Yesterday was an interesting day at the SP admin block, specifically at the Principal office and meeting room. It was the interview and shortlisting session for students nominated for the SP ACE awards.

The session started with me meeting up with the other top students from the various courses/schools who arrived at the venue in staggered 10mins intervals. Met few familiar faces including Andrew, the top DARE student there as well. Apparently few of us there were SAA SP award student winners as well, so we were definitely not strangers to each other with the exception of few new faces from courses not usually within proximity from our school of MM. Was told this year there are fewer people shortlisted for the awards, namely the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew Award, Toh Chin Chye Gold Medal, Low Guan Onn Gold Medal, Chua Chor Teck Gold Medal and lastly the Tay Eng Soon Gold Medal (for exceptionally well students who came from the ITE route), so if you are here, man you are good!

Ultimately, the Lee Kuan Yew award is the one I will be strongly pushing for.

The main interview was conducted in a rather casual setting with 5 interviewers consisting of our Principal Mr Tan himself as well as distinguished members and heads from the board itself. The setting is rather good I can say and it really paints a relaxed casual setting and encourages constructive conversation, something few jumpy candidates can definitely benefit from. My interview as rather good from my perspective and I believed the interviewers enjoyed their time there with me as well.

The main interview followed by a second 1-1 interview with the SP Media Communications department where the staff will go through details of each candidate where a personal writeup for each student will be done and published in the event of selection. While most just take about 20 minutes on average for this, unknowingly, we got so engrossed in our discussion that we didn’t know that we went into over 2 hours for the interview! With namecards offered from my interviewer at the end, which makes you simply go: “whoa that is actually something the others don’t get!” A photo taking session was one next which saw candidates back in our respective schools or workshop posing for rather professionally taken photogenic shots – IPC galore!

The results of the awards will be out mid April, wish me all the best!

Met up with my old Eng Materials II lecturer Mrs Lim for the day on her invite for the upcoming SP flag day as a volunteer, come to think about it, its was a rather hectic week and it will be so for weeks to come as well, so mind me if I do not update my blog as regularly as before. Will also be busy over the weekend for the MCYS fund raising and AIDS/HIV awareness program at Cathay Cineleisure as well.

On an interesting note, got an invite for the 2010 Youth Olympics dialogue session from the SAA as well, that will be interesting to attend. Oh yes, last but not least, got shortlisted for the 2nd of 3rd stage of interviews for my DSTA scholarship too! Yea!

The interview for my Defence Science Technology Agency (DSTA) scholarship was on this morning at Science park. Being a restricted government agency, security was tight and you had to get authorizations to get in. There, candidates were greeted by rather professional staff who directed us to a candidate reception area with food and goodies. They were quite a few tests conducted to determine your personality and leadership type followed by the main panel interview.

Apparently, this interview is the first step of the 3 step process in candidate selection going till end April where the results will be announced. The step next would be a series of more tests on the computers again then the final interview. Got about meeting up with some other candidates in the reception, including getting to know some who were in SP as well as those from JC, generally those from Poly tend to be more sociable and talkative, contrasting to the so coped-up and quiet ones from JC. I didn’t know I was rather “popular” in SP as well, as the SP students there know about the one fella in the school of MM with the “perfect GPA”… and oh ummm…. yes that fella is me.

The interview was done in a rather casual setting. I felt that I did relatively well in the interview, be it being smooth and confident through and an occasional laughing joke or two- goes a long way! Interestingly they asked me on what universities I planned to study in, so I spontaneously told them on my shortlisted MIT and Stanford. The senior interviewer was open and he gave me some good advise on university selections as well. On top of them telling me that I am a rather interesting individual, they said that I have a bright future ahead of me as well.

Sounds good!