"I don't think I can get the AVA veterinary scholarship," Intern 3 declared. On Friday March 6, 2009, the A "levels" academic results were announced.
Intern 3 was the only one still doing internship at Toa Payoh Vets. The other 2 interns who had been provisionally accepted by Glasgow University to study veterinary medicine had stopped coming.
Intern 3 had got 3As in her major subjects. She also got an "A" for General Paper. I asked, "How did you get an 'A' for GP? It is not that easy."
"I was lucky," she replied tersely.
4As can get her to any top university in Britain and Australia and probably to the U.S. Intern 2 has 3 As and 1 E for GP but her heart was not fully into veterinary medicine as she has many choices. I guess she would be great at music but how many people can earn a living as a musician in the city of Singapore?
Intern 3 did not contact me but I bet she has excellent results too.
Next week, Intern 3 will be attending the Public Service Commission Scholarship Interviews and the AVA interview for veterinary scholarship. I feel that Intern 3 is passionate about Veterinary Medicine. Yesterday, one client asked me whether she was my daughter as she was doing her internship.
"I will be most proud if she is my daughter," I referred to her 4As. "So will be all parents. I mean, this is a girl whom no parents need to check on her academic studies or worry whether she will pass her examinations!" How does one produce a young adult who scores straight As? It is hard enough to get 1A, let alone 3As and an A in GP too.
As for Intern 3, I tried to make her think positively. If one goes to the AVA interview with negative thoughts, the interviewers will sense that. Intern 3 needs a veterinary scholarship because her parents have other children to support. Her 2 older siblings are studying in local universities and she has 2 younger siblings.
How to get Intern 3 to think positively? I don't know. It is the personality of a person and their upbringing and family. I said, "You must apply for the scholarship first and therefore get the interview." It will be very strange if AVA does not interview an applicant with straight As.
"It is like asking a girl for a date," I used an example more relevant to her age. "I did get rejection when I was your age and asked a pretty girl in my neighbourhood to go to a movie. I got rejected and did not know where to hide. But at least I tried and failed. Nowadays, your internet generation just send text messages by phone. There is no face-to-face rejections." Intern 3 laughed at me or at my illustration. She has applied for the AVA scholarship interview. Interview is next week I think.
It is very difficult being a parent when one has kids with straight As and want to study veterinary medicine. It costs around S$250,000 for a Singaporean to study a 5-year-course at Murdoch University, Australia. That money could be retirement money for the average ageing parents. Sometimes, it may be perversely better to have not so brilliant children?
