DSA@NYJC!
TESTIMONIALS FROM OUR GRADUATED DSA STUDENTS
CHIA WEI CHIEN, RYAN (2115)
"I am sincerely thankful to NY for giving me a pleasant DSA experience. Moving forward, I intend to pursue mechanical engineering at NUS and continue my floorball passion."
Chia Wei Chien, Ryan (2115)
Floorball, Captain
Catholic High School
84 Rank Points
I strongly encourage my juniors to DSA to NY as the school takes good care of DSA students. The school supports the learning of the DSA students, starting with the Headstart Programme and the close monitoring throughout the two years, ensuring that the DSA students get early intervention and help in their studies. It is not only the academic progress that the school is concerned with, NY also focuses on holistic education and student well-being. NY offers plenty of opportunities to develop the students all round and the culture of “work hard, play hard” is also strong.
I had the privilege to be part of the NY Galileo, a student development programme that aims to broaden our horizon, strengthen our understanding of our talents, and, facilitate our exploration of our role in society and contributing to the public good.
My DSA experience was highly meaningful because I grew as a leader by captaining the floorball team and got to hone my leadership skills through the Leadership Training Camp.
I was greatly honoured to meet influential leaders like MP Mr Seah Kian Peng via the Community Leadership Programme (CLP) where I got to work with grassroot leaders and learn about the challenges in managing a constituency.
During the hectic period of juggling both CLP and ‘A’ division school games, I was lagging academically. Thankfully, with the support of the friendly and understanding teachers who were willing to set aside time for me, I could catch up.
I am sincerely thankful to NY for giving me a pleasant DSA experience. Moving forward, I intend to pursue mechanical engineering at NUS and continue my floorball passion.
LEE YI-SHINN (2102)
"Just give it your all in both your CCA and studies and your efforts would eventually pay off."
Lee Yi-Shinn (2102)
Table Tennis
Nan Hua High School
90 Rank Points
My experience of being in NYJC for the past 2 years has been one that is extremely fulfilling. Being a DSA student who entered the school with a higher L1R5 score, I had to work harder than my peers and was constantly faced with failures while juggling my time spent studying and training for the National School Games. However, my tutors, as well as my friends in NYJC, have always been supportive and encouraging, helping to answer any questions I had or explain concepts that I didn’t understand, allowing me to achieve what I have for ‘A’ levels. I’m thankful to have the continuous support of my tutors as well as my friends throughout my ‘A’ levels journey and my experience in NY is not one to be forgotten.
To future juniors who are considering applying to NYJC, while it may be intimidating initially and you may struggle a little, just give it your all in both your CCA and studies and your efforts would eventually pay off.
CHLOE ANNA CHOE (2104)
"As a CCA leader in NYJC, I have learnt to be more attentive to the needs of each member and acquired problem solving skills in finding ways to meet these needs."
Chloe Anna Choe (2104)
Dance Society, President
Presbyterian High School
80 Rank Points
I chose to DSA to NYJC via Dance because I have loved dancing since I was a child, and I was looking forward to continuing dance in JC. Before applying for DSA, I watched videos of amazing past performances by NY Dance Society (NYDS) and I wished that I could be part of that. I was thrilled when I got accepted.
With a L1R5 thrice that of my peers’ and the responsibilities of leading NYDS as the President, I was honestly very worried that I would not be able to do well for A levels, especially since my performance in school exams was far from desirable.
Thankfully, I was blessed to have very committed teachers and supportive peers, who were a tremendous help to me in JC. I ended up with an ‘A’ level score well beyond my expectations, and I could qualify for the course I hope to do in university - Social Work.
Why Social Work? I want to be in the position to actively help the vulnerable in society. As a CCA leader in NYJC, I have learnt to be more attentive to the needs of each member and acquired problem solving skills in finding ways to meet these needs.
I am thankful for the many learning opportunities NYJC provided me!
NAOMI ONG JEAN ANN (1903)
"New experiences, fun memories and most importantly a chance to fail and make mistakes in a safe environment."
Naomi Ong Jean Ann (1903)
Badminton Girls’ Captain
CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School
89 Rank Points
Nanyang JC always stood out for me since I first started looking at junior colleges during my final year of secondary school. It was a school that had a reputation for supporting a balanced JC life where the students are able to have fun but also enjoy a supportive environment for the students to excel in their studies. In the end, NY did live up to my expectations.
NY provided me with two years of new experiences, fun memories and most importantly a chance to fail and make mistakes in a safe environment. One mistake was believing that you could not do well in JC. Being in such a top-tiered JC, it was difficult to balance studies with CCA in the first year, let alone when COVID-19 Circuit Breaker kicked in and it was difficult to concentrate and study at home.
However, it was because of the support system of classmates and CCA friends that I had, which allowed me to get back on track. I believe the best thing I gained from my two years is the great support from my friends and teachers. I had friends who were always willing to help and encouraged me to do my best and teachers who were patient in helping me with my learning.
JEREMY TEO (1911)
"I received so much help and advice from my tutors which really changed my perspective on what studying meant."
Jeremy Teo (1911)
Basketball, Vice-Captain
Anglican High School
87 Rank Points
Prior to A-Level, I have not had many academic achievements. I was always trying to juggle basketball and studies, and I had not succeeded in striking the right balance, compromising my performance in both.
However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and the National School Games had to be cancelled, it allowed me to concentrate solely on my studies. I received so much help and advice from my tutors which really changed my perspective on what studying meant - it is not just about getting ready for the exams and knowing how to answer the questions, it is also about the building of character and strengthening our values that would shape us into the people we would be in the future.
Many of my tutors took time to talk to me about my personal struggles and were really understanding. This really went against the misconception that JC tutors do not care as much about their students as their peers in secondary school. With the support of my tutors, CCA mates and a lot of hard work, I was able to achieve my best academic achievement to date. I am thankful for all of you.
SEK SIANG JIUN (1903)
"It is honestly thanks to them, coupled with my tutors’ support that I was able to pick myself back up after the failures and move on to study even harder."
Sek Siang Jiun (1903)
Band, Section Leader
Yishun Town Secondary School
87 Rank Points
JC for me was a very mixed bag. I have had my highest highs and my lowest lows during these 2 years, and I’m still debating in my head whether I have made the correct choice up until now. But one thing is for sure, I definitely had a very interesting and unforgettable experience here.
As a DSA student in the Symphonic Band, I got involved with the band quite early, even before I officially entered NYJC as a student in orientation. I had plenty of time to bond with the seniors and my section mates, making for some of my fondest memories in my CCA.
In J1, the band was preparing for the SYF 2019. I remember all the struggles we went through to make the pieces as perfect and beautiful as possible, and all the fun we had training along the way. In the end, we all achieved the distinction we wanted. I will never forget the feeling of both excitement and relief I felt hearing that. Before the seniors left, we had one last concert together and with a heavy heart, we said 'goodbye' to them. I will never forget the times we spent together.
Outside of CCA, everyone had to hurry up and adjust to the new and demanding curriculum of JC, which is an extremely daunting task to do in less than 2 years, I might even call it a ridiculous task to achieve.
In J1 my results were a bunch of just passes and fails before moderation, a stark contrast from secondary school. Emotional stress built up in me for the entire year. It didn’t help that I had no one to turn to in J1 to study with me. I practically became a normal student with a DSA title as after the last concert I distanced myself away from my CCA.
Everything came to a head J2 Block Test where I just couldn’t handle it anymore seeing a string of failures in J1 both in academics and in CCA. I decided to talk to my tutors for guidance. My tutors were extremely nice and comforted me, giving me back a bit of confidence to continue on. Without this push, I wouldn’t have gotten back up to try again harder.
A group I would like to mention is the people in Jfire, the Japanese culture and media SIG in NY. They have given me the best time of my JC life, fooling around, talking about our favourite anime and making JC a lot more bearable. It is honestly thanks to them, coupled with my tutors’ support that I was able to pick myself back up after the failures and move on to study even harder. They also made amazing study partners so we can better understand concepts.
COVID-19 has been a very decisive phenomenon in 2020, ruining many people’s normal lives and posing many problems to many. For me however, it’s a blessing in disguise. The Circuit Breaker period gave me the breathing room to relax and think about my future, to rediscover my passion and just put a reset to the stress, to put a pause button on life and to just look internally to gain back my inner strength.
Though it was really frustrating to not be able to perform with my juniors in CCA, the Circuit Breaker experience has been a net positive for me. This period allowed me to finally get a hold of the subjects and start scoring when school reopened, while also giving me time to enjoy stuff I love like anime and a few games. And this momentum built up in this period gave me enough push to do my very best, resulting in my desired results.
To my juniors, among the 200 friends, it is important to have a smaller, closer group of friends who would provide support to one another to encourage one another throughout the race and get to the finish line. Talk to your tutors if you have any problems, they will definitely help you. And for those who are struggling like how I did back in J1, believe in the strength that's yours alone. Everyone fails sometimes, but dreams won't fade, chase them as many times as it takes and you’ll achieve it one day. FAITO DAIYO!