Scholarship / NTU Scholarship : "a subject of personal importance" - exchange program to Italy [3]

a subject of personal importance

As a naturally inquisitive teenager, I constantly crave new experiences. Therefore, I was ecstatic when I got selected as a delegate in a year-long exchange program to Italy. Apart from meeting diverse people and gaining a new perspective on the world, there were some fair share of challenging moments.

At first, I struggled to keep up at school due to the different education system combined with culture shock and language barrier. Feeling a bit discouraged everytime I did not understand a mathematical solution to a problem. Two weeks into school, the teacher arranged an oral test on the first chapter which was ellipses and hyperbolas. I worked furiously the subsequent days, spending hours translating the terms and recruiting help from any source available. The exam date then came and I passed the test with flying colors, meeting praises from both my peers and the teachers for analytical insights and ability to adapt.

Similarly, I was presented with the opportunity to address some preconceived ideas as well as introduce my own culture by doing a presentation in the community center. At the time, I was not fluent in Italian. In fact, I found myself mispronouncing a couple of words and feeling embarrassed because of it. However, as I stand in front of the crowd, flashcards clutched in hand, I felt inspired by my own speech. People listened enthusiastically and I was then greeted with thundering applause.

A year-long journey of personal growth helped me to step out of my comfort zone gaining both maturity and independence. The experience reminds me that it is never about failure and to embrace improvement instead of aiming for perfection. Those failures will make you doubt yourself and even though you can not make those doubts disappear, you can choose how to react to it. In my case, I chose to stand back up each time life knocks me down.

any thoughts would be very much appreciated :)

Undergraduate / NUS Personal Statement, "elaborate your achievements and their relevance to your chosen course" [3]

Writing about an interest in the chosen course

As a naturally inquisitive teenager, I crave new experiences. I became the youngest Indonesian representative in Asia Youth Leader by AEON 1% club. On the topic of healthy diet, our group considered technological trends to attract people's interest and practicality, so we settled on a virtual assistant that could identify the nutritional needs of every household securing third place overall. Our project sparked my interest in programming, delving further into introductory courses like Hour of Code and Scratch.

The subsequent year, I was a delegate in an AFS exchange program to Italy. I took the opportunity to address misconceptions between cultures at the local community, and though I would likely mispronounce my words, learning how to code taught me to embrace improvement instead of aiming for perfection. Furthermore, I did volunteer work for primary school students and people with disabilities. Unfortunately, the experience ended early and I saw firsthand just how the situation worsened. Ambulance sirens could be frequently heard and everyone seemed to be on high alert in public settings. A question popped into my head, how could a country with such technological prowess be one of the first to fall?

Both experiences fuelled my curiosity over the limitations of technology and to participate in finding solutions to global issues while simultaneously challenging my problem solving skill and creativity, looking at things through various angles as well as approaching a problem with critical and analytical mindset. Being immersed in diversity and engaging in group projects had improved my adaptability, I learned how to be a team player and a leader with enhanced communication skills. I believe that those mentalities are crucial for an engineer and it drove me towards studying computer science at NUS which will be my stepping stone, envisioning myself working alongside people in pursuit of efficiency to create an invention with a profound impact on civilization.