Lim Xuan Jun
Class
1605
Rank points
81
The University of Western Australia
Medicine
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My university application journey
When It comes to why I chose Medicine, I chose it mainly from an old wish to be involved in research, and experiences working as pert of the NYJC Red Cross while I was in NYJC.
The Choice, however, was due to my scores being slightly too low for local courses, along with my parents wishing for me to study close to my sister (Who is also in Australia).
I am currently enrolled in the course. It is balanced and is more open-ended than JC life. However, the concepts thought require more time involved in order to understand and internalise as compared to JC knowledge. My application involved around 2 years of interviews, which spanned my 2 years of National Service. During my first year, I failed all my interviews, whereas I only got in after further refinement in my second year. The refinement process essentially involved a lot of introspection and further understanding of the self.
Life after NYJC
It's alright. Slightly busy, but it's not half bad.
My Future Plans
I plan on finishing my specialisation in Singapore after completing my 6 years of study.
Tips for Juniors
To do a medical interview, you cannot just give ordinary answers like a normal interview. Instead, you need to be able to answer directly from the self, based on your personal goals and experience. (Your interviewers are smart enough to smell if you are bullcrapping, or if you're not really motivated). When it comes to preparation though, it is very hard to say. What interviewers seek out in interviews is conviction. They want to look for a person who is willing to commit themselves and willing to push that conviction as much as possible. To do that, an applicant must closely look for their inner drive to enter the course, and their personal reasons. Afterwards, they need to tailor it so that they can speak it out easily and smoothly using personal goals and experiences to put emphasis on it. Interviewers, however, can tell if all an interviewee says is scripted, so interviewees must strike the balance in between.
For questions, the most common ones would be
1) Why do you want to enter the Field of Medicine?
2) What qualities make you suitable as a doctor?
3) What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
To prepare further, a good way to get ready would be to read out your answers and try to work on the smoothness and detail involved after reading them out. Additionally, internalise, not memorise the script, as interviewers can tell if interviewees are reading off a script.
Practice on tests like the ISAT would also come in handy, especially for schools like UNSW or Melbourne.