Go to the A*STAR Scholarship portal to sign up for an account.
Fill in all the necessary components:
FULL NAME AND ADDRESS
Self explanatory
PERSONAL DETAILS
Self explanatory
How did you get to know about the A*STAR Scholarship?: A*STAR website; school; A*STAR scholar, etc
FAMILY DETAILS
Self explanatory
Combined Household Annual Income (S$): XXXX
Type of dwelling: YYYY
INTENDED UNIVERSITY ADMISSION
There's a list of preferred schools, though you may apply for others not on the list.
PREVIOUS SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS MADE TO OTHER AGENCIES
They all ask this question. On hindsight, it’s better to apply for scholarships where you could conceivably transfer the same or similar set of skills around. For example, apply for DSTA and A*STAR, not DSTA and PSC, or people will ask you why you applied for one scholarship that is related to management and another scholarship related to science and technology. Which one do you really want?
SCHOLARSHIP/ GRANT AWARDED
Nanyang Girls’ High School Scholarship, from Nanyang Girls’ High School, on 31 December 2004. No outstanding bond period.
LANGUAGE
Include languages you can speak and your proficiency. I’m unsure if speaking a dialect counts as a ‘language’.
PRIZES AND AWARDS
Self explanatory. There’s only space to put 10 awards here.
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Self-explanatory
CAREER ASPIRATIONS
I plan to read Mathematics or Physics at University but also to explore other science related options. As research is very interdisciplinary, I’ll first build up experience in different scientific fields. Since A*STAR has so many different branches, working in A*STAR would give me the chance to explore a few of these other fields. This would put me in good stead to conduct research and foresee potential applications from the viewpoint of an engineer, mathematician, or scientist. As many people collaborating on a problem can add dimension to it, being an A*STAR scholar would be perfect for me to build both lasting work and personal relationships. I want to work on projects relating to emerging technologies because that is where most breakthroughs may be made. My goal is to eventually head my own research team when I have learnt the ropes, as I believe in leading by example.
ESSAY/ QUESTION
In less than 1500 words, briefly describe why you want to pursue the proposed field of study and how your participation in past research/ intellectual activities demonstrates your passion for R & D.
Everyone in NUS High should have had done at least 2 research projects, so you probably will have something to write here that directly relates to what they are looking for. The essay was a modification from what I wrote for my Princeton (I got waitlisted) essay. Essentially, I recycled some of my essays (with relevant changes) which I did up for my earlier UK and US applications. One, because there were a limited number of things to write about (I’m 18!); two, because my responses to the questions were relatively similar; and three, because I’ll go crazy if I had to think of new things to write for every single application I made =)
I plan to read Mathematics or Physics in College. I’ve liked Mathematics ever since I was in primary school, so it’s always been an option. I’m not even sure why I like it; perhaps it’s the logic which appeals to me.
My interest in Physics started in a more unconventional way.
Physics was my worst subject when I entered NUS High School. I had lots of problems doing the questions, and I wasn’t alone. It was the general consensus that Physics was the hardest subject in school then, which automatically made me desire to do well in it. Challenges always excite this spark in me which make me want to take them on.
So, I studied very hard for Physics. However, despite my best efforts, I invariably performed worst in it. Although I knew that performance on an exam is related to how well you know the material and not how much you study, it was still very discouraging to see bad results for something I put a lot of effort into. The worst came when I failed an exam so badly that I got less than 25% even after moderation. I’ll never forget the shock and horror of that moment. Never had I failed anything in school until then.
I almost dropped the subject. That was my darkest moment. The memory of it haunted me for the next semester every time I had to do anything related to Physics. It was extremely difficult to even start doing a homework assignment, and ended up procrastinating after writing one equation. I wasn’t being lazy – I just didn’t dare to do it.
Fortunately, we started learning Calculus in Math class, so I could understand some of the Physics concepts better after lots of revision and studying. I improved a little, enough for my school to invite me for Physics Olympiad Training during JC1.
I looked at the invitation with mixed feelings. My desire to join the training warred with my fear of not being able to cope. That semester had been a very hard one for me, where I had spent about every day worrying about Physics.
I deliberated for a long time. I consulted with my parents, seniors, and teachers, who all said I had to make the choice myself. My teacher was encouraging but wasn’t about to give me false hope. He said “Your seniors all didn’t know if it would be worth it. You have a chance of representing the school – but whether you can get a medal remains to be seen.”
Ultimately, I waited until the last moment before the response deadline to accept.
Luckily, the trainer invited was an exceptional teacher. Young and energetic, he was infused with enthusiasm about Physics. He was a very talented man and needed only a whiteboard and marker for his lessons – he had the concepts and problems all in his head. The homework he handed out was so difficult that many of us couldn’t do it, and some dropped out. But I didn’t. There’s a saying that anybody who tries their luck at something has a chance, but to not participate at all would definitely destroy this chance.
The turning point came a few weeks before the start of the Singapore Physics Olympiad. I decided that I was just going to push ahead with everything I had and fight to the end. I had come so far already, and now it was too late to give up. I had sacrificed too much, put in too much effort.
I did well in the theoretical test, but the practical sealed my victory. When I got the questions, I didn’t hesitate, but plunged straight into action, working methodically until time was up.
The results were released a month later. They revealed that I had become one of eight gold medalists in Singapore that year. I was surprised, maybe? Definitely I was pleased. But I didn’t jump up and down screaming with joy. For so long, I had been plagued with bad results for physics that the unexpected victory seemed a little surreal.
My experience in the Singapore Physics Olympiad showed me how fascinating Physics was. The more I studied it, the more my interest grew. I decided then that I wanted to study Physics in University because I love the subject and wanted to delve deeper into it. Also, Physics has many emerging new fields which are current hot spots of research; I see a lot of future for in this field. Another bonus is that Physics is the key to most of the scientific disciplines, and someone who understands it would be able to pick up concepts in other scientific fields quickly. I believe this will serve me well since science is constantly evolving and scientists have to be able to understand new concepts quickly to keep up with the pace of technology.
By then, I knew I was interested in science, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted it as my career. I decided to sign up for the Youth Research Programme at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, as I had heard the experience there is a good gauge to tell if you are interested in research. It turned out that I really enjoyed myself there. My mentor was very professional and knew how to balance between guiding the student and letting them explore on their own, and all the scientists were friendly and enthusiastic about their work. That made me decide that the A*STAR scholarship would be a good fit for me. But since I am more interested in the Physical Sciences, I decided to sign up for another attachment at the Data Storage Institute to explore other options offered by A*STAR.
My Advanced Research Project on “Design and Fabrication of Microfluidic Devices and Optimization of separation of two different beads in the detection area”, conducted under the Science Research Programme, was graded excellent. Another project was on organic chemistry, titled “Synthesis of Novel N-Heterocyclic and Fluorene-consisting Small Molecules as Fluorescent Probes”. The synthesis method was patented by my mentor. I also took an internship last year at the Defence Science Organization to work on Electromagnetic Compatibility and Interference.
Experience in conducting research has taught me that inspiration can come from the most unexpected places. Once, I saw a man arguing with the airport counter officer about the weight of his luggage. He had to pay extra because it had exceeded the airline’s weight restrictions and he wasn’t pleased at all! That got me thinking that many people had probably experienced similar difficulties.
I wondered if there was a way to solve this problem. When I heard about the CREATE2010 Engineering Challenge, inviting people to come up with a creation to improve people’s lives feasibly, I knew I had found the right vehicle for my ideas. They posted periodic updates on Facebook about fascinating engineering ideas to improve people’s lives. Some ideas were not currently feasible, but all were very exciting!
My research began. It’s pretty odd how inspiration can come along. I was thinking about my parents’ tales about their troublesome travels in the days before bags on wheels became widespread, when it hit me! I came up with a Weighing Wheel, a device which enables luggage or anything on wheels to be weighed easily with a built-in balance scale.
I got a friend to join me. We made it to the top five teams out of 175 applications after first a round of selection by the judges, then a second round of public voting.
I wanted to do well, so we brainstormed and decided that we would structure our presentation like we were a real company pitching sales to an audience. I also set up a genuine website, www.theweighingwheel.blogspot.com, so anyone interested could scrutinize the design.
The eight judges were most impressed by the practicality of the idea. The emcee said he would like to buy such a luggage! Two of the judges suggested we should seriously consider starting a real company to sell it.
And that’s what I plan to do. Use what I’ve learnt to create products and conduct research to improve people’s lives. I believe A*STAR’s goals are in line with mine, and this is why I have decided to apply for the NSS(BS).
Would you like to be considered for the MBBS-PhD Scholarship?
No.
Yes if you want to study medicine but don’t intend to practice as a doctor.
EDUCATION (OTHERS)
Here is where you key in your SAT and TOEFL results. Even if you don’t plan to study in the US you must still take the SAT as A*STAR requires you to score more than 2100 for the SAT I and more than 1400 for the SAT II before you receive the award.
EDUCATION DETAILS (PRE-UNIVERSITY)
Secondary school (or High School Equivalent)
Etc.. .etc
Junior College (or Pre-University Equivalent)
Etc… etc
DECLARATION
Questions about whether you have legal or financial troubles, physical or mental problems, and whether you have applied for an A*STAR Scholarship before.
UPLOADS:
UPLOADS:
It seems that A*STAR now wants two referees to write letter on why they think you deserve the scholarship. Also upload a photograph of yourself.
DOCUMENTS TO SUBMIT
Same as ST Engineering. In addition you must submit certified true copies of letters of offer from the colleges you've been admitted to.
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