omg i know Mr Soong 
both fellas = Diploma with Merit and prize/ award winners.. dont
siao siao
A first: Poly grads accepted into NUS' medical school
Two chosen out of 32 from polytechnics who applied for
admission
By Jane Ng
THEY OPTED FOR POLY ROUTE: Mr Ng (left) and Mr Soong both qualified
for JC but chose to enter Ngee Ann poly. -- NG SOR LUAN
FOR the first time, two polytechnic students here have been
accepted into what is possibly the toughest university course here
to get into - the medicine faculty of the National University of
Singapore (NUS).
The Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, which will take in 250
aspiring doctors this year, received 32 applications from poly
students and selected Mr Soong Jun Wei and Mr Ron Ng, both 20, from
Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
Mr Soong graduated with a diploma in biotechnology, while Mr Ng,
has a diploma in biomedical laboratory technology.
Unlike junior college (JC) students, who apply with A-level
results, poly students are assessed on their poly results and
O-level grades.
But like all other applicants, they had to take an essay test and
go through two rounds of interviews.
On Mr Soong and Mr Ng, an NUS spokesman said: 'Their outstanding
academic track records, coupled with their strong interest in
research and their achievements in co-curricular activities, set
them apart in the selection process.'
The school spokesman said they had been been exploring the idea of
admitting poly diploma holders for some time, and it recently
approved 16 diplomas, including physiotherapy, biomedical science
and nursing, from the various polys.
It was Ngee Ann's biotechnology course that convinced Mr Soong, who
qualified for JC with nine points for his O levels, to opt for the
poly route. 'I didn't get to take biology in secondary school so I
wanted to do it in poly,' said the youngest child of a production
supervisor and housewife.
It was not easy initially, recalled the former Fuhua Secondary
student, who hopes to specialise in orthopaedics in future.
'The lecturer talked about the fundamentals of cells, and everyone
seemed to understand because they were nodding their heads. That
was when I realised I had to work very hard to catch up,' he
said.
For Mr Ng, being in a polytechnic pushed him to work harder. 'I
knew the chances of poly students entering university were slim, so
I pushed myself to do even better,' said the younger son of a taxi
driver and secretary.
The former Outram Secondary student had qualified for JC with an O
level score of 10, but decided to focus on his passion for biology
as 'being in a JC would mean having to take other subjects as
well'.
He had his heart set on medicine and made it his only choice in his
university application, confident that his industrial attachments
at polyclinics and hospitals would give him an edge.
Welcoming the duo's admission into medicine, Dr Sushila Chang, Ngee
Ann Polytechnic's director for the school of life sciences and
chemical technology, said: 'Our education is broad-based and
there's depth. They do a lot of team work and research projects -
all skills needed in medicine.'
NP producing quality students ah..
