Stories and Advice from Other Scholars

In an effort to include more perspectives on the ASEAN Scholarship, this page will be dedicated to stories and reflection pieces written by past/current ASEAN Scholars. Remember that everyone's experience is unique and that yours will hardly be the same as any one of the below should you choose to embark on this journey we have all taken/are currently taking. :)


(To past and current recipients: feel free to email me if you would like to contribute to this page as well.)
Please click on the names to jump to their stories without scrolling.

Without further ado:
Ewe Fang Jiunn - Pre-U (2010-2011)
Ji En Lee - Sec, Pre-U, Undergraduate (2008 - present)

How to make the most out of your ASEAN Scholarship

by Ewe Fang Jiunn

Depending on how old you were when you received your ASEAN scholarship, you may or may not find my advice useful. Regardless, this is a life lesson, and life lessons apply to all who need the lesson. So, read away! 


Once you have passed the horrendously brain-squeezing and mind-wrenching exams and (possibly?) stressful interview and signed that heavy contract with heavy jittery hands and taken the flight/drive to Singapore and filled out that white immigration card to be handed over and inducted into Singaporean society to obtain a green card, you will no doubt be feeling one thing: uncertainty of the future. 

And the single most useful piece of advice I can give you is this: be brave. 

In this new world that looks so much like Malaysia except cleaner and with more efficient buses, it is easy to feel lost. Orientation will try to cure that, hostel activities will try to cure that, classes will most likely numb you to that (and everything in the world), but the important thing is to be brave and accept the new experiences that come your way. And then go out and find more. 

You see, the thing about being abroad is, you are starting anew. You have decided to leave everything behind and step into a new world, so why not be brave and experience new things? Was a swimmer? You can continue being a swimmer, AND/OR be president of the gardening club (also)! Was a writer? Run for student’s council. Audition for choir. Audition for dance. Audition for theatre. Tryout for basketball. Tryout for rugby. Tryout for underwater unicycle hockey! Go to a poetry slam. Go to a political forum. Go learn juggling in the park. Go do SOMETHING NEW.

Because if there’s any time to challenge yourself, it is now. Other than class studies, what else do you want to remember from being in another country? What stories do you want to bring back to family and friends? There is no social baggage that came with you, no identity that you have to follow. You can create a new you (this sounds like a Loreal commercial, but it’s true!) and actually do what you like or would like to try, with no repercussions. 

If you’re wondering how any of this is related to being brave, it is this: Courage is not the absence of fear and uncertainty; courage is the acknowledgement of fear and uncertainty, and then overcoming them. If your hometown feels too restrictive for your interests, if you are too big a fish for your small pond, Singapore will fix that, but you have to be brave enough to try. And if you are already living the dream life, then keep at it, and try SOMETHING NEW. 

All this rambling needs substantiation, as my GP classes have pounded (very painfully) into me. I have a friend who was a pretty good writer who went on to win many MUN awards. And to quote personal experience, I was sent to ACJC as a J1 fresh off the airplane and with a blind passion (and no previous experience) auditioned for AC Dance and never regretted it. It was the best experience of my JC life (along with being in ACSian Theatre, but I advise against joining both at the same time unless you are really really really smart, like me. No joke). I also went on an OCIP trip to Bintan to teach kids stuff, which was really funducational for both parties. And that was about all I had because Dance and Theatre took up all my time, but it was fun. Don’t be afraid to commit yourself, and be sure to be sure about what you want. It might sound funny, but I was torn between choosing to do H3 Math and try for SYF Dance. Pretty much a no brainer now, but back then I chose H3 which became a real big regret for a significant period of time. 

You might have noticed I have not said a single word about the biggest worries most people actually think about, namely “Will I make friends/will they accept me/will I be lonely?” and “Will I keep up with the studies/are they really that kiasu/will I be able to make it?” The former group, yes if you join any CCA with a certain bit of interest and you will find your friends, or maybe an interest group outside, whatever. The point is to be brave and go out and do something you like with people who like the same things, and you will already have people who will want to get along with you. As for the latter group, self-discipline. Everything can be solved with sufficient self-discipline to practice, do homework, listen in lecture, and not come back from tiring practice/training/whatever and plonk into bed and sleep or watch We Got Married on Youtube. 

Final advice, hostels may be bitchy about their curfews and other arbitrary rules, but the enforcing persons are people too, and are willing to bend the rules for you sometimes if you follow them most times. And appreciate the opportunity to live together in proximity with other peers for at least 2 years; you will make fast friends with people from around the world and you fellow countrymen. 

So in conclusion (never write this preceding phrase in your GP essays BTW), be brave, try something new, commit to something that you like, new or otherwise, don’t worry about not finding friends because you will as long as you go out and do something (that includes other people. I know someone who doesn’t go out, and when he does, goes alone; much of a loner. Can’t blame the introvert though), be disciplined in studies, appreciate your circumstances that allow your current and unfolding life to be so amazing and wonderful, and live life to the fullest. You will almost never have the opportunity to live so freely again.

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A letter to You
by Ji En Lee

Dear friend,

I see you (or your parents) are interested in applying for the ASEAN Scholarship. If you are genuinely interested, good for you. Setting a goal is always the first step towards achieving it. (If you are a parent, would you please let your kid read this as well?)

Now, to be honest, I do not really know how to tell you about my four years of experience as a Malaysian scholar in Singapore. I have so much to share. It has certainly transformed me in many (I believe, good) ways. Nevertheless, as with all good discursive writing, I am supposed to give you 3 pros & 3 cons in a short & (hopefully) sweet manner. So here you go.

Pros - What I loved:

1. (Absolutely amazing) Friends:

When you live in boarding schools with other international students, you will learn about your friends' cultures and backgrounds (heck, some of my Malaysian friends can speak perfect Bahasa Indonesia!). These students are also some of the most hardworking and intelligent people. Some of them worked extremely hard to get the scholarship. Many have great characters. The same goes for your Singaporean friends in school. I am very grateful to all of them for making me feel more at home. Essentially, you could be surrounded by people who are super talented, who would push you to do better than ever.

You will learn to depend on one another. The "complete trust" you learn to place on another person is a really beautiful thing. During one of my toughest times, my best friend was a PRC national and till this date, I am really grateful for his presence in my life. He was like my comrade, my companion and my coach. (Hopefully, I played a similar role in his life.) Conversely, if you do not learn to trust others, you could end up being very lonely and exhausted from fighting on your own. (Yes, I am speaking from experience.)

Would I have met such a great bunch of international and talented friends if I stayed in Malaysia? Would I have learned to trust somebody as if he was part of my family? Hard to say, but I would bet on "no".

2. Achieving your goals & ambitions:

If life were an F1 race, Singapore would make an amazing pit stop. Except that you spend a lot more than 8 seconds in the stop.

I was once told that growing up in Malaysia (and many other developing countries) trains us to be resourceful, because we lacked the resources. Therefore, once you know how to maximise your resources, Singapore would suit you perfectly because opportunities are abundant. I agree to the point, but I refuse to think of Singapore as a "pit stop".

I came to Singapore because I knew that I was reaching a bottleneck in Malaysia. I needed to get out of my comfort zone and broaden my horizons. Although I did not lack resources back home, but growing up in Malaysia certainly taught me how to appreciate the resources that I had been blessed in Singapore. (I still take things for granted sometimes, but I will always try to remind myself.)

Over the years, Singapore has provided me with an amazing environment to work towards my ambitions. From being the kid who had difficulties stringing a complete sentence in English, I can now speak English fluently (though at the expense of my Malay). I have better soft skills because of the leadership positions and presentation opportunities that I have had. Being surrounded by extremely talented people, I also became more motivated to do greater things in life.

I feel so privileged to be in Singapore that I know two things: first, I am the only one that will stop myself from doing well; second, the strongest reason to do well is to help those who are less privileged.

This is also why I will not look at Singapore as merely a "pit stop". Yes, you might merely be transiting to your bigger ambitions, but this is a place that gives us so much that we must learn to contribute to the society as well.

Tip: Before you come to Singapore, ask yourself, what do you want to achieve in life? What do you need to get there? This will help you to achieve much more from your time in Singapore.

3. Making a (wo)man out of you:

When I was a kid, I could not wait to grow up. I wanted to see the "real" world. I wanted to be more useful than merely doing exams. However, I also knew that I was not ready. My life, though not nearly luxurious, was certainly comfortable. I was not challenged. If natural selection operates perfectly, I would have been knocked out.

Living in Singapore, on your own, at such a young age, would really push you in many ways.

First, you need to carry out mundane activities that you might have taken for granted. You will have to do your laundry on your own. Clean your room. No food? Time for grocery shopping. No money? Budget.

Second, you will have to toughen up yourself. To me, coming to Singapore was a personal statement that I can stand on my own. At home, if you have any emotional issues, you could speak to your family about it. You can reveal it. However, once you are away from home, you need to learn to cope on your own. You will (or should) start asking yourself, "Do I really need my family to be worried about me? Why can't I handle it?". At the same time, you also cannot be rely on your friends to help you solve all your problems. (Even if you can, please don't do it. They have their own problems too!)

Third, you will learn to understand yourself. Leaving home at a younger age, you will have less parental guidance than many of your friends. You will have to guide yourself. Therefore, you will need to know what you value more than others, or what is morally acceptable and etc. If you do not know who you are, you will not be able to effectively guide yourself when you are challenged.

Of course, you might point out that all these things can still happen without coming to Singapore. Indeed, speed and timing is therefore the only difference. If you want to grow up faster, leave your comfortable home as soon as you can.


Cons - The Problems:

1. Time lost with family and friends back home:

When I left as a teenager, I did not realise how significant family time is. It is only until recently, after about six years, that I realised how much I have missed.

Whenever I go back, when I look at how my parents and grandparents have become older, it saddens me. This time that I lost with them will never come back. You will then ask yourself, "How long more? How many more years do I have to be separated from them? How many more years do they have?"

If you are coming to Singapore, cherish every moment you have with your family. You do not have much time.

2. Adverse influences:

Let's face it. There will always be adverse influences around us. The key is to learn to stay away from them. However, sometimes when we are younger, we are more rebellious and we choose to hang out with people who could adversely influence us. This is what our parents will be most worried about. They will not be able to monitor our lives all the time anymore. They cannot guide us back on the right track all the time. Their concerns are valid, because I have witnessed some friends who turned from a brilliant teenager to one with problematic values.

Sometimes, friends might do stupid things together. If it is minor and merely transitional, it could just be a meaningful lesson. However, if you screw up in a big manner, understand that most of your friends will not be there with you for long. Most people are too self-interested to help you even if they contributed to your failings.

Therefore, good friends and strong values matter. Treasure both of them and you should be fine.

3. Losing yourself:

To be more specific about how one could turn bad, it is also not uncommon to see scholars losing all their goals and ambitions. When we were back home, we were regarded as some of the brightest. However, now that you are surrounded by equally talented people, you might feel that you have become just another student.

Some students become overly competitive and lose sight of the bigger picture. They ace in exams, but might not be learning enough to do well in life. Worse even, some were so engrossed by the title of "scholar" and surrounded by elites, they become elitist and forgot where they came from. Yes, these are extreme examples, but it is very easy to lose ourselves if we are not careful.

As for me, I allowed myself to slip into mediocrity and it took me a long time to find my way back.  Besides that, I left Malaysia knowing that one day I would want to go back to Malaysia. However, people around me (who genuinely care about me) still often ask me to consider staying in Singapore - a place which could "offer" me "more". It has also become tougher over the years.

For example, it is more difficult to get a government scholarship for tertiary education from Malaysia if you do not have an SPM Malay certificate.  You might also have to consider whether I want to have a long term relationship with someone you know will prefer to stay in Singapore forever.  Furthermore, Singapore & Malaysia are geographically and culturally so close together that many scholars eventually choose to stay in Singapore for the long term. In fact, your close friends might all be in Singapore.

All these could potentially cause me to stay in Singapore for long term. It all depends on circumstances. Meanwhile, if you are like me, just work hard to ensure that you can excel in both Singapore and Malaysia.

In conclusion, here’s the sidekick: all these pros & cons could still have happened if you stayed in Malaysia. They are part of growing up. Going to Singapore merely gives a different path to grow up. Hence, the key is to see if you like the route and where it brings you.

Thank you for listening. All the best in your future endeavours. If you’ve more questions, feel free to drop some comments or email me at jienlee@outlook.com.


Best regards,
Your friend.

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