The memorizing is insane as well as the competition. Everyone just seems so smart and hardworking that it puts unnecessary pressure on you. 

I do my very best to enjoy learning. It is more than just grades that determine the quality of your university life. It is pointless to push yourself for a first-class honours if you know that you’re only capable of a second upper-honours. There is more to life than just getting As. It is important to enjoy what you study because studying what you like gives you motivation. Furthermore, I try to imagine that I’m not studying for the sake of studying, but rather, because I want to study and I really enjoy and appreciate the beauty of the things that I study such that it is not merely life sciences, but live sciences. Make your studies come alive, it helps! 

Living in a residential college also helps in that I get opportunities to interact with students from other faculties and it is comforting to know that I am not alone in this mad rat race. 

Was this your first choice? What were your other courses? Why did you end up choosing Life Sciences as your first choice?

Life Sciences was my first choice as I already knew what I wanted to do for my future. I never considered medicine although many people said that I was the ‘medicine’ kind although I didn’t know what that meant. I did not choose medicine because I felt that it was something one must feel called to, not just because it is well respected or because it will lead to a well paying job. I was not called to do medicine so here I am in Life Sciences. 

The only other course I remembered putting was Arts-Geography because I liked geography back in school. I am glad that I did not enroll in FASS to do geography, I would probably have died under the tottering pile of readings and essays.

What are the career prospects for a Life Science graduate? What are your own plans?

Many people think that Life Science graduates have nowhere to go. It is partially true and you should believe people when they say graduates wash test tubes. On the other hand, if you wish to just get a degree and then work in a job that requires a general degree, then you have many career prospects such as banking etc. If you wish to become a researcher in Life Sciences, a Bachelor’s degree is insufficient. You will need to go for a PhD at least. 

Or you could always become a teacher (:P). That is if you have the passion and calling to teach and nurture.

Are there any words of advice or caution you may have for someone who is considering studying Life Science?

Live the science that you study and make it come alive. Live a well-balanced life that is not driven solely by grades. Grades are important but they are not everything. If you can, apply for residency in University Town and you would be amazed at how residential life changes you.

Be prepared to work your brains to memorise minute details, but again, try to find joy in what you study. Love your subject, love your life and you’ll go far.

Best wishes!

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CHM001 - Hanna in Chemistry, NUS

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Hi all lovely juniors! I’m Hanna, currently a Year 2 Chemistry in NUS.
I would like to start off with reiterating something you would probably have heard of countless times; please do choose to pursue a degree in the course that you’re most passionate about! Studying in university isn’t easy as some JC teachers paint it out to be, especially if you’re staying in hall, as it requires a lot of work done on YOUR part and you’ll need to have the passion and interest to research on concepts and ideas that are sometimes out of the syllabus to supplement your understanding on any topic. For me, biology and chemistry has always been the two subjects that I had the most interest in, and in the end I chose chemistry as my major.

Tell us a little bit about what it is like to pursue a degree on Chemistry

A brief introduction to Chemistry in NUS; it’s a 3+1 year course, meaning 3 years if you choose to graduate without honours and 4 years with honours. In Years 1 and 2, core modules would be pre-allocated to you and these include physical, analytical, organic, inorganic and experimental modules. The syllabus is slightly different from JC or secondary so make sure you do more research! For me, I personally found it a struggle to cope with physical chemistry as it deals mainly with understanding formula and their derivations, quite different from in the past where you’re given the formula and just need to use it to calculate! Organic and inorganic would be like JC but with a lot more reactions to study. Experimental modules are modules that are purely lab sessions with each lab session lasting 4-6hours. These are tiring but fun!

From Year 3 onwards, you would be able to choose the modules you want to take. There is also an option to specialise in 3 areas, namely medicinal chemistry, material chemistry and energy and environment. If you want to specialise, make sure you take the required modules! You can also choose not to specialise at all, no problem! Year 4 would be honours year where you do the Final Year Project (FYP). Consider if you want to take this cause it would mean one entire year in the lab (which may be a bore to some). You could try out internships in Year 3 so you could have an experience of how it is like to work in a laboratory first before you devote yourself to lab for FYP.

What are the some of the career prospects for a Chemistry graduate?

One of the most important concerns you would have is what you could do with a degree in Science(Chemistry). There are various career paths you could choose and most chemistry graduates would probably work in Tuas. There are also other options such as HSA or venturing into forensics. Most employers nowadays are looking out for more analytical chemists though, as it is more applicable to practical situations, so make sure you do well in your analytical chemistry!

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MED001 - Asclepius in Medicine, NUS

Describe a little about yourself, are there any character traits that you feel align you with your course of study?

I graduated from Meridian Junior College (MJC) in 2012 and I’m currently pursuing a course in Medicine. I was a Physics student in MJC with only O level knowledge in Biology. My personality profile has always shown me to be an introvert, but I enjoy moderate interaction especially with close friends and relatives. I have a rather casual personality when it comes to playtime but I treat work with utmost seriousness. I wouldn’t say that I have infinite patience but a good level of tolerance and perseverance does help in this course of study.

Why Medicine?

I believe that choosing your field of study depends on your interest. It was from my secondary school days in St. John Ambulance Brigade that exposed me to the joys of helping people. While helping people can sometimes go unappreciated, a little change to someone’s life could have meant a huge difference for others. Being in Medicine allows me to make small changes that together mean a huge difference in peoples’ lives. This would be why I considered Medicine as a career in the first place.

I do have inspirational figures as well who helped me decide to pursue this path. Friends whose parents are nurses, relatives in the healthcare industry and my mother, an allied healthcare worker, willingly share interesting stories about their journey through the years with me. Not all of these are happy stories; many include the period of SARS and the dangers and challenges of medicine as well. Nonetheless, some of them were inspirational and encouraging which have helped me decide to study medicine.

What kind of challenges have you encountered pursuing a course in Medicine? Even with all these obstacles, why drives you?

Medicine can become tiring as the years go by and some people lose passion over time. Some become desensitized with time and practice and also fatigue from studying the same thing and cramming knowledge does prove to be difficult at times. Personally the workload becomes worse with each year that pass and this proves challenging after a while. I think what keeps me going is managing my time well, prioritizing my commitments (I’m first a medical student!) and really putting small periods of breaks and relaxing in between the endless studying throughout each academic year. Above all else, I have a goal in mind of becoming a good doctor in the future and I work towards it :)

How is an average day in Medicine like?

This really changes with the years. In the first year, contrary to popular belief, I found that it was really manageable with classes ending around noon or earlier on most days (classes always start at 8.30a.m unless otherwise stated) with the exception of days with tutorials (Fridays) and lab work. In the second year, life becomes slightly busier not due to classes ending later but due to the greater amount of information learnt. Subsequent academic years (year 3 and onwards) are postings in hospitals whereby days can end really late, varying greatly with individuals. In this course, a lot of emphasis is placed on self-directed learning above the usual spoon-feeding in lectures so it could get really busy with each year that passes.

 How are your classes like?

Medicine gets increasingly content heavy with each year that pass with more practical involvement as well. Lectures and tutorials are the standard in the lower medical undergraduate years while these opportunities become lesser with higher undergraduate years. Overtime, a lot depends on our initiative to ask for help and self-reading to survive and excel in this course.

Is Medicine your first choice? What were your other choices?

Yes, Medicine is my first choice. I did apply for Law and Business in NUS as my “backup” but I already knew that I was not cut out to be a lawyer given my personality while business was something that I was not really interested in studying. If I had not received a Medicine offer from NUS, I would have rejected law or business as substitutes anyway simply because I cannot envision myself having a career which I do not have any interest in.

What kind of career prospects does a medical graduate have? What do you wish to do with your degree?

Medicine graduates have to serve a 6 year bond with the MOH unless you wish to break the bond and pay for the damages (it’s about $500,000 FYI). So within the 6 years, most of us have a fixed career path of working up from a junior doctor. You do have a choice to apply for a specialty, in other words, which field you wish to be a doctor in after you graduate though. After the 5 years, you may wish to stay on with the public health service, go private, work part-time as a doctor, become a politician, run a business, become a researcher, professor, performer, Dad, Mum or even assume the role of all of the above if you’re capable enough. I can’t say for sure what I plan to do with my degree at this stage of my life 5 years after the bond, but at least I do know I won’t burn it or throw it away within 5 years after I graduate.

What do you think are things that someone should be aware of before embarking on a degree in Medicine?

Firstly, seriously consider if you want to pursue it. I personally view that money and a stable career are not wrong reasons for starting a degree in Medicine but they should not be your primary or your only reason for doing so. Ask yourself if you are really interested in it or are there other reasons why you would want to start going for this degree. Also consider about why you do not wish to go for a degree in nursing and allied health instead when these career paths can make significant changes to the life of patients as well (sometimes even more than doctors can do so). Convince yourself that this is really what you want to pursue so that you can convince others. Learn more about it by talking to those with experience and exposure to the field of healthcare. Lastly, ask and answer yourself this question that was asked to me during my interview, “If you were to make an oath to your patients upon entering this course, a binding oath to them and to yourself. What would your pledge be?”

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