This personal statement was part of this student’s successful application to University of Oxford, University of Edinburgh, University of Durham, University of Reading and  University of St Andrews for Psychology and Philosophy.

Two fundamental and existential questions, who we are and how can we live better, more fulfilling lives, drive my desire to study psychology and philosophy.

I understand philosophy as an inseparable guide to psychology, to understanding an individual’s experience, and to shaping their culture, behaviour and personality. I am particularly fascinated by the ‘Hard Problem’ of consciousness, introduced by Chalmers, that baffled many in stating that the problem of explaining qualia or ‘phenomenal experience’ is one that neuroscience’s current axioms, principles and physical quantities cannot fully address. It intrigues me because it addresses the “who we are?” question. The Hard Problem represents the boundary between experimental psychology and philosophy, the subjective and the objective. The fact that it still remains largely unanswered fuels my ambition to know more.

 The philosophical perspectives of the Hard Problem are perplexing and varied; Dan Dennett, the philosopher, outrightly disputes the very existence of qualia, an extraordinary claim that I struggle to take seriously. Recent neuroscientific theory and research includes the integral information and the global neuronal workspace theories, which I find promising, but I do not think they fully answer Chalmer’s problem, which is why I think panpsychism, as radical as it may be, needs more serious consideration. I want to deepen my scientific knowledge in this area. I also want to contrast my current exposure to Eastern philosophies. In my understanding, the division between the Hindu Atma and the Buddhist Anatma schools of thought is strikingly similar to the materialist reductionist-dualist divide seen in modern consciousness studies. Though these schools of thought may not be the focus of the undergraduate course, I think my exposure to them allows me to approach consciousness and philosophy with an avant-garde approach. 

When reading Sacks’ The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, I began to appreciate psychological disorders from both diagnostic and narrative angles, allowing me to see that knowledge of the psychological is incomplete if it only accounts for the externally observable. However, not everyone shares Sacks’ approach, as I discovered at the International Conference for Child and Adolescent Psychopathology in August 2018, I saw clinical psychologists present on ‘conduct disordered adolescents’ and was intrigued by how socially disregarded, at-risk teenager, in violent South African neighbourhoods, were medically diagnosed as ‘conduct disordered adolescents’ and effectively treated (creating mentally healthier and more socially responsible individuals).These clinical interventions and statistics showed me how psychology could be used practically, effectively and scientifically to build up a body of knowledge regarding something I thought was subjective whilst greatly improving the quality of life of the people concerned. However, this purely clinical analysis, though good for wider study, does not resonate with me as much as Sacks’ “romantic and scientific” approach.

Attending the conference, and reading S. J. Blakemore’s ‘Inventing Ourselves’, opened my eyes to how psychological awareness and support can greatly improve adolescent development in Malaysia – a conservative state largely oblivious to psychology. Our education system is created with scant regard for the developmental strengths and weaknesses of the young. Adolescents do not visit psychologists for fear of being socially ostracised, their parents are often complicit in this. I feel research is needed into the social psychology of Asian communities with respect to their cultural values and practices for it to integrate and be well-received. The potential for societal and personal well-being if psychological awareness and infrastructure increased here is immense; I hope my studies will be a catalyst for my own contributions to this cause.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Ng Eu Keat is currently studying Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London. Eu Keat completed his A-Levels at Epsom College and will be graduating in 2022.  This personal statement was part of his successful application to Imperial College London/UCL for Biomedical Engineering and University of Bath/UCL for Natural Sciences.

During my DoE Gold expedition, I camped in a cave with a colony of bats and noted their

skill of echolocation. Only knowing the basics of echolocation I decided to read ‘The Blind Watchmaker’ in which Dawkins highlights the use of the Doppler shift principle by bats to determine how far or near prey is. Additionally, bats are able to contract their ear bones to protect themselves from their shriek, a method which is applied to most sonar systems from boats to medical sonar. What made this so captivating was how it opened up a new perspective on nature-inspired innovations which sparked a desire for me to further understand the possible applications of biology, chemistry and physics.

As a person who appreciates the environment, I shadowed a group of scientists at the Danau Girang Field Centre in Borneo last January where I developed experimental techniques such as setting up camera traps and collecting and inspecting parasites in a lab. Setting up camera traps was challenging as my team and I needed to consider how the animals might respond to the traps. This required me to think inventively. All the time spent in the field had me wondering about the current situation of my country’s rainforest. In order to understand more I interviewed some doctoral students and scientist about their research. Consequently I learned about their plans for sustainable palm oil plantations which would not threaten forest biodiversity. The experience has heightened my understanding of the environment while helping me hone my communication and mediation skills: all necessary for work in research groups.

Those who spend time outside in Borneo understand the irritation of mosquitoes. Interestingly we do not feel the bites as mosquitoes have one pair of serrated needles which minimise contact with nerves, something I learnt at a talk by Dr. Moshrefi-Torbati on biomimicry. Auxiliary reading showed that the adaptation was the basis on which engineer Seiji Aoyagi created his pain free hypodermic needle. The talk made me wonder about the other instances of biomimicry in nature. Inspired, I undertook an EPQ researching the topic. An example would be the tasar silkworm, whose silk fibroin is the main component of certain heart scaffolds as the silk is biocompatible while being able to degrade safely. The EPQ has refined my ability to conduct independent research which I applied to expand my understanding on respiration. For instance, I made notes on the ten steps of glycolysis as I had not been satisfied with the simplified version learnt in class.

Being given the opportunity to learn about the workings of our world throughout my A-level has been especially engaging. However the ability to realise practical solutions from the theories learnt is what excites me. Therefore, I read Mark Miodownik’s ‘Stuff Matters’ learning about the medical applications of bio-glass and titanium in surgery. Miodownik further explores concepts such as the transparency of glass which really stretched my understanding of inorganic chemistry; I only knew that glass was transparent and, not how that property emerged. To complement my growing interest in materials science I completed an online course on 3D bio-printing to get an insight on how personalised prosthetics are made.

Quite simply it is the interdisciplinary approach to the sciences which fascinates me and, as an initiative to share my knowledge, my friend and I started an Instagram account where I set aside time to point out topics of interest such as: ‘Coral bleaching’ and ‘Tissue regeneration’. It was evident from my research that the environment is degrading due to human activity. Another problem I have observed is the growing threat of superbugs facilitated by the careless prescription of antibiotics by Malaysian doctors. It is my hope that one day I will be able to develop sustainable solutions for the environment, as well as new advances in medicine for Malaysia.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Back in 2019, on the 4th of July, I was invited for the BNM’s Undergraduate Scholarship Assessment at Sasana Kijang. This was actually my 2nd time applying for the BNM Scholarship, after failing to get called for the assessment post-SPM in 2017. 

I won’t lie about being super nervous for this because I had previously 2 other interviews from other scholarship bodies where I did not make it to the next stage. So, when I reached Sasana Kijang, I was really surprised to see just a few other people at the lobby with me, it was something that I definitely did not expect. There were only about 16 of us that morning and it remained like that throughout the day. We managed to mingle a little bit at the lobby before BNM’s representative brought us up to the meeting room, and it was nice to see new faces as well as some familiar faces! If I recall correctly, there were 4 people who were going to pursue Law, 4 for Economics, 4 for Actuarial Science, and 4 for Accounting & Finance. This may have just been a coincidence though!

So this was the agenda as per the email that they sent to us;

Group Activity 1: Icebreaking

From the lobby, we were brought up to one of the floors where they had a few meeting rooms. We had an area for us to talk to each other before the panels arrived. We were then split into two different groups and separate meeting rooms according to the grouping. In my room, we had 5 panels and 8 candidates including myself. The first group activity was an ice-breaking session for everyone, which had no ‘weightage’ nor any assessment to it. 

After the ice breaking session, we had a short morning tea break where we met panels from the other group for a short chit-chat session over coffee/tea and curry puffs. The panels were really nice and friendly (for now) throughout the break but it was also important to make sure that we were not too lepak at the same time.

Group Activity 2: Group Presentation 

For the next activity, there was another group activity with actual assessment. Split into 2 groups again, we were given the responsibility to open our own kids theme park! It was interesting because we had to ponder over selecting different features with their own perks and consequences, as well as many other things which had to be taken into consideration such as accessibility, parents waiting area etc. It was quite interesting because we had to prepare all of this in about 20-30 minutes (couldn’t remember the exact time). We allocated our tasks from the start which made coordination really easy. While we were discussing, we had panels roaming around the space observing us do our work, which at times could be a tad bit intimidating! One important thing that I kept telling myself here was that I had to make myself stand out but not too much at the same time. Obviously, everyone there had the same mindset as well so this really smoothened our discussions. Also, one thing I’d like to add is that, don’t ever be too quick to reject someone’s opinion and always look at things from their perspective!

After the time was up, we presented our idea to the other groups as well as all of the other panels, so in total there were about 9/10 panels. Oh! I forgot to mention, these panels were from different departments in the Bank, and ranged from Department Directors to Managers to Analysts etc., so our Q&A session was interesting in that we received all sorts of contrasting questions.

We then had a short break at a lounge nearby and before long we received our next task: an individual presentation! 

Individual Presentation

We had a whole mahjong paper to ourselves besides a prompt containing the topics for our presentation. We had to choose 1 out of the 4 topics available, the topics were quite sophisticated to be honest but luckily I was kind of familiar with one of them so I managed to goreng my way through hehehe.

After the preparation, we had to give our mahjong papers to a person in charge, and we waited to get called afterwards. The waiting game here was strong and nerve-wrecking. After the individual assessment, every candidate who finished had to leave without spilling any details to us who were waiting. The ones waiting in the lounge could only talk amongst ourselves, of course while having a ‘supervisor’ there to ensure that we don’t discuss about the presentation. It was during this time I started getting restless so I started talking to the ‘supervisor’ and asked about previous assessments. She mentioned that unlike the years before, they wanted to try and avoid eliminating people before the individual assessment because this would give everyone a fairer chance to prove themselves. So, throughout my whole day at BNM, nobody was eliminated, and all of us ‘made it’ to the final interview.

As time progressed, it was eventually lunch time, so we went down to eat first. It was also an opportune day to be in Sasana Kijang as there was an IMF or World Bank conference ongoing, so we could really see how meriah the building was that day.

After lunch, it was finally my turn to present followed by an interview. There were 5 panelists who assessed me as I presented with a short Q&A right after. I felt like the presentation and Q&A went relatively well for me compared to how I actually expected it to be but then came the interview. 

However, the interview did feel like an absolute disaster for me compared to the ones I had before mainly due to some of the follow-up questions to the things that I answered in the interview. Those were on top of the typical interview questions that were asked such as ‘Why did I choose Economics’, ‘How do you think you can contribute to society through BNM’, ‘Challenges and how you overcome during college’ etc. There were fun parts in the interview where the panel laughed here and there but there were also serious moments where everyone were putting up straight, intrigued faces. One thing that kept me going throughout this interview was that I reminded myself that BNM panels are known to ‘attack’ you to test how you deal with pressure. 

But yeah, I feel like that’s about it for the whole assessment that I went through. I’ll be honest with you – I was certain that I wasn’t going to get it but in the end, I was lucky enough to secure the scholarship. Quoting a close friend of mine, “Life works in mysterious ways”. Below, I will be sharing some tips for the application and assessment stages.

Tips for the Application

1. When I spoke with the supervisor before my individual interview, she stressed a lot on the essay part of the application. She said that the team really looks into the essays, so I suggest that you treat this essay as if it was your personal statement, treat it with care and perfect it because this is the main criteria that they look at during your application

Tips for the Assessments

1. During group projects, avoid ‘bossing’ people around, you need to have that sense of leadership in you, where you be humble, consider other opinions, deliver your opinions in a proper manner, but just be sure to not display any cockiness! This doesn’t just happen in assessments though, we have to apply it in our daily lives as well
2. Before attending these assessments where you can expect case studies/presentations to occur, always have a rough framework or structure for yourself so that you can manage your time better.
3. I feel like overpreparing wouldn’t cause much harm, it’s good to overthink about the potential assessments so you’ll be more prepared when unusual assessments strike you.
4. Be yourself during your presentation and interview, try and leave behind your nervousness before entering the session. (Even if it requires you to go to the bathroom!)
5. Don’t forget to ask questions at the end of the interview so that you can show your interest with BNM!

And finally to all of you reading, thank you for making it this far I hope this write-up will help you in some way, and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors! 

Khalif Shahriman is an undergraduate Bank Negara Malaysia scholar, currently reading Economics (Class of 2022) at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He loves The Intouchables and durians but is somehow allergic to one of them. If you intend to contact the author, feel free to contact the CollegeLAH Team at contactus@collegelah.com.

Yuhang Lee is currently studying Engineering and Material Sciences at the University of Oxford. Yuhang completed his A-Levels in KTJ and is graduating in 2022. This personal statement was part of his successful application to University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University of Sheffield, University of Manchester and University of Birmingham.

I took part in the Sin Chew Poverty Camp in rural China during the height of winter, and immediately felt sympathy for their primitive dwellings. Limited by the costly electricity supply, they are compelled to do with dimly lit rooms and envelope themselves with layers for warmth. Experiencing their plight, I learned that energy is exceptionally crucial to the underprivileged. Inspired by the First Law of Thermodynamics, I am fascinated by the potential for composite materials that can harness wasted energy and transfer it to useful energy. Should a material, which is able to recycle the heat radiated by electrical appliances and transfer it to electrical energy, be devised, it would significantly reduce the reliance on power grids in electricity-deficit areas.

About 70% of all energy generated is wasted as heat. Relating to a recent scandal, the exploding Samsung smartphones were due to the excessive heat caused by the short circuits of the batteries. As the electrolyte used is volatile, upon heating, gas bubbles formed causing the cell to lose structural integrity, therefore a short circuit occurs. An electrolyte requiring higher enthalpy to combust could be the solution, however, it comes at the expense of battery efficiency. While still maintaining the phones’ sleek and pocketable designs, I believe the integration of a material that functions like thermoelectric generators (TEG) could be a possible solution.

My hypothesis can be realised based on the study by Dimitris Niarchos. Although there exists TEGs, the conversion efficiency is low and the heat required is high. In my opinion, the insertion of nanopores into the materials will decrease their thermal conductivity, therefore increasing the conversion from heat to electrical energy. The challenge, however, lies on the maturity of nanotechnology, as it is difficult to insert equal-sized nanopores into materials. Should it succeed, heat can be considered as a form of renewable energy. It will tackle the growing concern regarding the depletion of natural resources. Considering it can also utilise external heat and therefore alleviate global warming, it is known as green technology.

I observed that nanotechnology also plays a critical role in ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). Due to its inert properties, it is impermeable to the growth of bacteria and mould, besides being resistant to acid, which preserves the structures and prolongs the lifespan of buildings. This was learnt through my internship at FRUHPC. I was given a range of jobs from calculating the amount of materials needed, to determining the optimum proportion of raw materials through tests. As I tested concrete of different curing periods, I was amazed by the compressive strength of UHPC could withstand, 150MPa, which is stronger by approximately 5 times than that of regular concrete. Instead of steel bars, micro steel fibre is used, which decreases its weight by 60%. The creative mindset of improvising mundane objects by modifying existing designs captured my attention. I was impressed by the perseverance and innovation of the engineers whom I interned with. Their resilience and enthusiasm in searching for improvements to the properties of concrete was inspirational, and only cemented my resolve to join their profession.

I have benefited greatly from a successful participation in the Mighty Challenge, the Sunway Maths and Logic Challenge, the Kangaroo Mathematics and Australian Mathematics Competition, all of which exposed me to a framework used to solve problems in greater depth. Through the Designing Thinking course, I have learned to be open-minded and think from different perspectives, as there is infinite methods of overcoming an obstacle.

My aspirations to change the world through the study of material engineering might seem audacious, but my commitment to playing a part in pushing forward frontiers and bringing relief to the wider public proves that innovation knows no boundaries. 

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

This personal statement was part of this student’s successful application to LSE, KCL, University of Warwick, University of Manchester, and University of Edinburgh for Accounting and Finance.

In high school, we were encouraged to launch a fundraising project to upgrade the school’s facilities. We were exposed to many things, such as looking for sponsors, managing the accounts and even coming up with our own product to sell. I volunteered to be the treasurer of the project. Without prior background in accounting, I researched the necessary skillset such as double entry, fixed cost, variable cost and costing methods. As a result, I was fascinated with this field of figures, leading to my interest in accounting and finance. 

The use of cryptocurrency caught my attention. Despite the lack of public confidence, nonetheless attracted investors. I began to read more on Bitcoin and Dash. As how it was phrased in Simon Kjaer’s story in The Gold Mine Effect by Rasmus Ankerson, we should not underestimate any potential in the world of finance. Sometimes, a leap of faith in the stock market may just be the opportunity to gain unexpected wealth. The concept of creating a dynamic team as how Nolan Bushnell phrased it in Finding The Next Steve Jobs should be applied in the investment world. This is because only with a diverse knowledge in various types of investment, we can make an impactful decision. In the world of finance, we ought to constantly seek for opportunities that arise regardless of their potential. As calculated risk is needed in investment, I opted to take up Mathematics and Statistics in Further Mathematics to reduce the risk of investment. As an avid reader of the financial blog, Financial Samurai, I have come across many intriguing topics including microfinance. Learning about the macroeconomy in A-Level Economics helped me to understand the mechanism of microfinance.  To help poor but aspiring entrepreneurs, financial institutions provides the necessary capital as well as skillset in order to get them out of poverty. This differs from the usual banking system in the sense that these people do not require collateral as most of the borrowers are unable to provide it. As such, the financial status of countries such as Bangladesh has been improving ever since microfinance was carried out. In Malaysia, natives are constricted within their zone of limited knowledge. If they were provided with financial knowledge, they will not be discriminated among fellow Malaysians.

Property investment has begun to attract the younger generation. To promote this trend, I joined the Property Economics Club where we regularly hold talks and invite experienced speakers to guide our members, so they will be able to get their first property as soon as they graduate. Our workshops include from the purchase of real estate properties to long-term investment. Our club is organizing a 3-month series that includes the upcoming cryptocurrency as well as understanding the stock market. As the treasurer in the Student Council, I am tasked with the care of the course’s equipment. By taking up the role of a Teaching Assistant in the Asia Leadership Camp which involved communicating with people of different age groups from Head of Departments to parents and delegates, I improved my presentation skills. A 2-month internship in a Dutch-based chemical company has taught me to be an observant person from all the document sorting and data entry task. With a careful and systematic approach to my duty, I proved to be reliable and was further assigned with tallying the goods and service tax based on country of origin. Before ending my internship, I developed an electronic filing system to replace the current manual system to shorten the filing time.  Accounting and Finance is part and parcel of the business world. Therefore, a qualified personnel is essential to any company’s long-term profit. I aspire to obtain a degree in the UK as it has proven the fact that many professional accountants that have achieved great success graduated with a UK degree.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Ally Azizi is studying BA French and History at King’s College London. This personal statement was part of her successful application to King’s College London, University College London, University of Bristol, and University of Edinburgh for History and French.

My multicultural and diverse community in Malaysia is a veritable melting pot. The influence of the various European powers that colonised here remain evident and I take genuine pleasure from reading tales of how they shaped the society in which I Iive. By studying History and Language, I hope to apply lessons from history to combat modern social injustice in a global, multilingual setting. The study of History is not only an account of the past but a method for us to foresee the future through our interpretations, enabling us to prevent mistakes from before. Furthermore, with the help of language we can expose ourselves to various cultural practices that provide different accounts of history.

My studies of the Russian Revolution illustrated that the peasants’ desire for a ‘fairer’ society was a contributing factor to Lenin’s employment of theories to transform Russia into a utopian society. In many people’s eyes this would be perceived as something impossible or dream-like however Newman argues in ‘Socialism: A Very Short Introduction’, that a ‘utopian’ vision is necessary to start a social transformation and that ‘today’s utopia is tomorrow’s reality’. In modern social revolutions, I see parallels to Lenin’s Russia. My internship at the The Asean Post, a digital media organisation, illustrated that it is possible to evoke a utopian transformation which can reach out to SouthEast Asian countries, that are mostly developing nations, and help them evict the corruption that haunts and distresses them. As part of this experience, I had the opportunity to publish an article regarding the rights of migrant workers within this region, providing my readers with an insight of the side that is commonly overlooked by us, the ones who benefit from their services.

I used my EPQ to explore my interest in historical leaders of past social revolutions as they are vital to decisions on world affairs. Many great leaders have taken countries through to either victory or defeat and I look forward to understanding their motivations, what influenced their life-changing decisions. Tsar Nicholas II and King Louis XVI are infamous for drowning their countries in a sea of debts that accumulated from their years of irresponsible rule. However, of these two, Louis XVI piques my interest the most, as his spending habits were arguably one of the largest contributors to the French Revolution, which I am currently investigating in my EPQ title, where I look at the ‘before and after’ effects of the revolt and measure the causes of it as well. This project allowed me to put my French level to the test, challenging myself to read sources with complicated sentence structures and a range of tenses – I can access such sources with ease and it is most gratifying.

My passion for the French language has led me to immerse myself in its culture in various events held by l’Alliance Française, including regular volunteering at la Fête Française where I met and stayed in touch with many French speakers. For me, French is a language that symbolises preciseness and intricacy. Compared to English, there are many rules that have to be obeyed, such as the gender of inanimate objects, verb conjugations and syntax that enable a whole new expression. I love to read in French, regularly keeping myself updated through French news outlets and take great pleasure in French film. The academic pursuit of History and Language will allow me to dive deeper into both topics. History leading into political and economic ideas by using experience from the past to prevent the same mistakes despite the inevitable repetition of history; French highlights the deep connection between language and culture. History and language shape our humanity and I am excited at the prospect of dedicating my studies to this at university.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Brittany Tan is currently studying Psychology at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. Brittany completed her A-Levels at KTJ and she will be graduating in 2023.  This personal statement was part of her successful application to University of Edinburgh, University of Manchester, Queen Mary, Lancaster University and University of Aberdeen for Psychology.

Growing up in Malaysia, it saddens me to see so many young adolescents being denied psychological support from their families purely due to the stigma and ignorance surrounding mental health issues. This partly stems from the lack of education and awareness of mental health; instead, there are misconceptions of psychological disorders being attributed to spiritual and superstitious beliefs, hence they are perceived ignominiously.

‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat’, exposed me to the lesser known illnesses associated with the right hemisphere of the brain such as prosopagnosia, hemispatial neglect and anterograde amnesia due to Korsakoff’s syndrome. This gave me a greater insight into how neuroscience approaches the challenges of perception and behaviour. When medical interventions fail, the power of art forms such as music and drama as therapeutic agents is significant in helping some patients in regaining their sense of self. I have grown to value how Sacks conveys his explorations in a narrative and paradigmatic aspect and realise we tend to focus more on the defects and provide far too little recognition of what is intact and preserved in an individual.

Attached to the Department of Psychiatry in a public hospital, I realised that the practical dimensions of cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamics and psychoanalysis are beyond just the content of books and research. For example, during a review session with a Bipolar patient, I witnessed the application of Eriksons’s theory apropos to the stages of psychosocial development. The retired maternity nurse admitted into the psychiatric ward for attempting suicide and commiting physical abuse claimed ‘empty and purposeless’, exemplifying the ‘Stagnation’ stage. Observing her in the depressive phase of this disorder, I discovered that neurochemical imbalances and genetic vulnerability alone were insufficient in explaining the onset of the disorder; environmental factors were crucial in expressing the problematic genes. Sitting in a specialists conference on teratoma-associated anti-NMDAR encephalitis, followed by researching its development, led me to comprehend how biology, chemistry and psychology are all intercorrelated.The research presented on this autoimmune disease not only enhanced my understanding on how psychology intervenes with the biological processes in our bodies, but also deepened my knowledge on how mental ailments can affect the anatomical condition of one’s disease.

My curiosity on the nature of depression was piqued by ‘What causes depression?’ (Harvard Health Publishing) as I perceived how and why a medicinal approach to alleviating the symptoms may not be fully successful due to the large amount of time taken for the occurence of neurogenesis. I realise that doctors often try to treat mental and physical illnesses the same way, through an objective and somewhat anatomical sense. It is irrefutable that medicine does aid and act as a catalyst for the metabolic systems which intervene with psychological disorders, but it is not the panacea. In Malaysia, treatments often follow a modern clinical approach which is purely symptomatic and theory-based as opposed to Sacks’. Focusing on engaging with patients’ direct experience, recognising what is preserved in them and devising a treatment based on it is what I want to explore practising in Malaysia.

With the pastoral skills of active listening, empathy and especially communication that I have begun to develop as President of the Prom Committee, Head Prefect and Peer to Peer Support Group member, I am convinced that a career in psychology is well suited to me and one in which I can have a positive impact on others. Strong time management and organisational skills developed through being an active sports woman, school mentor and event planner convince me that I will cope well with a psychology course and be an able practitioner in Malaysia effecting cultural and clinical change in Malaysia.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Sofiah Sidqi is currently studying BSc Financial Mathematics and Statistics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She completed her A-Levels in Oxford International College and will be graduating in 2022. This personal statement was part of her successful application to LSE, UCL and King’s College London for Financial Maths and Stats.

The number system embedded in nature is so orderly yet wears a mask of mystique. From the infinite Golden Spiral seed pattern in sunflowers, to the fractal perspective of our universe, mathematics never fails to enthrall me. As a fashion enthusiast, seeing the application of William Thurston’s low dimensional topological concept collide with the Japanese fashion brand, Issey Miyake’s 2010 collection was a eureka moment. I combine my passion for mathematics with art as I attempt to understand the evolving definition of mainstream aesthetics, driven by proportion, patterns and shapes. The struggle for an answer brought me to statistics which taught me the importance of data interpretation in retrieving insights from human decisions. Enticed by the endless possibilities that Mathematics and Statistics brings, I am determined to explore further the applications of mathematics in our everyday life.

To grasp a deeper understanding about big data, I researched work conducted by WGSN – a trend forecasting powerhouse that advises growing businesses. Their approach of taking into account a broad range of factors in predicting trends serves as a powerful tool in both understanding and influencing people’s perspective of the world. Fascinated by the potential applications of data, I chose to complete an introductory course on data science and machine learning to understand their respective roles in deciphering patterns and trends. I learned that besides statistics, linear algebra and matrices are two vital components in making inferential techniques and discovering characteristics in a data set. I also yearn to learn about stochastic processes which are the back bone in evaluating probability and determining a propitious investment strategy and asset pricing theory. Venturing deeper into asset pricing, I was drawn towards the Fokker-Planck equation which deals with the probability distribution of the price of an asset in the future. The emergence of statistics and financial instruments has undeniably played a crucial role in not only driving the innovation of financial markets but also in aiding firm’s decision-making. This realisation echoed what I have learned in school where Bayes Theorem and Hypothesis Testing came into life. I am excited to explore further the concepts of Bayesian statistics and stochastic processes at university level to understand the science behind deducing probability.

Attending the Young Investment Banker programme at UCL provided me an opportunity to explore the role of finance as I pitched business strategies to Pepsi’s executives. During my internship at Maybank, I gained insight into the basics of securities analysis and financial reporting, while I took the initiative to learn about the application of stochastic processes on price fluctuations over time. At the national finals of the ICAEW BASE Competition, I needed to deal with data sets where I led my teamto interpret both accounting and market data in producing an actionable strategy to optimise the growth of a wearable technology company. Our efforts were rewarded when we received the ‘most commercially aware’ award. 

As a Queens Guide and the recipient of the Oxford Scholar’s Award, I learned to manage my timebetween school work and extracurricular activities and persevere when the going gets tough while my experience as Vice President of the Student Council enhanced my communication skills. I discovered that challenging problems excited me while competing in the Singapore and Asian schools Math Olympiad, which pushed me to solve mathematical problems beyond my school syllabus.

Seeing the diverse possibilities of mathematics in unexpected places such as fashion design, it is evident to me that mathematics and statistics will continue to play a vital role in shaping our society. By learning the underlying language of mathematics, I wish to be a part of the boundless potential of mathematics and uncover new, and exciting applications of it.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Yeo Tsu Jin is currently studying Law at the London School of Economics. Tsu Jin completed his A Levels at Kolej Tuanku Jaafar and is graduating in 2022.  This personal statement was part of his successful application to LSE, University of Bristol, University of Manchester, UCL and Cardiff University for Law.

“Is it okay to eat people? ” The beginning of my fascination with law started with that question when I listened to “The Right Thing To Do”, a lecture by Michael Sandel. It discussed the moral and legal ambiguity of murder and cannibalism. It took into account consent, necessity as well as the circumstances that may or may not justify these acts.

The legal precedent concerning valid defences for murder was decided in R v Dudley & Stephens, where, following a shipwreck, crew members who had been starving for a week murdered and cannibalised one of their own. This raised many questions to the court, the crucial one being – does necessity legally exonerate murder? The court ruled out necessity as a valid defence on the grounds that there was no imminent harm that necessitated the act. However, I emphasize the importance of understanding the nuance that it would have been difficult for the crew to determine the threshold at which their bodies would succumb to hunger. My belief is that the court should not have ruled out necessity, since the “imminent threat” was constantly looming over them. Consent is also a key element in this case. The victim at the time was in a stupor and unable to give consent, therefore the crew was compelled to make a decision on his behalf. However, I believe that inability to provide consent is not ample justification to make a choice on one’s behalf, as can be seen in rape cases involving people under influence of alcohol. I wonder if the cannibalised victim had consented to being murdered, would the crime then be morally or lawfully permissible? In extreme cases, the answer is no.

This is demonstrated in the case of R v Brown, where five men engaging in sadomasochistic activities were found guilty despite the presence of consent. According to Lord Templeman, the activities were “unpredictably dangerous and degrading to body and mind, developing with increasing barbarism”. However I believe the judgement is flawed. There are people who, under the influence of alcohol, put their bodies under more duress for a similarly cathartic effect. They increase the risk of harm to the public whilst under the influence, yet are not at risk of incarceration, nor are those who supply said instruments of harm. My view is that the court ruling seems to be more a consequence of homophobia rather than an attempt at justice, evident in how they failed to disprove the worth of the victim’s consent. However, I note two points. Firstly, that the court may have come to a different conclusion had the case been heard today, at a time where public policy is more accepting. Secondly, I appreciate the moral hazards of consent being an absolute defence, as there exist many scenarios where people are coerced into giving their consent, as is often the case when there is abuse or social pressure.

My extensive involvement in the Malaysian debating circuit requires me to explore novel, often obscure angles to argue a position which may initially have seemed indefensible; this ability to craft arguments from numerous perspectives has allowed me to articulate myself properly when discussing intellectually challenging matters. Furthermore, my interest in law was deepened during my internship at a law firm where I assisted with legal research for a case at the Court of Appeal in Malaysia. This has cultivated my ability to research as well as analyse case law on legal databases, and has given me a sharper eye for detail, allowing me to draw parallels to precedent disputes.

All of these cases raise an interesting question regarding the extent of autonomy which the law allows over ourselves. I question why governments should be able to dictate what I am allowed to do, barring that it does not harm anybody else. This issue and the greater role of law in society is something that I would be deeply interested to further explore at university.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Aiynah Hazni is currently studying BSc Economics at the University of Warwick. She completed her A-Levels at Epsom College and will be graduating in 2022. This personal statement was part of her successful application to LSE, UCL, King’s College London and University of Warwick for Economics.

The undervaluation of women’s impact on the economy has been a genuine fascination of mine since I stumbled across the work of Dr Victoria Bateman. She suggests more women are needed in economics to achieve gender equality, especially since most policies are built on the assumption of women as secondary earners. Her work inspired my EPQ on gender inequality, specifically the gender pay gap. Living in Malaysia, I observed that women are typically occupationally segregated, occupying menial, low-paying jobs. Goldin (2009) blames micro-level child care penalties leading to macro-level gender inequality. I think this has had a big impact, especially on single mothers, trapping them in poverty due to loss of financial dependency on men which is highly evident in poor countries today. For example, poverty distribution in Angola is heavily gendered, with female-headed households forming the majority of the poorest, potentially due to the prioritisation of education for males. By studying Economics as a whole, I hope to dissect such phenomena in order to empower more women into entering the labour force as the marginal returns from this investment would spur Malaysia towards becoming a developed country.

My submission for a LSESU Economics society essay-writing competition focused on gender inequality and relevant economic policies for combating inequality globally. Increasing female labour participation is an important first step. Consider Rwanda, where a 30% quota for women in parliament has motivated their involvement in national policy-making. Higher involvement of women in politics has begotten other policies aimed at tackling the gender wage gap, including three-month maternity leaves and effective childcare systems which incentivise women to occupy higher paying jobs. My research also highlighted Iceland’s efforts to reduce the gender pay gap; rebalancing childcare responsibilities by adjusting paternity leave policies rather than maternity. I feel this could be adapted to Malaysia’s economic climate, where societal pressures force women into jobs with flexible hours. This policy could end the social stigma surrounding women – that they should stay at home and take care of the children – allowing them to actively involve themselves in the labour force, thus stimulating economic growth. If women reach their full economic potential, according to Guibourg (2015), $12 trillion could be added to the global economy. As a feminist, I hope to advocate equality not only to level the playing field for undervalued and economically oppressed women, but for the victims of unjust economic policies.

I enjoy Development Economics and engaged with Banerjee and Duflo’s ‘Poor Economics’ where persistent poverty traps are considered the consequence of a government’s inability to break down root causes of poverty and solve them one by one. I believe a top down approach is appropriate, such as improving microcredit systems, incentivising local business growth, and developing capital to stimulate further growth thus leading to technological efficiency. With the wealth gained, these businesses could resist ‘lazy thinking’ and make appropriate investments to improve the social mobility of their families, such as better education for their children. At the Malaysian Public Policy Competition, I proposed solutions such as repurposing underutilized buildings or spaces in poor urban areas into learning hubs to bridge the inequality gap between rich and poor urbanites. I believe improving social safety nets for the poor would elevate the education levels amongst poor children, which would result in higher productivity for the country in the long run.

As a scholar of the Central Bank of Malaysia, I am eager to gain a rich and rigorous knowledge of economic theory, and apply my knowledge to policy-making. I want to help improve the lives of many, and see a degree in Economics as my starting point.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Goh Ge Xuan is currently studying Chemistry at UCL. Gege completed her A-Levels at Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar and will be graduating in 2022.  This personal statement was part of her successful application to UCL, University of Bristol, University of Manchester and University of Nottingham for Chemistry.

Chemistry is an immense and incredible subject as it is a crucial link to many of man’s endeavours. From reaction kinetics to industrial manufacturing, its diversity and potential for discovery intrigues me greatly.

Among the topics studied, organic chemistry has always been my favourite. From isomerism to electrophoresis, I am always in awe of the boundless permutations arising from the making and mixing of organic compounds. My experience in LIYSF, which entailed a visit to the GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratory at the University of Nottingham, consolidated my interest in this field. Here, I was exposed to the process of amine synthesis, which is important for synthesis organic chemists, with reductive amination being one of the most versatile methods used in synthesising structurally diverse amines. It is a process where an aldehyde or ketone reacts with an amine to form an imine, which is then reduced by hydrogenation. During my time in LIYSF, I carried out an experiment on this where ortho-vanillin 1 is reacted with para-toluidine 2 to generate an imine. The imine is then reduced with sodium borohydride to an intermediate that is then acetylated to produce an amide. I was able to identify my product using infrared and NMR spectroscopy. Using analytical machinery on compounds that I produced brought what had been taught in theory into practice. My desire for more of these moments is what drives me to study Chemistry at a higher level. 

The sheer complexity of organic chemistry also brings to mind my love for cosmetics. Just as the lipsticks we use are as elaborate as they are functional and beautiful, the ubiquity of both fields in our daily lives fascinate me deeply. For millennia, cosmetics have been an integral part of culture, from displays of national pride, to camouflage for hunting, and most importantly to augment our features to adorn ourselves. However, through the ages, the lack of understanding in the manufacture and use of cosmetics has led to drawbacks such as skin cancer, blindness and death. Lead, for example, has found its way throughout history onto our faces, despite its toxicity. In ancient Egypt, black kohl was a key components for eye makeup. Made of galena which was lead sulfide, it was widely used by the Egyptians for lining the perimeter of eyes to reduce glare and to act as a disinfectant, but it was poisonous especially when inhaled. It took Eugene Rimmel, a brilliant cosmetics innovator, to establish a revolution in the industry by inventing the first commercial non-toxic mascara using a mix of coal dust and petroleum jelly, a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons that functions as a grooming aid. As the new product was non-toxic, it became popular and ushered in an era of safe commercial cosmetics.

At present, the use of nanotechnology has amplified in many streams of science, from electronics to medicine, and the cosmetics industry is no exception. Taking the name of nanocosmetics, the enhanced physical properties attained by nanoparticles allows for more effective cosmetics. Common nanomaterials employed in personal care products are liposomes and nanocapsules. However, there are many concerns about their effects on humans. Like lead, nanocosmetics promised great results, but feigning ignorance can and will harm us. Researchers at the University of Tennessee have found that sunscreens using nanoparticles generated by ivies were more effective in blocking UV rays than titanium dioxide. Moreover, it is suggested that ivy particles were not toxic to human cells as they could be digested by protease and is likely to be biodegradable. Inspired, I wish to take this opportunity to apply organic chemistry and nanotechnology to bring about a new revolution in healthy nanocosmetics. 

In our quest to be beautiful, science should not be ignored but embraced. Studying Chemistry would not only allow me to merge my passions, but also to augment both fields and take personal care and chemistry to new heights.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Emily Ng is currently studying MBioch Biochemistry (Molecular and Cellular) at the University of Oxford. Emily completed her A-Levels at Help Academy and will be graduating in 2023.  This personal statement was part of her successful application to University of Oxford, Imperial College London, UCL, King’s College London,  and University of St Andrews for Biochemistry.

My first riveting encounter with Biochemistry was during a conversation about the coiling of DNA around histones. It enables us to accomplish the otherwise impossible task of compacting 3 meters worth of DNA into a tiny nucleus that is only 10 microns in diameter! The discussion then progressed into a debate on how the development of this phenomena was critical in producing the organisms that we know today. I was fascinated by how Biochemistry looks at the mechanisms of life through a microscope, and that it represents the unseen architecture that builds up our complex life.

I was fortunate to have arranged work experience with a plastic surgeon at Sunway Medical Centre, and was amazed at the skin grafting technology that improved the quality of life of a patient suffering from Hidradenitis Suppurativa. Intrigued, I sought out to learn more. After extensive research, I was excited to find an article in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology on the use of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC) in Skin Regeneration. This brought me back to a Biology lesson, when I was first introduced to iPSC, and wondered, how do cells differentiate to take on such diverse roles in our bodies? And how do slight differences in a cell give rise to different organisms? It is questions like these that fuel my curiosity but it wasn’t very long before I realised an answer would surely, but rather ironically, lead to more questions. However, I believe that is the beauty of studying the complexity of life.

 The article on iPSC also lead me to the ongoing research by Stanford University on using iPSC as a vaccine for cancer. Though many questions still surround their ability to replicate their success with mice in human cells, such topics spark my interest and I intend to follow its development closely and hopefully contribute to it one day.

When I picked up the book ‘Mitochondria and The Meaning of Life’ by Nick Lane, I learned that a single structural difference of the mitochondria – its double membrane, saved us, eukaryotes from the same slimy fate of bacteria. Reflecting on this, I realised how smart tiny cells are, and how by understanding their chemical compositions, we can harvest their ingenuity, just like this year’s Nobel Laureates. Their success in the manipulation of the T-cell proteins (CTLA-4 and PD-1) can change the future of cancer treatment! It dawned on me that not only must we constantly add to our wealth of knowledge but it is imperative that we’re able to transform it into something that can benefit the public. Hence, it affirmed my decision in pursuing a career in research and innovation.

My interest in innovation stemmed from my participation in the Seimens-STEM competition. We were challenged to design a sustainable ‘green’ city of the future, and my idea to harvest energy by using genetically engineered enzymes to digest waste in landfills secured me the winning prize. Moreover, participating in such competitions and various debates expanded my scientific and general knowledge as well as honed my presentation skills.

What I am today is built upon the foundation acquired in school as the Deputy Head Prefect, President of the Mathematics club, Vice President of the Red Cross Society and as a certified medic in First Aid and CPR. These experiences instilled a strong sense of responsibility and taught me how to work under pressure. In addition, pursuing piano up to Grade 8 (ABRSM) taught me to value persistence and discipline in achieving my goals.

Biochemistry is where all my interests align, and pursuing it in your esteemed university will give me the best chance to delve deeper into the realm of science and to pursue scientific mysteries. For all we know, scientific achievements such as identifying the cure to cancer are just at the ends of our fingertips, waiting to be found.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Ong Hsien Min is currently an undergraduate studying Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London. He completed his A-Levels at Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar and will be graduating in 2024.  This personal statement was part of his successful application to Imperial College London, UCL, University of Manchester and University of Bristol.

My first encounter with an engineering problem was during my High School’s Carnival. The highlight was to have a dunk tank, but the budget was insufficient to rent a commercial one. Being in charge, I refused to drop the idea. Instead, I built a machine with similar running concepts to serve the same purpose but within the budget. With just several pulleys, bolts and buckets, I was able to convert my creativity into a working machine which became the most popular game at the Carnival. My daily struggle to wake up relying on the ineffective traditional alarm clocks led me to devise a program using a micro-servo with an Arduino to act as an artificial finger to switch on my light, which proved to be more effective in waking me up. These experiences not only spurred my constant problem-solving habits, but made me realise that I have the skills and creativity to create solutions to solve practical problems. I believe engineering is the most suitable subject for me to further refine these traits to benefit as many people as possible.

During an attachment at Timeless Green, one of the largest solar Photovoltaic developers in South East Asia, I was able to gain an insight into their largest ground mounted solar farm. To experience first-hand seeing how sunlight is harnessed and converted to large amounts of electrical energy for commercial use was exciting. I see the potential of solar energy to be one of the main sources of clean energy needed to meet rising demand. After being introduced to the different types of solar systems, I realised how current lithium-ion batteries have significantly lowered the barriers of being off-grid. However, I feel the need to address the underlying ageing problem of the lithium-ion battery. After many charge cycles, the pacifying layer deposited on the anode increases, leading to a significant capacity loss of the battery. The cost of battery replacement makes it challenging for developing countries such as Malaysia. To overcome this, I see the promise of flywheel energy storage. 

This mechanical device stores energy in the form of rotational kinetic energy. The motor that drives the rotor when energy is supplied also acts as a generator, converting kinetic energy back to electricity. Magnetically levitated bearings are implemented alongside a vacuum enclosure to keep drag at its minimum. It is interesting to see how crucial classroom physics concepts were applied to produce an efficient and successful flywheel. Besides not being affected by the depth of discharge, the dispensation of a long charge-discharge cycle puts flywheels at an advantage to batteries. The general belief is that flywheel technology is only suited for short term application and grid support. However, I believe that through further research and development, it has the potential of being used as a long-term energy storage, especially for developing countries to be completely independent of the grid as well as eradicating the ‘duck curve’. It is this desire to be part of the future advancement of renewable energy that pushes me to venture into mechanical engineering.

In the Oxbridge Engineering Workshop at KTJ, the objective was to build a crane to lift loads across a distance within a set period of time, with limited resources. I was able to apply my hands-on skills coupled with knowledge regarding centre of mass to ensure that the crane would not topple while lifting the load. With some basic knowledge of Arduino, I assisted a group in programming a traffic light system to make the simulation more realistic. Through this, I developed the expertise of teamwork, working within rule constraints, and meeting time deadlines, all of which are essential skills to thrive as an undergraduate and an engineer.

As a mechanical engineer, I will be able to play a pivotal role in moving Malaysia to sustainable developed nation status. I am looking forward to fulfilling this meaningful endeavour.

DISCLAIMER: The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. UCAS employs a plagiarism check system that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Ultimate Guide to the UK Medicine Application for Malaysians 

Applying to study Medicine abroad is a feat in itself. The process is lengthy and there are multiple hoops to jump through before making it to the doorstep of medical school. 

Anyone who is now doing Medicine will tell you that the hardest part of it is getting in, and I absolutely agree! As an international student, the process is even more rigorous as there are additional requirements to fulfill. 

With so many aspects of the application to juggle along with your studies, it gets very overwhelming! I went through this when applying myself and thought: “If only there was a resource summarising everything a Malaysian would need to apply for Medicine in the UK…” 

And that’s why I decided to create the timeline of the Medicine application for Malaysians! This is based on the application process for someone who is applying to Standard Entry Medicine directly from school, which is the pathway through which most international students enter Medicine. (More info about other pathways into Medicine can be found in my blog post here)

Feel free to print the timeline out and write down specific dates for your own applications!

Note that there will be slight variation by applicant depending on which pathway you’re going into and which medical schools you apply to. For example, if you’re only applying to medical schools that require the UCAT then there is no need to take the BMAT. 

Now sit back and relax as I give you an overview of the process and each aspect of the application. This article will be structured as such:

1. English Proficiency Test
2. Work Experience 
3. UCAS Application and Personal Statement
4. Grade Requirements
5. Admissions Test(s)
6. Additional Paperwork 
7. Interviews
8. After Interviews
9. Tuberculosis Check
10. Criminal Record Check 
11. Visa Application 

1. English Proficiency Test (IELTS)

As international students, we are required to prove our level of English proficiency. For Medicine, you will have to fulfil a slightly higher standard of English requirements than for some other courses. 

Universities will publish their requirements for English proficiency test results on their websites. P.S. on my blog we’ll be releasing a one-stop resource for all medical school requirements, make sure to follow us to find out when it’ll be out! 

The most commonly done English proficiency test will be IELTS, you’ll have to take the Academic module which is divided into Speaking, Reading, Writing and Listening.

Most universities will require an average score of band 7.0 or 7.5, with a minimum band of 6.5 or 7.0 for the Writing component for Medicine. This varies by medical school so make sure to confirm what you’ll need! 

It is best to do the IELTS early. The results will be valid for two years, so if you do it the year you start your pre-university course whether it is A Levels, IB or STPM it will still be valid by the time you apply for Medicine and start the medical course. 

This will also give you more time to redo it if you missed your target band. Doing it early gets it out of the way so you can focus on other requirements for the Medicine application. (yes, there’s more to come!)

The best tip for the IELTS is to practice lots! Most people find either the Speaking or Writing component to be the most difficult, doing mock tests and asking for feedback helps a lot with improving your performance. Your English teachers will be a good source of feedback for this! 

2. Work Experience

Medical schools look at work experience as a way for applicants to gain insight into what Medicine will be like  and demonstrate commitment to a caring role. 

Typically most international students will get work experience by shadowing a doctor but what you can do as part of that role is limited. Due to your age and experience level, you’re likely to not be allowed to take an active role in the medical team or talk to patients. 

This can make shadowing quite a monotonous experience since you’d basically be a passive onlooker. Although this will give you some idea of what a medical career could be like, you won’t have much to talk about in interviews. Medicine interviews love asking about work experience and specifically, what skills you have picked up/improved on. 

Shadowing can also be difficult to get if you don’t have connections with anyone in the medical profession. You may have to cold email professionals, stating your interest in applying for Medicine in the UK and attaching a CV. These professionals are busy people and may end up not replying to you at all. 

That’s completely normal so don’t beat yourself up too much for that! Just make sure to start enquiring about work experience opportunities early on so you can approach as many institutions/professionals as possible. It may also be worth getting a reference/letter from your school making the request on your behalf. 

Medical schools understand that some applicants will not be able to get work experience in a medical setting. Therefore, they usually ask for long term commitment, usually for a caring role. A lot of applicants obtain work experience by volunteering; not only does this give you more to talk about in interviews (since you can bring in your own experiences in that role), it will also be a good way to demonstrate how you managed your studies alongside volunteering and how you developed your interpersonal skills.  

3. UCAS Application and Personal Statement 

The UCAS application deadline for Medicine is earlier than for most other courses. Usually this deadline is the 15th of October. When applying to Medicine, applicants can only put down 4 choices of medical course. You can have a 5th choice of a course that is not Medicine which can be used as a backup plan if you don’t get accepted into Medicine. 

To decide which medical school to choose, there are multiple factors to consider including your preference of course style, the medical school’s selection process and more. More info on how to choose a UK medical school is available on this blog post that I did recently (https://international-medics.com/how-to-choose-uk-medical-school/)

The personal statement is a 4000 character long essay, in which you convey why you’re interested in Medicine and how you’d make a good medical student/doctor. (4000 characters is around 500 words.)

Medical schools use the PS in different ways, some end up not looking at it when deciding which applicants to interview/give an offer to. 

My best tip for the personal statement is to get lots of feedback and keep redrafting! With some time the statement will definitely improve, and why not make use of CollegeLAH’s free PS Checking service? 

4. Grade Requirements

Most medical schools will require a minimum of AAA for the A Levels to be giving an offer. Some medical schools such as Oxbridge have a higher requirement. It is usually compulsory that applicants take Chemistry, some medical schools do not require Biology while some require both Chemistry and Biology. 

If you have not taken your exams by the time you apply, you will be using predicted grades from your school. I applied using my predicted A Level grades but if you’re doing a different qualification it may be accepted too, make sure to check on the medical school website!

5. Admissions tests

Medical schools require applicants to take an admissions test that assess qualities that are thought to be important among doctors. There are two tests: the UCAT and BMAT. 

Whichever admission test(s) you take, you can only take it once in the application cycle. You don’t have to do both, it depends which medical schools you apply to and which test they require. Each medical school will only require one admissions test. Results from your tests will also be submitted to the medical schools you put down in your UCAS application so you don’t need to send it to them yourself. 

The UCAT: 

A computer test with 4 sections: Abstract reasoning (AR) , Verbal Reasoning (VR), Quantitative Reasoning (QR) and Decision Making (DM). There is another subtest, which is the Situational Judgement Test (SJT).  

This is a computer-based test which is usually taken at a test centre.

The score ranges from 300-900 for AR, VR, QR and DM. The SJT is graded differently, you’ll be given a band from Band 1-4, with Band 1 being the best score. 

The test usually takes place from July to the end of September and you’ll take it the year where you submit your UCAS application. You get to choose what date and time you do your test, this is subject to availability of test slots. For more information on the UCAT, click here. 

Majority of the UK medical schools require the UCAT, so taking it gives you more choice when putting down your UCAS choices. Results are available immediately after the test, so you can use your score to apply strategically to maximise your chances of getting accepted. 

The BMAT

A test consisting of 3 sections: Section 1 for Thinking Skills, Section 2 for Scientific Knowledge and Section 3 which is a writing task. A select few medical schools use this test which is notoriously difficult!  

Sections 1 and 2 will be scored from 1-9 with 9.0 being the best score; Section 3 will be scored from 1-5 for quality of content and from A-E for quality of English. 

The test is usually paper-based (for 2020 it will be computer-based) and will be taken in an exam centre. Your school may be a centre so make sure to check whether you can take it there! There are two sessions of the BMAT: the September and November BMAT. Some medical schools will only accept BMAT results from a certain session so make sure to check which you’ll have to take! For more information on the BMAT, click here. 

6. Other Paperwork: 

Some medical schools will have some additional paperwork for you to submit, usually sometime after your UCAS application has been submitted. These are not to be taken lightly as they may be used to decide whether you get an interview/offer! 

Due to the character restriction of the PS, these documents may present an opportunity for you to expand on what you may have already mentioned in it. Make sure not to copy and paste what you wrote in your PS! 

For example, for Manchester I had to submit what is known as the Non-Academic Information form (NAI) which is often thought of as a “second PS”, which focused on areas of my application that the medical school wanted to get more detail about. It can be a great opportunity for you to include what you’ve not managed to include in your PS and expand on what you’ve already mentioned in your PS. 

Other medical schools may have their own paperwork too. Based on what I know, Cambridge and Bristol also ask applicants to fill out additional paperwork. 

7. Interviews: 

Interviews usually will be done in the UK and there are 2 possible formats to the interview. The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) consists of multiple stations where each station assesses something different; the panel interview is what you typically imagine with 1-4 interviewers speaking to you. The MMI will include a greater variety of questions including roleplay scenarios and calculations. 

Most universities now do MMI because it can assess multiple things in 1 interview and each station is a new start. That way an applicant’s nerves would not affect their entire interview performance.  

As international students it might be worth considering med schools that offer overseas interviews, just imagine the cost and time required to fly to the UK for every interview you have! 

Some medical schools such as Manchester, Sheffield, and Cambridge offer interviews in Malaysia. Usually if you have an overseas interview a medical school doing MMI in the UK might do a panel interview when overseas as it is easier to organise.  

NB for Cambridge the Malaysia interview is much earlier than other interviews (September VS between December-March for other med schools). 

The best tip for interviews is to practice practice practice! Go through questions that you may be asked, some roleplay scenarios and calculations that may be featured in an MMI. Mock interviews can help you manage the nerves during your actual interview, but make sure not to overpractice to the point where your responses sound rehearsed! 

After Interviews: Offers, Exams, Results

You’ll probably find out about the outcome of your interview by April, and you’ll be given a conditional offer (if applying with predicted grades) or an unconditional offer if you already have your achieved results. 

Once you hear back from all the universities you applied to, on UCAS you select your firm and insurance choice. (The firm choice = 1st choice, insurance choice  = 2nd choice, usually with a lower grade requirement in case you don’t get the required grades for your firm choice). You’d go on to take your final exams if you haven’t already.  

8. Tuberculosis Check: 

This is an important document required for your UK visa application. On the document you will have to fill in the university’s address so if you are unsure where you will end up going then you might have to wait for your offer to be made unconditional. When I did this I was told there would be an additional charge if I had to change the university details.  

If you’re sure that you’ll be going to a certain university then go ahead and get it done as soon as you can as there are only a certain number of hospitals where you can get this done. Appointments slots can get filled up quickly! 

9. Criminal Record Check: 

Medical students in the UK cannot have a criminal record. UK home students will have to get a DBS check to confirm that. 

For Malaysians, we have to apply for the Letter of Good Conduct from the KLN website. It takes quite a while to receive that letter and the medical school may expect you to bring it to the UK; I nearly didn’t get mine on time so make sure to apply as soon as you can! You don’t have to wait for your results to apply. 

10. Visa Application: 

I won’t mention too much about the visa application since I’m not an expert in it, but make sure to complete your visa application as soon as you can! Once you’re done with that, you’re all set to start Medicine in the UK  

11. Conclusion 

In short, to apply to study Medicine in the UK you will need to meet the requirements for: 

• English proficiency 
• Academic requirements (GCSE and A Level/SPM and STPM)
• Work experience
• Personal statement
• Admission test(s) 
• Interview 
• Criminal record check 

If you’ve made it through all of that, thank you for staying with me! Here are some of my tips for success in your application as a thank you for staying so long.  

Some Tips: 

• Social media! It doesn’t sound like a common way to find a mentor or information but there are a lot of UK medics on social media, be it on Instagram or Twitter. International students are more difficult to find, but there’s International Medics which I run with another medic (cheeky promo here hehe) 
• Feedback! With your PS, get multiple people to read it. Make good use of the CollegeLAH PS Checkers which are here to help! With interview prep, do mock interviews!
• Persevere! The process is tough, it’s stressful, I know! But once you get in, you’re there. Make sure to give yourself time to relax and release your stress. If you need anyone to talk to, feel free to contact me, I’m here to help! 

If you found this post helpful, please do share so more people can benefit from it! On my blog there is a post on factors to consider when choosing a UK medical school,  also keep an eye out for our guide to the UK medical schools that will be released soon! 

Jean Ling Tan is a second year medical student at the University of Manchester. She now co-runs a blog and Instagram page (@international.medics) that aims to support international students who want to do Medicine in the UK. She is also one of the PS checkers for CollegeLAH for Medicine. Feel free to reach out to her for advice!

When we talk about A-Levels, one of the least mentioned college names is Methodist College Kuala Lumpur (MCKL), especially compared to the likes of more reputable colleges like KYUEM, KTJ or even Sunway College.  I was fortunate enough to come across this name while I was studying in my high school – Methodist Boys’ School KL (MBS). Being a student in MBS, it was a common notion that MCKL was kind of a ‘feeder college’ to us.  In addition to this, when I was in Form Four, I was given the opportunity to take Bible Knowledge (BK) and in Form 5, my partner (who also went to MCKL) and I won first place in the National SPM BK Quiz 2016, and as MCKL was one of the sponsors, we both got ourselves a 100% Special Scholarship to study in MCKL. I was elated but at the back of my mind, this was more of a back-up option in case I couldn’t get any other scholarships to study in those aforementioned reputable institutions. 

Post-SPM, true enough, I was largely unsuccessful in my scholarship applications and there I was, ready to enrol myself in MCKL in July after taking months off having a ‘post-SPM study break’.  Nevertheless, I still had a scholarship which would cover 100% of my tuition fees albeit not the conventional ones. Not bad after all right? I learnt to be content and to be grateful for what I had.

One major pulling factor I felt was that MCKL was very generous with their scholarships (to be checked for the latest updates) especially since they are merit-based and as long you have obtained the required grades in your SPM or IGCSE, the scholarship is kind of in hand already. Not to mention also the strategic location of MCKL situated in the heart of KL Sentral, making it easily accessible via public transportation. 

I still remember feeling the jitters on the first day of College, a.k.a the Orientation Programme. New experiences, new friends to meet, and new surroundings, all of which I had no clue on what to expect. But as the first few weeks of college passed, I was settling in nicely to the new environment, meeting friends who would then go on to be my close friends till this day, and being exposed to the ‘challenging’ nature of A-Levels. 

Rules and Guidelines

I think if there was a ‘pushing factor’ which MCKL is known for, is its rigidity and ‘strict’ discipline, especially for college attire.  While the rigidity aspect is up for interpretation, yes, there are certain guidelines/restrictions as to what you can wear to College, among other rules too. While some may find this restrictive, I find it helpful as it prepares you to dress appropriately when you go to work later on in the future. It still amuses me to think that wearing shoes, long pants and just a mere t-shirt to college is considered to be ‘rigid’ for some.  As long as you are fine with not wearing slippers and shorts [this is for the guys], you should be ok in MCKL.

Beyond Academics

In my opinion, something which makes MCKL stand out from the rest is that the students have to do 2 extra modules in their first semester of A-Levels which are Character Formation and Service Learning.  These are not heavy modules per se but just 2 hours per week and they are just a pass or fail module. In the Character Formation, you will learn how to, literally, build your own character by helping you think on critical issues in today’s world while in Service Learning, you will be introduced to community work and get some experience actually doing it.  I can’t speak for other colleges but I think MCKL is actively bringing out the best in their students through the appreciation of these modules and to give back to the community we are serving.

If you are wondering about extracurricular activities, oh, you should be pleased to know that there are a plethora of clubs and societies that you are able to join in your time in MCKL.  Some of the more popular ones include Frisbee, Model United Nations, Student Union, Engineering Club, Foosball and much more. You will have a fun [and hard] time exploring and deciding which clubs to join but be rest assured that there are more than enough activities to keep you busy throughout your time in MCKL.

That’s enough for the supplementary things. Let’s come back to the main part of A-Levels:

Academics

During my time there, I took Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Economics. For many, this was an odd combination as it was not specialised to a certain pathway but for me and some, this was a safe pathway to decide on a degree later. However, I never once regretted my subject choices. I had really top-notch lecturers during my time here in MCKL. All subject lecturers that I had were fantastic and they knew how to make the syllabus easily understood and aced. It was all thanks to them and I am still very grateful to each lecturer that my academic life in MCKL was smooth and pleasurable despite everyone saying that A-Levels is a killer and such. Another thing I also noticed, with my lecturers as well as other lecturers, was that they care a lot about their students to the point that they will hold extra classes to help struggling students, which I applaud them for. Another noteworthy thing I should point out is that the staff in the University Placement Office will go all out in terms of helping you in your university application (as long you consult them early enough) and they definitely helped me get into my current university.

All in all, I had a really memorable time in MCKL and I just learnt so much each day. I still keep in touch with my friends, MCKL staff and the lecturers who have guided me along the way. MCKL may not be as big in terms of student population but the upside of being in a small, close-knit community is the sense of belonging and home with each other, even with students from other programmes as well.  If you are looking for a decent college with a promise of a wholesome experience, do pay MCKL a visit to see it for yourself and I can assure you will not be disappointed.  You will also develop a strong affinity for the three words the college operates on and I will leave this with you:

Veritas Vincit Omnia

(Truth Conquers All)

Wilfred Ang is an MCKL alumni currently reading Economics at the University of Warwick, Class of 2022. An anger inducing fact about him is that he eats a lot but does not get fat.
If you intend to contact the author, feel free to contact the CollegeLAH Team at contactus@collegelah.com.

What is the Jardine Scholarship?

For scholarships, I’m sure we’ve all heard of the big names like Bank Negara, Petronas and Khazanah which sponsor many students every year to further their studies overseas. But for students applying to Oxbridge, the lesser-known Jardine Scholarship should be on their radar. 

The Jardine Scholarship is a bond-free scholarship offered by Jardine Matheson, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate with a presence across Asia Pacific (they own Giant, Guardian and Mercedes Benz dealerships here). The scholarship will cover your tuition fees, a stipend for living costs and one return flight to the UK. Additionally, you’ll be connected with a huge network of Jardine scholars across Asia. 

It is important to note that only students applying to the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge are eligible for the scholarship, and even then you’d have to apply to specific colleges in each university (Queen’s, Exeter, Oriel and Trinity for Oxford and Downing, Magdalene, Peterhouse and Trinity for Cambridge).  

Back then when I was looking around for scholarships, I myself wasn’t aware of Jardine. I was really lucky to have chosen Queen’s (based on reasons unrelated to the scholarship), and they emailed to inform me that I was eligible to apply for the scholarship since I’m Malaysian. 

Application

Stage 1: Online Form and Personal Statement
Another difference between Jardine and the major scholarships in Malaysia are the application timeframe. Applications for Jardine open around August and close mid-October (21 October for this year’s cycle), which coincides with the UCAS application timeline for Oxbridge applicants. I found that finishing my UCAS early was super helpful as it gave me ample time to prepare my scholarship application.

The application form is quite standard. You would have to apply through their website, and fill in an online form which would ask you for some personal and academic information. However, Jardine also asks for a personal statement, which is different from the UCAS personal statement. The personal statement should focus on your aspirations and future plans, as well as highlight your extra-curricular activities and engagement with your community. If you’re confused about what to write, I’d highly recommend just taking some time to think about your objectives in the years to come, and how studying your course can help you towards those goals. It sounds daunting but don’t worry! You can always talk to your friends or school counsellor for input.

Additionally, your teacher (or even principal or counsellor) will have to provide a reference to support your scholarship application, very much like for UCAS. Jardine would give information on what the reference should include, so do communicate that to your referee.

Once all this is done, you’ll have to submit your application form and complete the first stage!

Stage 2: Automated Video Interview
If your application has been shortlisted, you’ll receive an email from Jardine inviting you to complete a video interview. But this isn’t going to be a typical Zoom call. I was surprised to find out that it was an AUTOMATED video interview that could be completed any time before a specified deadline. Here’s how it works:

1. You’d log into a website
2. You’ll be given clear instructions on how to answer the questions, and you’ll be allowed to test out your microphone and webcam and familiarise yourself with the software by answering a few sample questions (which won’t come out in the interview).
3. Once you’re ready, you’ll press start. Each question will be displayed for a limited time, and then your webcam and mic will start recording to capture your answers, also for a limited time (I think around a minute or two).
4. After all the questions are completed, the video interview is sent to Jardine to be reviewed.
   

I was super scared at this stage for I’ve never done anything like it before. The time limit means you have very little room for error in answering questions. But after I finished it, I thought it wasn’t too bad. The questions they asked were quite straightforward (a few about where you think you’d be in the future), and you will be given sufficient time to answer.

General advice for interviews would apply here, but I’d also like to offer a few extra for this automated version:

1. Dress well! Even though you’re doing the interview remotely (probably at home), you should still dress presentably as Jardine will be watching the video recording. Doesn’t have to be too fancy. A collared shirt will work fine.
2. Make sure your internet connection is stable. You don’t want to risk your connection being cut off mid-interview, triggering a wave of panic.  
3. Be mindful of the time you’re given. I sometimes found myself rambling when I was answering the questions, only to have to rush to a conclusion when I see that there’s 10 seconds left. Remember to look at the timer and make sure you get your point across before time runs out. This really is easier said than done based on my experience, but practicing under timed conditions could help.
4. Test your mic and webcam. I assumed they would be fine but tested them anyway, only to realise that my mic was way too loud. You can adjust it so that it’s at a comfortable volume for the people who will be watching the video recording.

Stage 3: Final Interview in Hong Kong
If you’ve made it to this stage, congratulations! You’ve been picked among many applicants for the best part of the application process: a trip to Hong Kong for the final interview, all paid for by Jardine.

The final interview is usually held in early January, and it is a must to go to Hong Kong or else your application will no longer be considered. Jardine is generous enough to pay for your return air ticket, your accommodation at a nice hotel owned by them (usually The Excelsior but it has closed down), your transport between Hong Kong airport and the hotel and a buffet dinner with other applicants. 

Since this is the last stage of the application, you will be going up against a panel of 6 for your interview. I was immediately terrified after realising that fact, and more so when I looked up the panelists and found out that 3 of them were the heads of Oxbridge colleges. The provost (equivalent to principal) of my college was not there, but I know applicants who were interviewed by the principal of their college. However, the interviewers were all super kind and friendly, and will try to make you feel comfortable.

I was asked to fly to Hong Kong the day before my interview. When I arrived, I was brought to the hotel and checked into my room. Jardine makes you share a room, which is great because you’ll get to meet someone who’s likely from a different country in Asia. If you arrive before dinner time, you’ll have liberty to explore the city a bit. The Excelsior was very centrally located in Causeway Bay so there was easy access to shopping and soaking in the city atmosphere.

Jardine will organise a buffet dinner at the hotel for all the scholarship applicants. This was a very nice time to get to know other people who may be headed to the same university or college as you. Though we were competing against each other for the scholarship, there was never a sense of tension or competitiveness. Everyone I met was friendly, and the conversations were super chill and informal.

After you enjoy a night of sleep (please do get enough rest!), it’s time to face the interview. I woke up early so that I’d have enough time to take a shower and put on my suit (dress code for the interview is formal), then headed down for breakfast. If you’re feeling nervous, you’re not alone. Everyone else is feeling the same way, and just chatting with them at breakfast can help ease some of the nerves. After eating, you’ll have to arrange your own transport to Jardine’s office, Jardine House. All of us decided to take a cab there, splitting ourselves into small groups.

The first stage of the final interview is an essay. I was given about half an hour to write about a specified topic, and Jardine allowed us to use our phone or laptop to do research. I think the point of the essay is to see how you structure your arguments in a short time, and my response in my essay would be later brought up during the interview.

The interview itself would also last about half an hour. You’ll have to wait for your turn depending on what time slot you get, during which us applicants who were waiting mostly talked. Those who had already finished their interviews would tell us about the experience, which made for interesting conversation but also made me more nervous.

When it came to my turn, I waited outside the interview room to be called in. The interview itself centered around your aspirations and future plans with some related critical thinking questions thrown in. They asked me about things I wrote in my Jardine personal statement, as well as the essay I wrote in the morning. Do also make sure you have a clear idea of your goals and plans, as well as your reasons for pursuing those ends as they will likely ask you about that. There’s no definite answer they’re looking for with these questions, but a piece of advice I would give is to stay composed in answering their questions. It’s alright to take a few seconds to think and organise your thoughts before you answer, rather than ramble on nervously without making your point clear. I was asked a question that I had no idea how to answer, but tried my best to present my view along with some justification. It turned out to be a bad answer, but the panelist who asked the question was super nice in sharing her thoughts with me. I listened and then asked her more questions about her views, which I think is good because it exhibits to them that you’re eager to learn. It’s very rare to be able to have a conversation with these people who have had such illustrious careers, so do seize the opportunity to talk to them and learn from them!

As my interview was completed, I felt relieved. It had been a rigorous process, and now I was almost at the end. The last part of the interview process is a lunch with the panelists, which some believe is also a part of the assessment. There are rumours that the lunch is a test of your etiquette, and how you present yourself during a meal. Hearing these rumours and not wanting to take any chances, I watched videos on table etiquette to make sure I was prepared. But in retrospect, it shouldn’t be something to stress over. Obviously, you would have to exhibit a basic level of table manners (which should hopefully be something you already adopt), but I wouldn’t stress too much about more minute details like how to eat a grape. Fun (but probably useless) fact: the table etiquette video said to poke the grape with your fork, take it from the fork with your fingers, then put it in your mouth.

I would say that the lunch is more a test of conversation as you will be seated near the panelists (according to a seating chart) and have to talk to them. I sat next to the chair of the scholarship committee, and talked to him about Malaysia and Oxford. I remember having to talk a lot, and since I didn’t want to talk with food in my mouth, I ended up barely eating. But I really enjoyed my conversations with the panelists and fellow applicants near me, so I thought it was a worthy sacrifice (and I could always grab a bite after).

Once lunch ends, you’re free to go if you’ve already done your interview! At this point, I said goodbye and good luck to the other applicants, and went to explore Hong Kong a bit more before my flight home. About two weeks later, I got an email from Jardine offering me the scholarship, and happily celebrated the achievement. For my year, two Malaysians got the scholarship, but there is no fixed number of scholarships as there have been years where only one or no Malaysians have gotten it. 

Conclusion

The best part of this scholarship is that it’s bond-free. You will be fully-funded to study your course of choice at Oxbridge, but can freely choose what you want to do after you graduate. The people at Jardine are also super supportive of your career development, and will readily provide you with career advice and internship opportunities. Additionally, I found the application process to be an amazing experience, especially the final interview. Rarely does a company give you a free trip overseas as part of a scholarship application, and the experience was made all the more special by the wonderful people I met. The Jardine scholars are also a tight knit community, so expect dinners and events together once you’re in Oxford or Cambridge. If you’re applying to Oxbridge, I’d highly recommend applying for this scholarship. Many Malaysian students don’t know about the opportunity, but I hope more of us can benefit from this generous scheme and fulfill their dreams of studying at Oxbridge.

As Covid-19 continues to upend life globally, it is possible that Jardine might switch to a fully online assessment of scholarship applicants, which means shortlisted candidates will no longer have to fly to Hong Kong. Though the interviews this year might have a different format from before, I do hope you still find this article useful in demystifying the application process. Good luck for your application!

Chee Gee Ren is a Jardine Scholar currently reading Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Queen’s College, Oxford. He loves to cook and first year at Oxford taught him it’s possible to cook rendang using a rice cooker. 
If you intend to contact the author, feel free to contact the CollegeLAH Team at contactus@collegelah.com.

Hi everyone! My name’s Debra and I’m currently reading Law at the LSE under the CIMB ASEAN scholarship. Through this article, I hope to outline what the scholarship entails, the application stages and my experience going through the process. 

What does the CIMB scholarship consist of?

The scholarship covers all of your university tuition fees, a laptop allowance, living expenses and one round flight home annually. Health insurance and other miscellaneous fees are covered as well. Internships and employment with CIMB Group upon graduation are also included and a mentor and buddy system will give you additional guidance through your time at university. 

Who can apply?

This scholarship is open to a number of countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Anyone from any academic discipline can apply, and students studying at local universities are eligible as well as students who have a minimum of 2 years of undergraduate study left. Even if you haven’t received a university offer, you can still apply for the scholarship as long as you’ve stated where you intend to apply (and the corresponding course).

Stages of the scholarship

There are 5 main stages in the selection process: an application form, online assessments, an interview panel, bootcamp and a final interview with CIMB’s senior management team. 

Application form
During my application cycle (2018), the form was made up of several parts. You had to put down your academic records, extracurriculars, achievement records and answer a number of structured mini essay questions. 

The essay questions are a great way for your application to stand out. It’s important that you demonstrate who you are as a person, as what you’ve written is likely to come up during future interviews. Note that if you reach the first interview stage, you will be required to bring proof of your grades as well as all the achievements you’ve detailed in the form. 

Online assessment 
CIMB’s online assessment is unlike the psychometric testing that you get on other scholarship assessments as they are all game based. There were a number of puzzle and analysis centered games which assessed problem solving skills. One instance of this was a game where you were given an outline of a shape and Tetris-like pieces to fill it in. You had to choose which pieces would fit and arrange them accordingly to win. The more shapes you solved, the more stars you were given. Even the numerical and verbal reasoning tests had a few unexpected twists based on speed and accuracy.

A tip I suggest for preparing for these kinds of tests would be to download any puzzle or strategy games or applications that aim to enhance problem solving skills. One app that I used was ‘Brain Wars’. However, you certainly don’t have to overstress and relentlessly prepare at this stage. These assessments are largely meant for CIMB to assess your aptitude in a number of skills that you should already be equipped with.  Note that you will not receive the results of the test; it is only for CIMB’s use. 

First interview
During my first interview, I was interviewed by 2 CIMB employees. This interview was quite relaxed, covering my responsibilities at school, personal interests and current affairs amongst others. There were a few substantive questions on my degree choice and how I envisioned contributing my skills in the workplace. On the whole, they were both very friendly and definitely did their best to make sure I felt comfortable. 

Boot camp 
The boot camp was the most memorable stage for me. For 2 days and 2 nights, the 55 of us, hailing from 7 ASEAN countries, lived at CIMB’s training site and went through a series of challenges together; we definitely bonded well as a result of this!

On the first day, we were given a presentation about the scholarship, CIMB’s history, ethos and vision. There was also an opportunity to meet some of the senior management. To begin with, there were a number of indoor teamwork and strategy games. The highlight of the day was a marketplace simulation, where we were tasked with creating an electric car model. Throughout the simulation, we could buy and sell resources with other teams and we were also given problem cards. For instance, my team was given a card which stated that our engineer was ‘sick’ and hence could not work for a certain amount of time. We then had to find ways to work around these scenarios. At the end of the session, each team had to pitch their car to potential investors. 

While all these activities were going on, we had assessors following us around who were writing down notes on how we were doing in each activity. This would continue for the whole bootcamp. The second day was more intense, with the first half of the day taken up by a scavenger hunt and station games situated all across the training centre. The second half of the day was dedicated to a boardroom proposal based on problems within a fictional company. We had been given a case brief the night before and had time to plan the presentation. We acted as consultants who were pitching potential solutions to the company’s board of directors (i.e. our assessors) and had to answer questions about the viability of our plans. 

Final interview
During my last interview, I was interviewed by CIMB’s senior management, including CIMB’s Group Chief People Officer Dato’ Hamidah Naziadin. This interview was fairly more rigorous compared to the first interview I had gone through. Amongst the range of subjects we talked about, I was asked to describe potential challenges to the banking industry and had to engage in a few hypothetical workplace scenarios. 

If this seems daunting, don’t worry! The interviewers certainly did not expect us to be experts in banking or finance and even when I went off track, they were very clear in giving me hints to put me back on a more relevant train of thought. It is, however, important to stay calm and articulate your thoughts clearly. What’s critical is that you demonstrate to them the way you think and that you actively engage in conversation with your interviewers. 

Final Words 

While cliche, I have to say that being yourself truly is the most important part of the whole process. Knowledge of politics or business affairs will not score you brownie points unless you are able to use this to demonstrate critical thinking and your personal characteristics. Ultimately, the bank is looking for people who will thrive academically as well as in a rigorous working environment, so do your best to display these aspects of yourself to them. 

If you’re thinking of applying I would definitely encourage you to do so; not only will you make new friends along the way but you will also learn a lot about yourself and your abilities. The journey is an incredibly rewarding one and I hope you will decide to take on the challenge. Good luck and all the best!

Debra Lim is a CIMB ASEAN scholar currently reading Law at the LSE. She almost got kidnapped off an island in Langkawi while on a boat with her family. Hope this enlightening piece offsets the darkness of this bio.
If you intend to contact the author, feel free to contact the CollegeLAH Team at contactus@collegelah.com.

Creating your CommonApp account

• Go to https://apply.commonapp.org/createaccount and select “First Year Student”. This will lead you to the next page to create an account. Fill in the required questions which should be self-explanatory.

• Once you are logged in, you are able to view your Dashboard and your full CommonApp Account.
  

Your CommonApp Account

• Your CommonApp Account is separated into five functions: Dashboard, My Colleges, Common App, College Search and Financial Aid Resources.

• Dashboard: The Dashboard is the central monitor to your applications. Once you have added colleges to your applications, you will be able to view them on the dashboard, showing you the deadlines, requirements and your progress. You may also remove the college you chose here.
• My Colleges: The My Colleges tab shows the colleges that you have added into your account. You will complete your work for each specific college here. Some colleges will require extra essays or questionnaires answered.
• Common App: This is where you will fill up general details which are required for every college you are planning to apply (you will only need to fill up once regardless of the number of colleges you apply), from your profile, family members’ information, educational background, standardized testing results, your high school extracurricular activities to your Common App Essay.

• College Search: College Search allows you to search for colleges/universities by different criteria, i.e. by name, country, state, term, applicant type or deadline. By clicking the “add college” button, the information of the particular college will become available on your “Dashboard” and “My Colleges” where now you will be able to check out and answer the supplemental questions required by the college.

• Financial Aid Resources: This tab provides a general guideline for the financial aid made available by the US government. It might not be applicable for most of the international applicants. For more financial aid information (ie. how to apply for college-specific financial aid), please refer to the CollegeLAH US Application Financial Aid section.

The Common Application

Profile

This is the part where you fill in everything about yourself – name, address, contact details, demographics, geography, languages, citizenship, scholarship information, and common app fee waiver. It provides the most basic understanding of who you are to the admission officers. Most of this section is very straightforward but we will clarify the bits that might not be.

Common App Fee Waiver – Nothing in this world is free. Likewise, applying via Common App costs money as well. However, if you think that you face sufficient financial difficulties such that you might be unable to afford the application fees, then you can apply for the fee waiver. Your counsellor will be contacted to provide evidence of financial difficulties so don’t try to cheat.

Family

This is also a relatively straightforward section, where you are required to fill in information about your family background. It is divided into 4 subsections: Household, Parent 1, Parent 2, and Sibling. You will need their basic information such as name, age, occupation, country of birth, education level etc.

 Education

This is where things get gradually more confusing. You will provide your educational information here, from secondary school to your Pre-U studies. Here’s a clarification that will be useful for most readers here, especially if you’re from Malaysia. Even if you are enrolled in some pre-U courses such as ADP, A-levels, IB etc. in, for example, Taylor’s College, KDU, INTI University, you are indeed still in “high school” and it will be seen as something similar to the Grade 12 and 13 under the US education system.

Hence, under the “Current or most recent secondary/high school”, enter the information of your pre-U college instead of your high school which you did your SPM, IGCSE and so forth.

Current or Most Recent School: Unless you’re studying at a school in the USA or US Territories, your school might not be listed here. Search for your school’s name and if it does not appear, select “I don’t see my high school on this list”. Likewise, if you are homeschooled, select the “I am/was homeschooled” option. 

Other School: If you are doing your pre-U education in a different institution as compared to your secondary school, you will need to fill up this subsection. Just do exactly the same as the previous step for each high school you have attended. That said, please do not key in your primary school and kindergarten. Likewise, given that high school means the schools where you did SPM/IGCSE till IBDP/A-level/STPM/Matrikulasi/AP, please do not include your PMR school if it was different from the one you did your SPM/IGCSE at. Otherwise, please do. An example of how you can provide details about why you left each of the above secondary/high schools: I left the above secondary school after I finished the Malaysian Certificate of Education (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia/ SPM).

College & Universities: If you have completed a university level course, be it online or through a physical college, fill up this subsection. For the occasional Singaporeans who might be reading this, declare your H3 Subjects here. Likewise, if you have completed an actual uni/college level course, declare here. Please keep in mind that your Pre-University education (A-level, IBDP, STPM, Matrikulasi, AP) does not count here.

Grades: Fill in the information based on the current school you are in. If you are on a pre-U programme that does not use GPA/CGPAs (A-level, IBDP), leave the relevant sections blank. Likewise, if you’re doing Matrikulasi or STPM, declare your CGPA as well as the GPA scale (‘4’ for STPM, Matrikulasi etc.) Whether or not your GPA is weighted depends on this question – do all contributing subjects/modules/aspects have the same individual contribution to your GPA? If your answer is no, then your GPA is probably weighted.

There are 4 options under the class rank reporting, mainly
1) Exact: For instance, 53 out of 187 (187 will be filled in under “class size”)
2) Decile: Top 10%, 20%, 30% … 
3) Quintile: Top 20%, 40% .., 80%
4) Quartile: Top 25%, 50% … and so on.

Community-Based Organization: If any of these organisations helped you with your Common App application, then do declare them. These are generally non-profit organisations that are representative of particular civil societies e.g. Black communities, underprivileged suburban children. 

Current or Most Recent Year Courses: This is where you declare your Pre-University subjects as well as your Year 11 subjects (SPM, IGCSE etc). In other words, A-level History counts as one course, STPM Ekonomi counts as one course.

Honors: If you have won awards, competitions or scholarships, declare them here. Important point to note here is the grading system, Grade 9 refers to Form 4 and equivalent, Grade 10 being SPM/IGCSE while Grade 11 refers to your AS-level. Intuitively, Grade 12 is your A-level/IBDP/STPM. The exception here then is that if your pre-U course lasts only a year e.g. Australian year 12, SAM, Matrikulasi. In that case, Grade 12 refers to that and Grade 11 refers to IGCSE etc. Basically, it all depends on the number of academic years your Pre-U studies contribute to. PG generally applies to those who undertook gap years.

Future Plans: Write about your future career plans and highest degree you intend to earn here.

Testing

Test Taken: Check ‘yes’ to self-report your SAT, SAT II, IELTS, TOEFL, IB, A-levels scores. You should list all tests that you expect to take and have already taken. When you have chosen all the exams, they will come out as new tabs on the same page (“Testing”). Fill out the required information under each tab which should be self-explanatory.

If you have taken courses such as SPM, STPM, IGCSE, IB Middle or IBDP, elect ‘yes’ for the last column with the prompt: “Is promotion within your education system based upon standard leaving examinations by a state or national leaving examinations board?” Do note that if you took AP, you do not have to check this box.

Senior Secondary Leaving Examinations: If you check ‘yes’, a new section indicating “Senior Secondary Leaving Examinations” also comes up. For each test chosen, another column will appear; this is where you should fill in the specifics of each test. This means that if you have already sat for your A-level (including AS-level), IBDP, STPM, then tick “yes” and fill up accordingly. For most, who are still studying for the actual examinations, tick “no”.

Activities

After indicating ‘yes’, you have a maximum of 10 columns for you to fill in all activities. You’re given a maximum of 50 characters to state the name of the activity, and another 150 characters to describe the activity. Once again, please take note of the grade level system (may refer to the “Honors” section). If you are taking a gap year after your Pre-University studies, any activities done after graduation come under “Post-Graduate”. 

For sports specifically, if you are in your school/state/national team, then you are involved in “Varsity/JV”. If you are not in the main team i.e. recreational, secondary or development team, then you are in “Clubs”. Please also take note you are required to list the activities in accordance to their significance to you.

For example:

Music Club – Founding President

Spearheaded 2 national music concerts; raised $10,000+ for the Malaysian Elderly Association. Honed leadership skills working with 60 members.  (142 characters)

Keep your description concise to minimize character count and convey your message clearly. You might want to consider carefully which activities to include as this section is vital in portraying who you are both as a student and as a person. It is highly recommended that you state activities that you are interested in continuing in university. You may include your experience in internships or volunteering or even hobbies if you feel that you have gained a lot from these activities.

Writing

Personal Essay

You have a choice of 7 prompts to choose from. Choose one from the list below:

Our advice would be to briefly write down the main outline of your response to each question. With this in mind, you can roughly compare the quality of your responses across all questions. Try not to overthink the process; choose the essay that gives you the right platform to best express yourself. Ultimately, this is where you have the opportunity to showcase your unique identity and personality.

Please also find https://collegelah.com/2014/08/07/how-to-write-successful-us-college-application-essays/ here some more detailed tips on writing US college application essays.

Disciplinary History

Honesty is the best policy! Do not be afraid if you have a tainted disciplinary record. This does not mean that you will be rejected solely based on this.

 Additional Information

It is not necessarily the case that your application would be in any way disadvantaged if this section is left unfilled. If there is nothing else to add, there is no need to include unnecessary details.

However, if you do wish to include additional information, here are examples of what could be added:

1) Description of the 11th extremely important activity (because you can only write about 10 activities in the previous section)

2) Clarification of extenuating circumstances –

“Took a gap year after Year 11 because …”

“SAT scores were unusually poor because…”

“Discontinued a music syllabus after Year 10 because…”

3) Information regarding yourself that you think the application will not be complete without. However, please do not continue your unfinished essay here.

That is pretty much the information you need to know in order to complete the Common App. Congratulations on completing this CommonApp section! The specific questions under each college tab should also be straightforward to you. As for the supplemental essays, don’t freak out! CollegeLAH essays editing services are here to help you!

Some extra tips: 

Recommenders

Under the tab of every college that you have added to the “My College”, there will be a subsection called “Recommendations and FERPA”. This is where you invite your teachers to be your counsellor and recommenders. You will need to go to each college tab to invite them manually and some basic information about your teachers here such as their full names, phone numbers, emails etc.

Normally, students will invite 1 counsellor together with 2 (or 3, although less likely) recommenders. If you’re studying in an American-styled school, you should have a designated school counsellor. Otherwise, this can be any teacher or academic staff member who has good knowledge and understanding of the non-academic aspects of you. Therefore, it is entirely up to you whether you want a teacher from your secondary school or one from your pre-U school to be your counsellor. Common App references are significantly different from what usual Malaysian references would be, so be sure that your counsellor knows about the writing style.

As for teacher recommendations, it is advisable to invite one teacher from a science subject and the other one from a humanities subject to showcase a broader picture of your overall performance in school. Likewise, you can also have non-academic referees e.g. sports coach, music tutor (more relevant for those applying for sports/music scholarships). Similarly,it is entirely up to you whether you want a teacher from your secondary school or one from your pre-U school to write your teacher recommendations.

Waiving your FERPA rights means that you agree legally not to have access to your references or transcripts and have your counsellor send them on your behalf. Please note that once your recommender is invited into your application for a particular university, his/her reference can also be used for all other universities you are applying.

Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests? (100-550 words)

Below the intense white lights of an operating theatre, a heart monitor exclaims its regular beeping. Lying half-conscious under the hands of the surgeon, the only communication between the operator and the ‘operated’ is through the beepings of the monitor. In the event something goes wrong, such as when anesthetic awareness occurs, the patient has no means of communicating pain; thus, an excruciating game of endurance would have to be played for the remainder of the operation. I would like to develop a new technique that could overcome this problem.

By pairing the use of stress-reducing frequency waves, and real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rtfMRI), I aspire to give surgeons the technology to live-monitor specific neural activations that indicate pain or pleasure. Actively tracking changes in brain activity can indicate instances when the half-conscious patient on the operating table is experiencing high levels of anxiety or discomfort. Adjustments to the wave frequency can then be made instantly by the surgical team, therefore diminishing the patient’s unease during surgery.

Grasping the basics of constructing medical devices is essential to inventing this new technology. At University of Michigan’s College of Engineering, the biomedical engineering curriculum is structured to focus on the electronic or mechanical design of biomedical devices. Its bioelectrical concentration course will not only teach me the fundamentals of building electronic systems, but also hone my analytical skills in troubleshooting technical issues, such as system errors or mechanical mistakes in biomedical devices. 

Furthermore, I wish to maximise the research experiences I can obtain as an undergraduate; the large range of research programs at BME at U-M provides me with the greater opportunity to do so. For example, I hope to participate in one of the ongoing projects in the Design Program – ‘Improving Neuroprosthetic Interfaces with The Peripheral Nervous System.’ In addition to practising analytical lab skills and experiencing implantation surgery, it would give me insight to understanding the different methods of studying neural activity; all of which are necessary skills to inventing this new technique. 

Natalie Chan is currently majoring in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Surprisingly, she only learned how to ride a bike when she turned 17 years old.

DISCLAIMER: The essays on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful essays look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good essays. COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND. Plagiarism can have serious consequences so please DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

Hi! I am Yugendran Rajaendran, pursuing bioengineering with mathematical and computational science at Stanford University. I was admitted into Stanford University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, University of California Berkeley, University of California Los Angeles, Yale University, New York University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Illinois at Chicago  and Carnegie Mellon University. Here are some tips that I followed to increase the chances of you getting into US universities. 

1. Decide to apply

This might seem basic but this is the fundamental step. You have to decide whether you are willing to sacrifice your time and energy for this complicated application process. At first, the application process might seem daunting but with practice and hard work, you will be fine. Deciding to apply is important to determine the timeline of the following steps. So, I would advise, if you want to apply to the US universities, make up your mind by January of the application year.

2. SAT/ACT

When someone talks about applying to US universities, the first thing that comes to mind is the SAT exam. SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) is conducted by The College Board, intended to measure literacy, numeracy and writing skills that are needed for academic success in college. The SAT compromises 4 sections: critical reading, writing, math and optional essay. The test is taken at one sitting which lasts around 3 hour and 50 minutes. The alternative test is ACT (American College Testing) which compromises 5 sections: reading, English, science, math and optional writing test. Take a practice test in both SAT and ACT to decide which suits you the best. Most Malaysian students find the Math section of SAT easier than the critical reading and writing section, so do practise a lot. Start your preparation early, I cannot emphasize this enough. Plan your testing dates accordingly, so you are able to retake the test to improve your scores before submitting your application. If you have decided to apply for Early Action/Early Decision, you have to sit for the test by October in order to receive the score before the application deadline. Some of the universities like MIT and Caltech require at least 2 SAT Subject Tests. Please look into the requirement. If you are doing A-Level, IB or STPM, then the Subject Tests will be fairly straight forward for you. 

3. Decide which universities to apply 

The next step is to prepare a list of universities you want to apply to. I would suggest applying to around six universities in the US, so you are not overwhelmed by the application process. As a Yayasan Khazanah scholar, I followed the list of universities provided as a part of the scholarship.  Apply to 2 high ranking/ prestigious schools, 2 schools that you like and 2 safety schools. Look into the specifics and requirements of the universities you want to apply to. If you are keen on applying to prestigious universities, make sure that your SAT scores fall in the range of the SAT scores of students who were admitted by the universities. Other factors to consider while choosing universities are finance, geographic, weather, accessibility, academics, reputation and major/degree popularity. 

4. Start application 

Application to the US universities uses a centralised system called CommonApp, Coalition Application and Universal College Application like UCAS for the UK universities but you are not limited to just 5 universities. University of California uses a separate application where you can submit one application to all 8 UC schools. MIT, Penn State and University of Texas at Austin use their own application portal. You can start your application process on the portal as early as August. Start early, so you can spend adequate time on important sections like essays. Some of the colleges like the University of California schools require applicants to list down grades from Grade 9 to Grade 12 ( PT3 to Pre-U equivalent), so make sure you have copies of your transcripts. You have to nominate teachers who will be writing your recommendation letter in the CommonApp by listing their email address. After you are done filling up your details and completing your essays, you can submit your application by paying the application fees. Alternatively, you can request for an application fee waiver on CommonApp if you are unable to pay. Your counsellor has to verify that you need an application fee waiver as well. 

5. Decision

If you apply for Early Action or Early Decision, you will know your application status by mid-December. If you apply for a regular decision, you will know your application status by late-March or early-April, depending on the universities. If you are successful, congratulations! You will have until 1st May to reply to the school that you are attending. If you are waitlisted by the school you would like to attend, you can accept the place on the waitlist or reject the place. To increase the chances of you being admitted from the waitlist, it is recommended that you write a letter of continued interest to the admission office stating that the university is still your top choice and you will attend the university if you are accepted from the waitlist. On top of that, you can include any relevant academic progress or achievement you gained after you submitted your application. Meanwhile, if you are accepted elsewhere, I would suggest you to accept the place as the percentage of students being admitted from the waitlist is low. 

Yugendran is a freshman at Stanford University pursuing bioengineering with mathematical and computational science.  He is one of the Assistant Editors for the CollegeLAH’s US section. If you wish to contact him, you can do so by emailing him yugendranyadhav@gmail.com