I come from a slightly different perspective. You see, I was lucky to have found my passion in robotics as a primary school kid (even before that actually), and not only that, but too, was presented the opportunity to open my eyes to the wider world around me through robotics. I guess it was the combination of luck, interest and flair that got me noticed even in primary school to take part in national and international competitions of different varieties (NJRC, Robocup, FLL). It was through these opportunities that I was able to look beyond the Singapore context and gain a broader perspective on education and its purpose (though probably not as a primary school kid). Having come home empty handed from my journey abroad, I was determined to pick up where I left off when Secondary education beckoned. Being a GEP DSA kid (sorry :/), I had plenty of options to apply to even without my PSLE results. The tours of several secondary schools yielded the conclusion that HCI should be the place I was going if I were to be looking to accelerate my development as a robotics enthusiast. However, by after much deliberation by the family, I ended up in RI (which at that time, I assumed had a fairly decent robotics program too). I was let down. Perhaps it was just my expectation that Secondary was going to be like Primary, lots of structure and hand-holding and spoon-fed training (it's like that at some schools, trust me), but this expectation left me feeling disappointed when RI turned out to be extremely mediocre in terms of the teaching of robotics and a creaky retired machine when it came to winning competitions. Looking back now, I really wonder what I would have become if RI was what I had expected it to be (probably another of those students who did well academically, had a decent study-fun balance, but barely noticeable in the sea of As). After all, it is difficult to call yourself accomplished simply because you added a brushstroke out of thousands on a beautiful painting. Presented with a blank canvass, I was determined to leave my mark on a story that would always be remembered as the start to a story truly brilliant- one that would be told years after I leave the school. And that was how I became a part-time student, full time Roboticist.
6 years of 3-24 hours in the robotics lab, 5-7 days a week took a toll on my grades. Although I did get in to RI pretty close to the cut off point, I was not one who worked particularly hard for it. A 3.53 in year 1 dropped to a 3.15 in year 4 (and yet no one believes I barely study XD). JC came and I switched from a mixed combi (Phys, Chem, Hist, Lit) to a science combi (Phys, Chem, Math, Econs). In spite of my earlier vows that come JC, I will pick up the slack and make up for all the lost time from secondary school, I did exactly the opposite and continued my push to jump-start the dead robotics club. I continued to push myself for competition after competition, event after event, and was committed for critical periods (before/during CT1, before Promos, during J2 CT1, before J2 CT2, before/during prelims, before As). Everyone thought I was crazy but interestingly enough, my grades were not all that bad, 1A, 3B, 9C, 2D, 5E, 4S, 1U but at the same time, they weren't stellar. (on a side note, I wonder how I did for A levels :X)
But looking back at these years, there would have been nothing I would want to change (unless you count spending more time doing robotics XD). Sure, I am an average RI student in terms of results but if you were to look at what I have done with the school outside of grades and it would be easy to see why I wouldn't have done anything differently. After all, how many students have their CCA records printed in extra small font because the achievements wouldn't fit? And of those, how many of them have achievements varying from national to international competitions, robotics awards to non-robotics award (as in totally irrelevant, like business ._.) to organizing competitions for primary school students to secondary school students to lessons and training camps for JC students to international events? How many students have the experience of getting invited to headquarters of international industry leaders for chats, or having ideas so good that competition judges want to work with them? (really shows that if effort is put in, student ideas go to the industry) How many students have patent pending products and start-ups under their names? Robotics offers an opportunity no classroom can provide for. It develops the mind in so many areas, having to be eloquent, technically adept, innovative, responsive etc. To those who discredit robotics competitions as being irrelevant because they include awards such as "presentation" and "entrepreneurship", it is only my hope that one day, when you come out into this world. that you will truly value what they have taught you, for in our ultra-competitive context, it is not enough simply to get those As, or win some national competitions, the well-roundedness of one's abilities can and will enhance his/her value to society.
For me, I have chosen to take a different path- a path that required me to defy everything and everyone that stood before me, a path that few would dream of, much less choose, a path that not only requires hard hard hard work among other trade-offs but also the strength of mind to push through the nagging voices and become truly good at what you do. Ultimately, not many 13 year-old kids will be able to do this. My case, admittedly, was a culmination of factors both environmental and personal that allowed me to pursue this path. As I always say, the Singapore system is not inadequate in any way. The methods that are employed are what any nation with aspirations should adopt. However, the mindset of the people is what needs to be cured. The perception that those who do not attain straight As are inadequate must go, along with the skepticism that "all the fabled greats who are school drop-outs are just flukes". Anyone with any basic knowledge of statistics will be enlightened to the sheer improbability that such a high percentage of our industry leaders do not indeed come from extremely educated backgrounds. We must embrace the idea that the school system is designed for the general public, who have not yet stumbled upon their interest and are looking to broaden their options. Sure, there will be those who fall through the cracks and end up not finding what they are interested in even after a year at uni. Some of those will eventually discover their passion in their adulthood while others never do. But these guys are exactly the ones who need this kind of systems to gain exposure to fields that might interest them. As for those of us who don't follow the conventional road, I feel we shouldn't be cast off either.
In any case, what I have done, I will not regret. What we have achieved as a club, as a school, as a country, has made all my efforts worthwhile. Personally, I have been rewarded with opportunities I would not have otherwise gotten. It is during a time of transition like this, that while others are aimlessly floating around, I find a direction to work towards so easily. Because what I have been doing all these years as a student has created for me a path so clear and with such possibilities opened up so early. And for me, that is what has made these years in school all the more satisfying.
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