Axel Yeoh
Class
1816
Rank points
87.5
NUS
Pharmacy
Chat with me
My university application journey
I take PCME but I have always been more interested in biology and wanted to pursue a career in the healthcare sector. Like many others, I considered medicine and pharmacy. I ultimately chose pharmacy as I have a greater passion in the manufacturing and development of drugs that can improve the lives of people, but can still have some interaction with patients.
A challenge I encountered during the application process was writing a good and fluent personal statement that could reflect my passion for pharmacy. To be honest, my portfolio is not outstanding but I wanted to show that I was keen on entering pharmacy. I looked up videos on how to write personal statements and also read a few samples online to see how writing a healthcare related personal statement should be like.
Life after NYJC
I am currently serving NS, and I think it's good that guys are given this chance because we can take a step back and really think about what course we want to study the future. For guys who are unsure of what to study in the future, there is no rush to apply. We have another 2 chances at applying for courses/scholarships. I would recommend anyone with free time to use it to build your portfolio, such as doing VIA or internships.
My Future Plans
I intend to get my license as a pharmacist and either work at a hospital as an allied healthcare professional or at a pharmaceutical company
Tips for Juniors
Study hard, make sure you do a lot of practice papers and do not be afraid to ask for consultations to clarify your doubts! Find a good study buddy/group and schedule what work you want to get done before the exams come. Do not cram everything into one week as you will feel too drained. Use your free time to research about the course you really want to go and what the IGP (indicative grade profile - RP) is and what scholarships are available as there are also bonded scholarships, not just the university ones.
For those who are considering medicine, I would advise you to think carefully.
- Make sure your portfolio is really really outstanding, your grades can get you the interview but your portfolio and how you present yourself plays a more crucial role
- Think about the tuition fees. Medicine cost >28k/year compared to other courses that cost around 8-10k/year and are easier to get scholarships for
- If you do get the medicine interview, you would be going for the interview while others are going for scholarship interviews and if you fail the interview, you are sort of putting yourself at a disadvantage as the scholarships for the course of your second choice may have already been taken away by other candidates.