All in a Day's Work

On the Lee Kong Chian Scholarship Interview

My first take at a scholarship interview (which I didn't manage quite so much to clinch, but was a thoroughly rewarding experience nevertheless) lasted the entire day. Initially a half-day group interview, it dragged on until the early evening.

There were 50 places this year, and 350 qualified applicants (Although there were some interviewees who professed that they did not apply for the scholarship at all).

We were separated into two groups and provided two different sets of questions each. Of course, all this is just play-acting, a mock-up. The real intention of the three interviewers (and two student-observers, who arrived later) was to gauge the participation level of each group, aggressiveness of each individual at driving home his point and ability to work as a team. The resulting 'presentation' was marked by hostile questions thrown at the two groups, irrelevant to the questions selected for presentation, such as why a question was chosen (We had to Choose one of two available questions to present).

Okay, so basically, the Lee Kong Chian Scholarship is SMU's most prestigous scholarship programme. To have been one of the 350 luck souls to be given the chance to vie for it? A priceless experience.

In summary,

Lee Kong Chian Scholars Programme

Funded by a grant from the Lee Foundation, the Lee Kong Chian Scholarship is available to outstanding local and foreign undergraduates studying full-time at the Singapore Management University.

Applicants for the Lee Kong Chian Scholars Programme must complete two degrees in four years. One of the degrees must be awarded by the Lee Kong Chian School of Business. The other degree can be from any one of the other three Schools in SMU.

Up to 50 Scholarships are awarded annually, each tenable for four years.

Eligibility Criteria

• Full-time SMU first year undergraduate student of any nationality.
• Outstanding academic results and SAT I score.
• Demonstrated leadership and communications skills.
• Substantial record of CCA and/or community service involvement.

Tenure and Benefits of the Scholarship Award

• The Scholarship covers tuition fees and a one-off grant for the purchase of a notebook computer (of up to $3,000), which the scholar may keep on successful completion of his/her studies.
• Scholars will receive an annual book allowance of $500.
• Scholars will participate in a funded International Student Exchange Programme with a partner university; a funded Overseas Study Mission; an International Community Service Project, a Global Issues Forum and special seminars.
• A Living Support allowance of up to $5,000 per year is available for Scholars who qualify for financial assistance.
• The Scholarship is tenable for four years.
• No bond is required under the terms of this Scholarship.

Tuition Grant Scheme

• Scholars are required to take advantage of the Tuition Grant Scheme (TGS) provided by the Singapore Government for subsidized education.
• Under the TGS, foreign scholars will be obligated to work in Singapore for a minimum period of three years upon graduation.

I did not make it past the first round (We were the last group to be interviewed, so they gave us a call later that evening to inform us if our attempt had gone through.), but the interview process has opened my mind and expectations of things to come.

It sure was a nerve-wrecking experience for someone like me who has never been to a scholarship interview, much less such a prestigous one, so I'm actually glad that such an opportunity even came my way.