2015
10 FebPaving the way for brighter futures
¡°Put your heart and soul into what you are doing for your future because all those years ahead of you mean nothing unless you do something substantial today.¡±
Those were words of advice from ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø University¡¯s (ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø) vice-chancellor and president Senior Professor Dato¡¯ Dr Khalid Yusoff¡¯s to the top scorers of the GCE A-Level November 2014 exam during an informal tea session on February 10, 2015.
The session was a gathering of top scorers with their parents and ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø academics including Centre for Pre-U Studies director Assistant Professor Dr Mabel Tan, who was proud of the students¡¯ determination and efforts to achieve good results.
Notably, the University¡¯s A-Level Academy ¨C under the Centre ¨C has a long track record of high achievers and this is backed by the fact that the Academy achieves ¨C every year.
In last year¡¯s November exam, the Academy recorded a 99.5% pass rate and almost 30% of its students scored straight A¡¯s.
These statistics successfully illustrate that excellence is an integral part of the culture at the Academy, but more important than that is its steadfast commitment to ensure all aspects of its students¡¯ growth, personally and academically, are nurtured.
Well-rounded learner
Take for example Neo Wan Qing who scored 4A*s in the exam and is also an active contestant in multiple district and state-level competitions.
Inspired by her older brother who is currently reading the Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) at ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø, Neo decided to follow her sibling¡¯s footsteps and enrol for A-Levels at the University.
She explains that the programme has benefited her greatly and intensified her desire to further her studies in Medicine.
¡°A-Levels taught me to think proactively and helped me become more mature and independent. And although I found some of the subjects challenging, I learned a lot,¡± said Neo, who credits her lecturers for making learning fun.
¡°The talks and career carnivals organised by the University, and conversations with the lecturers about my future plans ¨C all these were also really motivating and kept me on the right path.¡±
A prodigious student who enjoys learning inside and outside the classroom, Neo is the treasurer in ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø¡¯s Hope Revive Club ¨C one dedicated to organising charity events ¨C and was also part of the committee for Go Green Week 2013, an event highlighting the importance of the 3Rs ¨C Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ¨C among the students.
Embracing new experiences
All-rounders like Neo abound in the Academy and Kevin Yapp Jun Hao is also one of these bright sparks.
Yapp, who scored 2A*s and 2As in the same exam, was also the organising chairperson for ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø¡¯s very first leadership forum ¨C namely, ¡°Meet the Leaders¡