Part II: The limbo between high school and college

There's a nice, long eight month break between the end of high school and college. Especially for those in year 6, contending with all the madness of school, rounding up ARPs, and college applications, you'll probably by looking forward to the long break. So let's see what might be happening during those warm, sunny, honeymoon months.

An approximate time-and-action line for those going overseas on a scholarship

Final High School year:

• May: AP exams, school exams. Application anxiety truly begins to sink in.
• June - July: research schools to apply for, round up SATs and placement tests.
• August - October: Score as high as possible in your last few tests, assignments, and exams. Keep mugging. Have no life. Push to the end - its almost there but yet so far away!!
• September: Time to apply for UK if you're eyeing Oxbridge. If not, you have until next year to apply.
• September - December: Anytime between here, apply for US schools. Bug teachers for recommendations. Most people tend to apply for the early decision schools around this time. You'll probably be so busy with school work you don't have time to apply for regular decision now, no matter how much this is advisable.
  
• October: Oxbridge interviews and tests. Force yourself to squash out time to prepare for them, despite having 1000 assignments due next week and your last high school exams looming.
• November: Graduation and Prom (At long lasssssttttt!!!!!!!)
• December: Early decision results released. Decide what to do next based on the results. There's still time to apply for more schools. NUS and NTU application opens around now as well. Work. Apply for the scholarships with an early intake/ Enjoy being free, finally, after 12 years of school! You've earned it! =DDDDDDDDD

Year after graduation from High School:

• January - August: (Approximately) Continue working/ NS/ find a job/ slack
• January: Early cycle interviews for scholarships/ Enlistment for guys. Oxbridge results should be out around this time. Scream with joy or mourn, whatever. There'll be more such emotions rolling by in early April.
• February: Interviews from US college alumni. You'll be quite busy ... if you applied for a lot of schools. Most UK schools should release the application results by now. Start getting panicky about where your life is heading in the next few months.
• March: A Level results released; regular cycle for scholarship applications opens. Nervousness rises by a factor of 10 each day as the US College decisions release dates loom. Beg teachers again for recommendations. Persuade people who like you to be your referees.
• January - March: Loads of scholarship talks at cool locations like Swissotel the Stamford =P. Nice food served at tea reception. And of course, you get to talk to scholars up and personal.
  
• April: D-Day has arrived. US College application results released. Scream and hit the ceiling if you got into your dream college. Cry over split milk about schools you didn't get into. Go to admit receptions from schools you were accepted to. Talk to people about their choices. Decide which school to go to. Enroll. Go for more scholarship interviews.
• May: Scholarship results released. Decide which scholarship to accept. Sign the preliminary contract of acceptance.
• June - July: Scholarship Pre-departure courses occur around this time. Heard they vary from anything from one week to one month. Meet loads of new people. Start filling in forms from your university, which will begin collecting a lot of information about you to prepare for your arrival. Book for housing. Begin visa application. Get medical check-ups done - you need to satisfy certain medical requirements before being allow to enroll in a US/ UK school. Book your air tickets. Realize that it all adds up to quite a bit of time and effort when you put it together. Realize that the admin work and form-filling didn't end after January 2nd, post High school year, after the deadline for the Common Application.
  
• July: Scholarship award rehearsals and ceremony. Shop for everything you need. Laptops, warm clothes, clothes that don't need ironing, clothes that can be machine washed, luggage bags, more underwear, shoes, bedsheets... goodness gracious me, that's a lot of money! Find out that shopping is a pain in the a** when you really need to get something but can't find what you need because the shops don't stock it, the price is too high, or it just isn't what you're looking for.
• August: Select courses to take in your first semester of university. Sign the final contract with your scholarship organization. Realize that you only have two weeks more to squeeze everything into your travel bags. Decide if some things can be shipped instead of carried personally by you onto the airplane. Figure out how to get from the airport to your school. Change money to the currency you will use in your college. Some colleges have a "local orientation" for admitted Singaporeans going there, before they even leave familiar grounds.
• September: Fly away from Singapore. Sign for a phone subscription. Set up a bank account. Set up your new room... Hasn't happened to me yet but that's what I expect will happen from talking to seniors. Let the reality that you are now wholly and solely responsible for all your laundry, meals, classes, room, and finances hit you proper. You've probably known this fact intellectually but not personally for a few months now. Buy all the stuff you need but couldn't bring from home. Go for orientation.
• October - December: Honeymoon is over. Begin mugging... again. Application cycle repeats in your senior undergrad year, I guess, for those aiming for grad school.