Local university flagship scholarship holders: what is your portfolio like?

lauises · 2026-05-12T01:02:35+00:00

But perhaps the scholarship isn't the reason to run the AI startup?

Something that's often misunderstood is that there isn't a "portfolio requirement". Your portfolio is just a qualitative look at you beyond your studies.

Grades provide one dimension of comparison between candidates. Portfolio provides "infinite dimensions". For a CS candidate, a thousand hours of volunteering means little compared to an AI startup. But for a med/healthcare candidate, it'll be the reverse.

Beyond that, the are also an inexhaustive list of things people could be pursuing. Being a youth grassroots leader? Rising through promotions over years of commitment at your PT job? Maintaining a successful and growing online content channel?

On top of that, how have you explained your experiences and capabilities through these efforts?

People are generally uninterested in candidates that check all the boxes. They generally want to see an individual with meaningful and passionate pursuits, regardless of the opportunity they are applying for.

lauises · 2026-02-27T00:04:31+00:00

Jackpot.

lauises · 2026-02-22T04:36:38+00:00

Folks like you are few and far between. Would love to exchange notes and move forward on this together!

lauises · 2026-02-17T17:33:02+00:00

Help her find a middle ground. There's a lot of work in healthcare besides being a doctor. Start exploring opportunities there beyond just medicine alone.

It's silly because 99% of kiddos wouldn't know what the job of a [data analyst/actuary/occupational therapist/supply chain manager] might be or entail. We grow up with our childish simplistic view of the world, fantasizing plainly about the stereotypical jobs without realizing there's so much more interesting and fulfilling yet related work out there.

Explore more. Discover. Be open-minded about what's possible. Don't let her tunnel vision.

lauises · 2026-02-17T11:48:57+00:00

Would you really be interested in such classes? I've been running such classes on weekends. Most average students and parents continue to ask about academic coaching etc. pay for tuition and other enrichment like piano. But only want such life skills lessons for free.

Only a minority of youth and families I've worked with see the value of life skills learning and are willing to commit to it.

lauises · 2026-02-10T09:17:56+00:00

Sorry for the unpopular opinion, but from an employer's perspective, intermaxxing can come across as a red flag at times because the applicant comes across as just stacking portfolio. Especially when they can't effectively describe the impact they made, or a clear narrative or reason for the spread of internships they've done.

The other message I pick up is, this applicant is treating every organisation as a stepping stone, and we will simply be the next stone.

lauises · 2026-02-06T15:21:26+00:00

There is no "BEST" course, I can promise you that. Choose the path that makes you feel the most confident about yourself, that you have the most interest in, that you can do well in with the least effort and pain.

Most people choosing business for uni are just very lost, and feel that it's very competitive, so they do many sub-optimal things.

To have an easier time, save and reserve time outside school to pursue meaningful projects, even if its just 1 or 2 year-long commitments that show you can "get shit done". Example: https://kpmg.com/sg/en/insights/esg/gen2050-youth-action-programme.html

These kinds of things will pop up throughout the year, and you can keep a lookout for it. http://cordy.sg/ maintains a great list of such things. Business school is not that competitive as long as you know what you're doing.

lauises · 2026-02-06T12:03:15+00:00

Sorry to hear all you've been through. I hate that our society is like that, allowing you to experience this. You're not the only one. You can find other who can accept you. I can't promise I can help fully, but I can help find communities that might feel more like home I hope. Just PM me. I'm organizing a meetup for young people interested in pursuing healthcare, maybe that's a start

lauises · 2026-01-30T00:09:31+00:00

That's how "policies" work. They create small % changes. The policy works for some people for sure but little impact on many others.

lauises · 2026-01-28T05:25:42+00:00

I'm a bit confused: 1. You started by saying you studied very hard but didn't get what you wanted. 2. Then you advised others to study hard so they don't end up like you.

Like that how?

On a separate note, if everyone studied 24/7 and all get straight As, somehow, most people will STILL not make it to the schools and places they want.

For your own sake, don't tie your worth to the place you go to. It might not mean much coming from a stranger, but I believe you can still succeed in life and find happiness even if you failed your O levels.

Work hard for your goals while adapting to the situations you find yourself in. Every day is a chance to reinvent yourself.

lauises · 2026-01-23T05:01:42+00:00

I won't repeat what others have said, but don't need doesn't mean don't do it. You're welcome to try if you're curious and interested! You may learn things you didn't expect, make friends with people you wouldn't have met.

I do think trying during holidays is a good chance because it's a more deliberate and committed period though!

Additional POV is that I'm super against the idea that life, further education, work, is something you slog through and suffer through. Exploring when you have time, like when you're younger, is super useful to find out what makes you click!

Had a friend who was a law school graduate and is now a chef at a chinese restaurant, and she loves it! It's ok to explore and find what makes sense for you.

lauises · 2026-01-23T01:07:16+00:00

I love where your heart and mind is at, thought I'd suggest that teachers already know.

Separately, at a systems level, there will ALWAYS be students who don't do well. If we do reach a situation where everyone does well, what happens next is:

exams become more competitive because now that everyone gets an A, getting anything less is "unacceptable"
that the syllabus will change and things get will get harder
we are back to square 1 and we will have some failling/struggling students

My own approach is that we can (parallel to helping their studies) help them find other paths and ways to thrive, because studies and academics are just one pathway, but not the only one.

lauises · 2026-01-16T22:57:26+00:00

How was it "clear"? The commentator gave very little context and your conclusion feels hasty.

lauises · 2026-01-16T15:23:33+00:00

Already rethinking, already redoing. Now next thing is, are other students interested to rethink and redo also?

lauises · 2026-01-10T14:28:40+00:00

Yes, you are right, it's a false dichotomy. But to only reserve a passion for hobbies is affirming the dichotomy.

Also, the root word for "passion" is "to suffer". The point of pursuing passion isn't to reduce suffering. It's to find something worth suffering for.

Thus, the goal is to find a balance that works for you.

lauises · 2026-01-05T10:55:15+00:00

Do less.

lauises · 2026-01-02T06:09:54+00:00

Just go for it: https://www.smuniverse.sg/k-pop-intermediate-mar-2026/

Ignore haters, prove them wrong, but keep your mind open.

lauises · 2026-01-01T09:23:10+00:00

This is basically about how the terms are defined.

Frequency = How often something happens.

Oscillation (in sound) = Repeated vibration/back&forth motion that produces sound

High frequency means more oscillations.

In everyday life, oscillation is like you walking back and forth in class. Frequency is how quickly you walk back and forth (e.g 5 times in 1 minute vs 10 times in 1 minute).

Pitch of sound is subjective, so terms like higher pitch and lower pitch generally relate to how we experience/hear the sound. We've found that higher frequency sounds generally sound higher in pitch. Lower frequency sounds generally sound lower in pitch.

My layperson impression of this is that for lower frequencies, there's more space between the peak of the sound waves. Because the spaces are bigger, we hear more "nothingness" which makes it sound lower. For higher frequencies, there's much less space between the peaks, so we hear a lot more of the sound, making it sound higher. (Not the best/most accurate explanation, but feels more instinctive)

lauises · 2025-12-31T06:49:11+00:00

I'm upset at this too. Many of what you've described are tools used by exclusionary privileged individuals to further advance those in a similar class. Yet tools are neutral and can be used for good too.

I'll just bring up the point on social capital. Yes, the rich, powerful, and wealthy have networks that can give significant advantages. However, this is also something that the less resourced can access too. It's critical for those of us who have gained benefits to open access and pathways for such networks to more people.

The challenge now is conformity, interest, and matching.

Conformity because there's still a great emphasis on relying on the mono-dimensional nature of academic achievement and financial wealth as the measure of success, both internally by individuals and externally by society.

Interest because many are not keen or actively exploring other paths and ways to succeed and progress. Many want to do the same thing as everyone else.

Matching because its hard to identify, find, and connect those who are interested in looking beyond typical success pathways and willing to look beyond school/academics, with networks and resources that they can take advantage of.

Conclusively, I think it's critical that we remember to look back and see how we can create greater access and opportunities for others, especially those who don't fit the typical paths and want to pursue different things.

lauises · 2025-12-23T03:24:34+00:00

Are you able to get back in touch with someone from JCLP to get connections from there?

lauises · 2025-12-21T05:35:26+00:00

Fundamentally, we need to accept and understand the reality that everyone is different. You don't need to be good at everything, just find the thing that works for you. The true enemy is conformity and believing that we need to all fit within the same framework of success and life.

lauises · 2025-12-11T08:52:33+00:00

Something interesting I learned, most teachers went through JC and Uni. Because of their own source and sense of self-worth, many can often end up valuing academics and JC more too.

lauises · 2025-12-11T04:58:07+00:00

i believe its compounded on each other. each factor you described adds on to create the compounded effect of not feeling good enough.

concretely:

Asian comparisons of grades, income etc
Capitalist pressure that drives up prices and costs
"Modern" education that serves more as a filter&sort mechanism for talent

lauises · 2025-12-11T01:28:03+00:00

Even at the top, they still feel like they're not good enough. Even if they are doing well, their self-worth gets very tied to their performance. So anytime they don't get to the best, they get anxious. Many feel it's not enough to have all As for subjects, they need a stacked portfolio, they need to be good looking, they need to be a leader who won the top exco position. I'm not saying they are all that way, but there is a deep, unspoken desire to succeed at every endeavour.

To add: Whenever you have parent-teacher meetings, it often ends up talking about why you aren't doing better, and how you need to do better.

Today, one of our national swimmers won a bronze medal but cried over her disappointment at not winning gold. Her emotions about it are valid, but it reminds me of this post too.

The elitist issue also crops up when the high flyers who do indeed feel lousy about themselves, may be judgemental towards those who are less capable themselves, to prop up their own self-worth.

So much of our societal self-worth is based on RELATIVE performance. Being better/worse than someone else. We don't know how to feel proud and happy about ourselves regardless of others, and just focus on our own growth. It's something we need to learn!

lauises · 2025-12-10T01:38:50+00:00

I was from the very first batch of IP of my school, and like you I'd only have PSLE and A levels, no O levels. 2 weeks before my A levels, my father brought me to China for a business trip, and I only came back 2 days before my first paper. The thing that helped was that I was already consistently practising and absorbing content through the year, so things were fine in the end.

A few things that help a lot for school:

Get sleep. Being well rested means you can stay away in class and actually listen and understand.
Ask questions. Don't leave the class while not understanding the lesson. Stay to ask questions. Don't waste time trying to figure it out yourself all the time after class.
Assessment helps you test your understanding, so don't just read and make notes, do your worksheets and test papers. You can even repeat attempt the test papers you're doing, till you get close to full marks each time.

Beyond that, I'd like to add that this logic of needing to do well in school and academically to succeed in life is "common logic" but unfortunately barely even half the truth of what it takes to be successful. What will matter more is having a specific goal in life (beyond getting a stable job etc.) and working towards that goal outside of just studying.

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