If I had had the self-discipline to schedule regular consultations with teachers and study regularly, perhaps I could have caught up. Within a couple of months, I could no longer keep up with the pace of lessons. The pace of teaching is quick, and self-discipline is a must in order to stay on top of things. Self-discipline was essential, and I lacked it. It gave me a false sense of confidence that I could handle math and science in JC as well, and I opted for the popular Physics, Chemistry, Math and Economics combination. In secondary school, I was barely scraping through my math and science, but managed to do well enough with intensive extra help in the last few months before the O-levels. The A-levels is an intense course that is packed into less than two years. It was easier to enter university via the JC route… Right?.Peer pressure: My schoolmates were all going to JCs.In our secondary 4 year, multiple JCs were invited to give talks to us. School pride: In my peer group, a double-digit L1R5 was considered “below average”.Family pride: JC was the more “prestigious” choice.Going to a polytechnic did not cross my mind at all. I had my O-levels results in my hands and my mind was racing… With an L1R5 of 11 points, which Junior College (JC) should I go to? It shocked my friends and family then, but looking back, it was the best decision I could have made.
