Daily Lesson from Life 06 March 2009

"Fri, Mar 06, 2009 AsiaOne - She scored when it mattered

SHE failed almost all her subjects in her school test, but did an about turn to score five As in the A-level exams.


Getting 'Ungraded' for almost all her subjects - except a C for English literature - in the first common test of her second year at Catholic Junior College prompted Sonia Mao to put in extra effort for the national examinations.

'It was really a wake-up call', said the 18-year-old, reflecting on her past grades.


So Sonia put in extra effort, and studied harder. She started to pay attention in class, raise questions on the spot when she had queries, and self-studied after her classes. 'I remembered I studied seven hours at a stretch for history,' she recalled. 'Self-study groups helped too.'

The group of herself and seven friends would meet in the library to discuss tough questions weekly, and she would also stay back to ask her teachers questions after school.


All this effort paid off, when she was rewarded with five As for her A-Level results, which were released earlier today. Sonia, who is an intern with AsiaOne Travel, claims she was 'shell-shocked' when the results were announced in an assembly of her and fellow students today, making her one of the top in her batch this year. 'I expected to do well, but this is way over expectations!' she said.

Sonia scored As for English literature, History, Economics, General Paper and Project Work and Bs for French and H1 Mathematics.


Her principal, Brother Paul Rogers, 59, said: 'She was always going to have As,' and added that 'it would be unrealistic for her to have Cs.' Fellow schoolmate and AsiaOne news intern Yuslina Aziz said: 'We're all so proud of her! She would always show so much potential even in class - and she's really humble - we're all really proud.'

With Sonia's grades, she says she will consider a scholarship with Singapore Press Holdings as it allows her to study in an overseas university of her choice."

It is that time of the year again. The release of the 'A' Level examination results where students will know if they do well enough to get them into the university of their choice! As usual there will be many happy and satisfied faces and there will be some unhappy and totally devastated faces. Some were expected while some were unpleasant surprises.

I only like to congratulate those that did well or get the grades they expected; in line with the efforts they have put int. For those who did not as well as they expected, I like to offer my understanding and urge you to be strong and not be too disappointed. Be disappointed but not TOO disappointed. It is over and beating yourself too hard is not going to help. It is better to look forward and chart the plan. It is just another examination. Life is just starting for a 18-year old! If you want to repeat the year to get better grades, do it! As private candidate or as a repeat student! Pressure will be great but it can be done if you want to.

Lessons for me are:

1. 'A' Level is just another phase of our life. It does not and CANNOT determine the rest of our life! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!;

2. If we do well, congratulate ourselves. At the same time, look around and be sensitive to fellow students who might had put in just as much efforts as us but did not do that well. Rally around them and encourage them to look forward - sincerely;

3. for those who did not do well, do not despair. You have time to learn again and to try again if you like. Those who love you and truly understand that you had done your best will still love you and support you. If you realized that perhaps you should have given more, don't use the saddest words in life: 'I should have...'. Instead, change it to: 'I will ... for the coming year!'. Set yourself new goals and chart the action plan and put it into practice. You will need determination and discipline. Hopefully as you see the lights, you will develop the commitment and the sacrifice to make the new academic year a better one!

To all the 'A' Level students, well done for you have given your best. Hold your heads up no matter what grades you have.

'I've always wanted to go overseas, and now I will work really hard for it.' she smiled.