Undergraduate / Yale-NUS Admission Essay on Personal Concerns [4]

Q: Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you. (I chose to write on a personal concern)

The greatest issue that has plagued my mind since youth would have to be what do I want to achieve in life. I do not deny the fact that I was rather passive since youth when it comes to thinking about my future as out of sheer complacency, I always hung on to the notion of "take one step at a time". The future can wait. When my friends and relatives ask about my aspirations, I do not even bother to impress, and a simple "I don't know" would get me out of the situation. Furthermore, in a rapidly evolving society, society's needs and wants will eventually change, what more mine? All I knew what I had to do was to stick closely to the "default" education system's curriculum and I would do fine in future.

However, I eventually came to terms with the fact that the future is really in my hands. I never really believed in such clichés until reports of how graduates fresh at work were unhappy with their life because they chose a job they were not interested in surfaced every now and then. That knocked some sense into me and I told myself that I would not become one of those that were reported. "You fail to plan, you plan to fail". A simple, sweet and short phrase very much applicable to life and I believed in it and applied it to my own circumstance.

It was by no means an easy start for me to plan for my future. First of all, I had to work my brains and think about what I really enjoy doing. That was when I actually thought the subject combination I "chose" for Junior College actually helped me. The inverted commas used actually testify of my passivity even when it comes to choosing my subject combinations, which were Physics, Chemistry, Economics and Mathematics - subjects perceived to be "default" in our time. Nevertheless, although I struggled with Economics in the beginning with all the new lingos introduced, I found myself gradually enjoying and appreciating the study of Economics. I found satisfaction in working my brains and thinking of how to apply theories to resolve problems. At that point in life when I believed I was old enough to decide for myself, I decided what I would like to be in future - the brain of an organisation.

No doubt it would be a huge challenge for me as it would require an overhaul of my character values, from a passive to an active thinker. However, it is a challenge I set myself to be up for, pretty much for the sake of a bright future as well as to be of value to the community. This is also why I would like to step out of my comfort zone and apply for a further education in liberal arts - to help me become a holistic individual who is more capable of critical thinking.

Please do give me some feedback as to how to improve on my essay! thanks to all and cheers!

Scholarship / 'my interest in Economics' - Scholarship Application to NUS (Singapore) [NEW]

Hi all, please do help me to review on my scholarship application essay and if possible let me know on ways to improve on it. Thanks and have a nice day!

Describe, in less than 2000 characters, an exceptional achievement that highlights your academic interests and intellectual capacity that would be of value to the NUS community.

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My interest in Economics developed early when I was in the JC1. What intrigued me most was how simple theories can attempt to resolve complex real world issues in both micro and macro markets, albeit with many assumptions in place. Realising that the assumption of 'ceteris paribus' never hold true in the real world, I often challenge myself to change multiple factors simultaneously and still attempt to resolve the issue, but to no avail. However, these minor setbacks only serve as a motivation for me, fuelling my interest on this particular social science.

Throughout my course of study, the exposure to different markets has also spawned my interest in the Business field, a discipline very much related to Economics. I believe that interest in both fields would develop me holistically, empowering me with the ability to contribute to both the public and private sector more effectively.

Despite my interest in Economics, my study was not smooth sailing. Being born in a Mandarin-speaking family, I struggled to achieve top grades in English since youth. I dreaded writing essays at the thought of the numerous "corrections" I would have to do due to awkward expressions and language errors. However, I did not throw in the towel. Instead, I chose to persevere and continue to strive for excellence. I clarified my doubts and worked hard to improve on my expressions. Gradually, I observe notable improvements in my essays and critical thinking skills and I manage to top my cohort in the JC1 year-end examinations for Economics. My consistent efforts eventually paid off in the 'A' levels when I obtained a respectable B grade for my General Paper and an A grade for Economics. At the end of the day, I am proud to be able to be able to "express complex ideas accurately and concisely in both spoken and written form" as my Economics tutor puts it.

One's value can only be proven if given a chance, and I certainly hope for an opportunity to prove my worth to the NUS community.